Have you ever wondered how come we all get the same 24 hours in a day but some people can get so much more done during that time, while you seem to be grinding non-stop and still feel like you’re behind?
Productivity is something many business owners struggle with simply because we tend to handle 1001 things simultaneously, and have a gazillion thoughts and ideas running through our heads at the same time.
So how would you rate your productivity levels right now on a scale from 1 to 10?
If you’re on the low side and don’t feel too confident about your productivity levels – don’t despair! In this article, we’re sharing with you the 4 P’s of productivity that will help you get on track with that endless to-do list.
1. Plan
MAKE A LIST AND GAIN CLARITY
Instead of starting the day by writing down all the things you need to do, be a step ahead and make a list at the end of the workday instead.
Make sure that what you write down will actually help you get your business moving in the right direction. Ask yourself: do I have at least one action that is going to move the needle or am I just doing admin and idle stuff?
UNDERSTAND YOUR ENERGY LEVELS
Understand how your energy levels work throughout the day – everyone is different! If you’re a morning person, then try to put the most important, hard and time consuming tasks during that time.
Are you a night owl? Then push the hard tasks for later in the afternoon and focus your mornings on other activities.
The beauty of being your own boss is that you decide your schedule and the way you work. Take advantage of that and enjoy the process. Remember – what works for one business owner, may not work for you so you need to experiment until you find that golden spot.
2. Protect
BECOME HARD TO REACH
Focus is one of the most important things when it comes to productivity, If your time is being disrupted by continuous interruptions like calls, emails, texts or other notifications, then your productivity will drop significantly.
Remember – not everything requires an immediate response. In fact, by jumping from one thing to another, you’re seriously affecting your productivity levels. A Harvard Business Review article on productivity states that “after a notification has forced us to switch between tasks, it can take us about 23 minutes to get back to the task at hand, according to a study from University of California, Irvine.”
So if you really want to get into deep work flow, turn that airplane mode on your phone and mute your computer notification to protect your productivity and truly focus on the tasks at hand.
BUILD ROUTINES AND STRUCTURES
When you have good habits, not only do you work faster but you’re also more decisive in what you do. The same goes for your business!
If you take decision-making out of the equation – chances are you’re going to be more productive. So building routines, templates, processes and workflows in your business that do the hard “thinking” work for you will make your job much easier and give you back some much needed time to focus on something else. Work smarter, not harder, friend!
3. Pause
PAUSE TO RECOVER
Often it feels that entrepreneurship is all about the hustle and grind, but that’s not entirely true. Taking a break and allowing yourself to slow down is just as important for your productivity as your periods of focus. Your brain needs to recover too in order to function at its best!
Make sure to include plenty of breaks throughout the day, allowing yourself to recover over the weekend and have much needed (and hard-earned!) holidays when you can completely switch off! Don’t forget about the importance of your sleep too – there’s been plenty of research that proves the correlation between sleep, short term memory, concentration levels and general health.
So… time for a nap then?
4. Prioritise
COMPETENCE-CONFIDENCE LOOP
Analyse what tasks are keeping you motivated, which ones are stressing you out, which ones help your business grow and which are not helping you progress at all.
It’s normal to have a mix of all, but you want to minimise (or ideally avoid) the things that stress you out and don’t help you in any way. Instead, focus your time and energy on doing what makes you happier and help you progress in your business.
There you have it – the 4 Ps of productivity to help you stay on track and use your previous time in the best way possible! Don’t forget that you don’t need to incorporate all of those at once. Start by making small but consistent changes to see a greater return and improvement in your productivity levels in the long run.
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