Productivity and procrastination. The two things were a constant part of my life at one point. The problem was, I wished I was more productive, but I was such a procrastinator! I would set out to start tasks but very soon I would find myself playing video games, or browsing my social media accounts.
The real turning point for me was when I consciously caught myself checking my Facebook account, while I was driving! It was then that I knew something seriously had to change. I was aware of all the distractions that were surrounding me and everything in my life (especially my business) began to suffer. Not jus that but now my safety was in danger too!
Well to make this big change happen, I went and deleted all of my social media accounts and apps from my smartphone. I also added some parental locks so I couldn't get into them that way either. I gave my wife the password and that woman NEVER gives in; I swear it.
The next step was to download StayFocused, an app that allows you to only spend 20 minutes per day across your social media portals. I also downloaded the NewsFeedEradicator in order to get rid of my Facebook news feed, and avoided potential distractions. After doing this, I felt like my productivity was skyrocketing, and I was right.
Focus is the most important trait that you will have to work on in order to make your business a success. There are too many distractions available today and if you don't stay focused, your business has more chance to crash and burn. To help my situation, I networked and reached out to a few entrepreneurs who were the hardest working business owners featured in Empact Showcase. Here's what I found out you can implement as of today to start becoming a productive monster!
1. Your Day is 15 Minute Blocks at a Time
Multi-tasking is a hard skill to master and even more so if you have a bunch of distractions sitting right there, waiting for you to use them. The thing that I have applied and found works wonders is the 15 minute block method. This is where you divide sections of your tasks into 15 minute time slots, focusing solely on that task for the duration of the time.
Start the week out by planning everything that you will have to do and what obligations you have to meet. Then you can start to divide the tasks into smaller things which will fit into 15 minute blocks, eventually. This is better because working distracted is the equivalent to working as if you pulled an all-nighter; you get a 40% slash to your productivity.
I downloaded a program called TimeDoctor and this is what helps me to keep my time slots in check and hold me responsible. It enables me to view detailed reports, right down to the millisecond spent on each application. For more information on how to use the 15 minute block method more effectively, visit Pomodoro Technique.
2. Make sure everything is Worth the Effort
There are many ancient pieces of business advice that are constantly thrown around, but the problem is that they are exactly that; ancient. To under promise and over deliver may have been a great way in the past, but now it may not actually be worth your effort. People will place the same value on a kept promise as they will on an over delivering promise, so don't worry about it.
Being honest is the best way to craft genuine relationships with your customers/clients and mentioning how much time the job will take is the best way to do this. Don't lie or give a deadline too far away, just so you can deliver early. Creating lasting relationships with your clients is the number one thing your business needs, so be honest about it.
Simply put, work and charge what you are worthwhile being honest about your entire process. Here’s some other tips for you:
Add 25% of the time you think it will take to finish tasks
Make some adjustments in case of collaborative issues causing any delays
As soon as new information is known or tasks are assigned, make sure your entire team knows the same to get the job done efficiently and quickly
Figure out what works for you and what doesn't from the previous results of all your deadlines. Make adjustments or find ways to shorten areas if you need.
To keep track of all the things you have to do every day, download the program call iDoneThis. It will assist you in figuring out if you have too much or not enough on your proverbial plate.
3. Scrap To-Do Lists- Schedule Instead
Instead of piling up a whole heap of To-Dos on your lists, eventually giving up before you start due to being overwhelmed, you should set a schedule based on a time that you finish working for the day. For example, my day will finish at 5.30 so instead of listing a whole heap of things to do, I make a schedule based on priorities. I start from 5.30 and then move backwards, filling my day with the most important things I have to do. To make yourself actually create the schedule is a great way to instill some willpower and discipline, opening up new avenues to apply these newfound traits.
After a while of doing this, you will be amazed to find out how much time you were wasting before it. It will assist you in figuring out what takes up the most of your time, and also how you can fix it. You know HAVE to work in that time frame, not just choose to start (giving up shortly).
4. Have Concrete Goals Set and Don't Forget to Remind Your Staff
I have a list of super goals that I have to achieve but in order to do this, I break each goal into small pieces (similar to the 15 minute block method) totaling 5 quarterly missions. I use index cards to keep these written on and always have it with me, or displayed in the areas I have to work or be in often. Sometimes I will catch myself getting distracted and will find that if I look at the index card, my motivation comes soaring back (and in turn, my productivity). I constantly check my other index cards so that I can make sure my actions and completed tasks fit into achieving this goal and if not, I scrap it or wait until I have time to work on it.
At my weekly staff meetings, I like to remind my staff of all the goals we have to achieve and use the same index cards I have for myself. It really does wonders to simply remind your staff of what they are working for and what the big picture is. Everything feels motivated to make a goal happen, and even more so if it is a group project.
5. Use Sticky Notes
Each night before I head to bed, I list down and organize 5 priorities that are simply too critical to my operation to ignore. Then I judge them against my own principles of urgency and ROI (Return of Investment).
After this process is complete, I sit on the computer and stick them all onto my monitor so I can see them. I don't go to sleep until these 5 things are all completed to a standard I am satisfied with. While it may seem silly to put myself through that, it's actually a great technique that works! If I start some things early, I don't feel the pressure of completing them and will eventually become distracted, wasting time. However, if I wait until a little later, the pressure to get them done before the sandman comes to visit is much more productive. Staying up late and losing sleep is never someone's idea of a good time, so there is some extra motivation for me.
If I have to work on some of my critical priorities in the morning, I leave the house so I'm not distracted by all the toys available, or I'll just put some music on and cover my ears with headphones. People are less likely to interrupt you if you are wearing headphones (seriously, try it) and your environment has a major effect on how motivated or stimulated you are to work. The sticky notes help too, reminding me constantly of what I need to finish as soon as possible.
6. Hire Someone to Keep You Accountable
There are tasks that really need to be completed but at times they aren't the greatest motivating factors. I have an assistant that helps me to stay accountable for the things I said I would do. Every week, we speak on the phone and I tell her what I want to complete on my part and what she needs to complete for the week. The following chat, we go through the same list and see that the list was completed. The point is that peer pressure can work in a positive way if you can use it in this fashion. Having to tell her that I didn't get it done is rather embarrassing so that in itself is enough to keep me motivated.
Also the fact that I'm paying her helps to keep me motivated. This is her job and if I don't do my tasks, we both don't move forward. I'm essentially paying her for nothing, something even the most economically illiterate person could understand is bad for business.
Read more on how to Manage Time – 5 Best Tips to Add Extra Time to Your Day
7. Respond to Emails at the End of the Day
We all get junk mail more often than we receive actually real emails that are important but we continue to check anyway. 90% of email is all spam and junk but all it takes is one click to get sucked right into those distractions. I spent two hours browsing some useless novelties before I realized what I was doing.
Check your emails only three times a day; morning, afternoon, and evening. Most emails can wait 12 to 24 hours before being responded to, handled by my assistant, or you can do the time saving thing and use email response batching options. When it comes time to responding to emails, I do that towards the last few minutes of my day or before I head to sleep. I delete ALL spam and junk immediately before getting sucked into it again, and move on with my night.
By implementing the system described, I am saving so much time and am free to do other things. Sales, marketing, and client communication are the major benefits I get to focus on in return. Studies have also shown that those who don't check their emails often are actually less stressed than those who do.
8. Make Sure You Spend Time on the Business, Not Just In It
To track where my time is going, I use Google Docs and an effective color coding system. I highlight the red for anything involved IN my business and I highlight the green for anything involved ON the business. Basically, I use this to set more goals and see where the majority of my time is being spent in a quick and easy to understand document. I try to have more green on my document every week, as opposed to mainly red.
Check out Michael Gerber's classic, E-Myth for more information on working ON your business, instead of just IN it.
Read more on Value Investing: How To Hire Value Stocks For Your Portfolio?
9. Do All the Easy Stuff First
It may sound way too simple but to get all of the quick and easy things out of the way is super effective. This is because when you get things done, you start to feel better about your situation and easy tasks are not hard to motivate yourself into accomplishing. Anything that requires minimal thinking, creativity, or time is considered an easy task. While doing this, I start to build up my momentum and motivation, causing me to start taking on the harder tasks with more of a bright mood.
Studies carried out by Stanford Social Scientist, BJ Fogg, making all of our tasks smaller will increase our chances of completed it exponentially and instill a sense of pride, engagement, joy, and motivation.
10. Log a Journal As Soon As You Wake Up
Every morning when I wake up, I look over to my bedside table and reach out for my journal. Inside I write a few things about how I feel, what I have planned for the day, my goals, and what I want to achieve today, totaling around 1 page.
I also write things related to my confidence and employ a little creative writing to get my motivation levels up. I write inspirational things and logs about what I see my future as and how I will achieve it to get me out of bed and moving towards it. Don't write anything about how you will do it (logistical) but rather more of a feeling entry. If you do suddenly happen to get a great idea, write it down in another notebook; this one is taken!
I was surprised to find out that many top athletes and performers use this method too. Michael Phelps is one who shares this trait and it obviously works for him. Get rid of any negativity at the start of the day and get ready to kick some butt, become focused, and get going.
Writing down how you feel about certain things can actually help you to understand why you procrastinate a little better. Studies have proven that writing them down can help you to actually complete your tasks and achieve your goals.
Bonus: Eat a Frog Every Morning, Alive
Mark Twain phrased a very interesting quote:
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
Even though this may be some ancient business advice, it still holds true to this day. If there is something you really don't want to do or feel like finishing, just suck it up and do it already. Nothing else will be as bad as that for the rest of the day and you will feel so much better after you finish. Dragging something out is worse than actually getting down into it. Studies have proven that our willpower will start off high, but over time and activities/tasks, it will steadily decrease until you care little for what you are doing, and become distracted.
Inputs from Financial Talkies | Inputs from Rick Melfi | Inputs from Web