Learn how to be more productive: 9 small steps to work better
Running a small business, we are continually being told that we should be posting consistently.
We’re always spinning plates. And when one looks like it might drop, you feel like you’ve lost control and momentum and are terrified of the impact it’ll have on your business overall. (And often that fear of loss of control means sticking your head in the sand.)
Routine, growth and productivity go hand in hand. Getting comfortable in a rhythm can have an awesome effect on your work efficiency. It is in fact possible to learn how to be more productive.
Take a few small steps, so that the more you practice these tricks, mundane or difficult jobs become less taxing and in the long run it may save you a hellova lot of time.
How to be more productive:
1. PLANNING AND POST-ITS
I used to have my house filled with scraps of paper, notes on the back of electricity bills, to-dos at the bottom of my shopping list, and post-it notes covering the cupboard above the kettle.
But it is a lot easier to manage everything systematically if you’re got all your notes in one place. And you won’t run the risk of losing a scrap of paper, only to find it under your bed 3 months later, when that thing you meant to do is no longer relevant and you’ve missed the boat.
I use an app called Airtable to track ideas whilst I’m out and about. It’s also great for allocating different jobs to different days (like a digital planner and notebook all in one).
You can also use the notebook app on your phone or even send messages to yourself to keep track of new ideas and innovations that pop into your head whilst you’re walking the dog or doing your weekly shop.
So when you’re lost of what to do, or it’s time to plan your blog/vlog/podcast content for the month ahead, you’re never stuck for ideas.
2. BATCHING
There are ALWAYS days when we feel like we’re stuck in a rut, staring at a screen feels like the most uninspiring thing ever and we feel just a bit deflated.
By utilising the moments when we do feel the most creative, it will give us a back-up plan to give us a nudge in the right direction on those more difficult days.
Building lists of bullet points, scribble notes, draw diagrams and brain-vomit all you can think of about a subject (even if it’s in a completely illogical order and incoherent to anyone else trying to decipher your doodles), so that when you do have a creative block one day, you’ve already got most of the hard work done for you.
All you need to do now is reorder the scribbles, format it into something that is legible, and hey presto you’re creating content even when you don’t feel like it.
Just pad out what you’ve already got and fill in the blanks.
3. MARK YOUR TERRITORY
Have an allocated desk or corner to work in (and don’t use that desk or corner for anything else) so when you’re there, you know you need to concentrate.
If you work in your living room, on the same sofa you watch telly on, you won’t feel like you’re relaxing when you’ve closed down your laptop for the day.
Then before you sit down to work, put on clothes, brush your teeth, walk outside for 5 minutes to get some fresh air in you and the blood pumping, and make a fresh pot of coffee (with sugar/milk/ice to hand, so you won’t be making excuses getting up every 5 minutes).
4. WORKING ON A SUNDAY
Our to-do lists are filled with things that don’t directly make us money, like writing out a week’s worth of Instagram posts, updating the info on your website, or keeping on top of your accounts.
It is so easy to put these aside and ignore them, as they don’t seem to make any immediate difference to the business.
But giving equal importance to these things, as we do to the work we do directly with clients, gives a business balance and longevity.
On a Sunday evening, sit down and write out your main goals for the week in 2 categories: first category is the things you get immediate gratification from, like booking a new client, aiming to make a certain amount of money or getting 10 new email subscribers.
Then the second list is the support list: this will include things that will boost your brand credibility and to build more trust with your followers and prospective customers, for example writing a blog post on a certain topic, reviewing your website or doing some keyword research.
Throughout the week, for every two or three jobs you do with immediate gratification, make sure to complete one thing from the support list.
Alternately, allocate one specific day each week to get through your support list.
These are the things that will give you more traction online and position you with more authority versus your competitors. These are the things that a potential, prospective customer will notice that will make the difference between scrolling past you or sitting up and paying attention.
(Oh and keeping on top of your finances just means you won’t have an entire week in January dedicated to finding lost receipts and trying to recall what business expense you spent £27.83 on, on 9th August the previous year).
5. TAKE MORE TEA BREAKS
Schedule each stint of work, breaking down your to-do list, in 30 minute blocks.
Studies have shown that the most productive way of working is being fully immersed in the job at hand for 25 minutes, then having a 5 minute break (that doesn’t involve staring at a screen — so that means no YouTube or catching up on emails I’m afraid) to allow the brain to reset. Then be sure to have a 15 minute break at least every 2 hours.
If you have one big piece of work to complete, which of these sounds more manageable?
3 sets of 25 minutes or a full 90 minute block? 4 solid hours of content writing or 8 individual bursts of work with a cuppa tea/some fresh air in between each?
6. MAKE SURE TO ADD TIME FOR R+R
Schedule in time throughout your week to exercise, grab a coffee, tend to your new plant, or whatever it is you do for some ‘me’ time.
If you give yourself a deadline and know you’re heading out for a sunny pint at 5pm or a run with a mate at midday, you’re more likely to get the work done efficiently, rather than giving yourself the whole day, where you will most likely procrastinate half the day, organising your kitchen or watching reruns of Parks + Rec on Netflix.
7. DO THE MOST INTIMIDATING THING ON YOUR TO-DO LIST FIRST
Get it over and done with.
You’ll feel so much better for it. A fresh start in the morning with a new perspective might help you complete said-dreaded-task faster.
With a job you’ve been putting off now looming over you for the entire day, you’ll be constantly distracted, looking for more and more things to do to put it off even longer.
Think of it like treating yourself with doing the more exciting jobs, once you’ve got ‘the big one’ out the way.
8. GET YOUR 8 HOURS
I don’t want to sound like your mum, telling you to get an early night… But you should probably be getting an early night if you want to keep your productivity levels running high.
Less than 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night can have a serious and detrimental impact on what you do in the day time.
When people say they are ‘just used to sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night’ they are lying, and they are probably grumpy people, very forgetful and haven’t had a promotion in a very long time.
The National Sleep Foundation states that:
Now don’t all those attributes sound pretty important to a small business owner?!
9. WORK DISTRACTIONS
Put your phone in another room (or at least 10 paces away from the space you’re working). Allocate specific time for your social media, because ‘scrolling’ is NOT market research (as I used to tell myself).
Block time into your schedule to reply to comments and DMs, so you’re not reaching for your phone every time it buzzes, which just interrupts your train of thought.
There will be those days where you feel completely unproductive - we all have them.
But it’s important to not start inwardly screaming at yourself. Refrain from giving yourself a stern talking to for dropping the ball for a brief moment.
Your body/brain is probably telling you you’re about to go into overload. And overload means a lack of focus, procrastination, lots of Instagram scrolling and panic.
(Trust me! I’ve been there before!)
Take the afternoon off, get out the house, have a change of scenery and give yourself permission to not worry.
Your business isn’t ruined from having an extra day off every once in a while. In fact, if you allow yourself that extra bit of time to switch off, you’ll hate recording Instagram stories a little less, you’ll be less tired from writing and rewriting product descriptions, and you’ll have more energy to show up for your customers (current and potential).
By showing up with more enthusiasm + vigour, people will be more drawn to you from what you put out to the world, you’ll attract more people through the outward passion that you have for what you do.
You’ll sound more persuasive and therefore have the ability to turn more tentative, potential customers into avid fans.
Don’t try and implement all of these steps at once. Introduce them into your routine one by one, to start to build them into your natural habits. You’ll find you become more productive in no-time.
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If fancy fewer excuses as to why “redo website” keeps getting pushed to the bottom of your to-do list, you just need to know which bits to change that will — in fact — make all the difference.
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