Time-management Hacks for Entrepreneurs to 10x Their Productivity
If you’re an entrepreneur you’ve likely run into the issue of feeling like there’s never enough time in the day to get the 1,001 things you need to get done. I hear from clients all the time that they struggle with not only their productivity, but organizing their schedule in a way that makes sense. So let’s dig into the 4 timehack strategies I’ve leveraged to accomplish more in one business day than I did in an entire month working in corporate America.
The first is assessing the style of time block you should use. Everyone needs a timeblock schedule, even if you don’t love routine. Research shows that humans need, at the minimum, predictable guideposts that signal to your body it’s time for whatever task you’re doing (from eating to working to sleeping.)
There are lots of considerations for your time block, but there are two key principles that require your focus to determine what style works for you.
#1 Are you a person that needs the same schedule every day? Or do you prefer for your days to look differently? I am a creature of habit so I personally like my days to look the same - which means there are a few hours each day where I may do different tasks, but overall, the morning is spent for deep focus work, the afternoons are for client calls. EVERY DAY. It creates a predictable rhythm for me.
Some people prefer variety, so you may focus on having a day of the week for like tasks. It may look like “MONDAY - ADMIN DAY, TUESDAY - VIDEO DAY, WEDNESDAY - COPY DAY, THURSDAY - CLIENT MEETINGS, FRIDAY - STRATEGY” as an example.
#2 What does your energy and your environment look like each day? I know that I have more mental capacity in the morning, so I use the mornings for focus work. (Not sure what that means? Stick with me!) I use the afternoons for client calls because I know my energy dips in the afternoon, and I enjoy the benefits of my clients perking me right up.
Your environment also plays a huge role. Are your kids home with you at a certain time? Don’t make yourself miserable by expecting to be able to write that important email while they’re asking for your attention - that will only cause frustration for you both.
Build your day in response to your energy (when do I have the gas in the tank?) and your environment (when do I have the least distractions?)
#3 Assess and slot the task BASED on energy and environment. I’ve put together a segmented to-do list for you to help walk you through this process HERE. You’re basically going to segment out ALL the tasks you need to do in a day and place the tasks in one of 3 categories.
Category 1 - MINDLESS TASKS. These are things you could do in your sleep. Exercise, dishes, laundry, stuff envelopes, you get the idea.
Category 2 - DISTRACTED TASKS. These things you could do while your kids are around asking you to help, and you could easily come back to the work without frustration. Think things like administrative emails, responding to social interactions, etc.
Category 3 - FOCUS TASKS. These things require your full focus, and you find yourself frustrated if you’re interrupted while you do them, or you find that it’s hard to do them without mental clarity.
You are NEVER to do mindless tasks during a window of time where your mental capacity is high! You never do focus tasks when your energy is low or you have distractions. By simply being able to look at your environment (am i distracted?) and assess your mental clarity (how much gas do I have in the tank?) you can then pick your focus, distracted, or mindless task list and start knocking things off your list.
#4 Finally, Spend 10 minutes at the end of each day prepping for the next day. This means that when you show up the next day, you hit the ground running rather than asking yourself “What do I do with this hour?” Just make sure you iron out your time block, and assign times for any tasks that HAVE to get done the next day. Looking for more resources to help increase your productivity? Download that to-do list to get started.