As women entrepreneurs, how many of us start our working days by making endless action lists, noting all the tasks we are aiming to complete if we are go reach our goals? And, how many of us end the day by looking at those same lists and becoming disheartened by the sheer number of actions still remaining to be done? Where did the time go? How did we manage to seemingly achieve so little? Well, for all of you entrepreneurial list makers out there, here are a few tips to help you become more productive in your daily work-life....
1. Working and Plan Smarter – Identify the most important tasks that have to be completed each day as the priority and focus on those. Don’t try and take on too much, it will become overwhelming. Once you have completed each of the priority tasks on your list, you will have a sense of accomplishment and will be much more motivated to tackle other non-essential tasks.
2. Keep Focused – There will always be the inevitable distractions in your daily work life, but achieving better productivity means staying focused on achieving key tasks, one at a time. Commit to a specific time and duration to complete an individual task or project, and focus on completing it before doing anything else. Put your phone onto voicemail for that short period of time, ask colleagues or employees to ensure you are not interrupted, and simply focus on the task at hand until it is completed.
3. Prioritise – If you start your day knowing that you have one or two projects that are the most important and time sensitive, then prioritise your time to ensure you are tackling those first. If possible, try and complete them in the early part of your day when your energy and concentration levels are at their best. Leave the less important tasks to the end of the day.
4. Take Regular Breaks – Your mind needs to be kept fresh and your energy levels boosted, so ensure you plan your day to include regular refreshment or fresh air breaks. A five-minute walk around the block, or a break for a cup of tea, can make all the difference to your energy and concentration levels.
5. Use a Project Tracking App – Sometimes you need a formal way of tracking your achievements throughout the day. Instead of the usual to-do-lists, why not try using an app such as iDoneThis which helps you to stay on track with key projects.
6. Maintain an Inspirational Work Space – There is nothing worse than trying to be really productive and motivated when your working environment is disorganized, cluttered and totally lacking in inspiration. So, do yourself a favour and create a workspace that is organized, clutter-free, creative and ultimately inspires you to sit there and work productively and happily.
[Image: Flickr user Sean MacEntee]