Take A Load Off - Work Smarter
/When you run a small business, you need to work harder… or do you? Working smarter can mean those dreams you had about spending more time with your family or doing the things you love are a reality.
As a one-person business, you have to do a lot with the time that you have. There are a few ways that you can increase your output. You could opt to put in longer hours, or you can make your hours really count.
Photo by krisna iv on Unsplash
So here are a few tips that can make your time more productive.
Deadlines
If you aren’t already setting deadlines, you are missing a trick. Adding deadlines to work means you are more likely to get things done in a good time. Parkinson’s Law means a task will take as long as the time you allow.
So if there is no deadline, it is improbable to get finished as quickly as it could. Use your preferred calendar and add deadlines to everything.
Field It Out
If you are spending a lot of time dealing with calls or managing your emails, it is time you gave that workout. You might think of this as a waste of your hard-earned cash, but actually, you can earn more in that time you typically use on calls and other admin.
Live receptionist services and a virtual assistant will help you tackle the jobs that take up the time that doesn’t earn you money directly.
No Notifications
If you have your phone in view, then every WhatsApp message or text is going to take your attention away from the work you should be doing. And when you stop in the middle of your work to respond, you are going to lose minutes.
Not just the ones it takes you to reply. But you will lose 15-20 minutes of time every time you switch between tasks and need to refocus again.
Deep Work
While there is a lot to be said for taking regular breaks, deep working is the new kid on the block. You can begin to practice your deep working by timing 30-minute slots. During those 30 minutes, you only work on a single task.
Try to pick something that takes concentration and requires you to think actively. Over time you can ramp that up to around 90 minutes. You shouldn’t typically push beyond 90 minutes, though. As research finds that over 90 minutes, there is no extra focus or productivity.
Multitasking
If you have, say, nine photos to schedule on your social media but are editing and uploading one by one. You are wasting a huge amount of time swapping between the tasks. Instead, switch to:
Editing all the images
Writing all of the captions
Scheduling all of the photos on your chosen platform.
So performing similar tasks at the same time. Commit to single tasks before moving on to anything else.
Perfection…?
We all get very hung up and absorbed in the little details. And while we should all strive to achieve our best, if you are always looking for perfection, things become much more difficult. Perfection, to some degree, is an illusion.
Aim to meet each task to the very best of your ability and allow time, in the end, to neaten up edit and ‘perfect.’
Eat The Frog
If you put off the tasks you don’t want to do until the end of the day - it will always take longer than it should. So first thing in the morning, do the tasks that you least want to get done. Eat the frog, and move on.
This leaves no space in your brain for that task to occupy, and you can concentrate fully on other tasks.
Time Track
If you feel like you are spending too much time on some tasks - the chances are you are. So start tracking your time for a few weeks and see if you can improve those times.
Consider the time that you want to close your computer - and get your to-do list done before that time.
Breaks
Yes, it is important to work, but you can’t work at full capacity if you aren’t taking breaks regularly. Rather than take random breaks as and when factor them into your day. This will allow you to have lots of time that you are high performing.
The Pomodoro method is ideal for people who want to build focus time and breaks into their day.
Always look to increase productivity - not extend your working hours.