Do you ever feel like you’re working like crazy but getting nothing done? You’re spending more hours at your business than ever before, but at the end of the day your to-do list is barely any shorter. If this describes you, your productivity probably isn’t where it should be. These five productivity hacks will help you make the time you spend at your business as efficient as possible.
Just Say No
You can only do so much – period. If you find yourself constantly saying yes to just one more thing, you’re probably overstuffing your schedule. You’re also probably not giving all of your commitments your full attention because you’re always thinking about the next thing that you need to get done. You’ll be more productive by focusing on just a few projects and tasks and knocking them out of the park. Plus, you’ll feel more accomplished AND have more time to spend on other projects outside of work.
Organize Your Tasks
Do you rush to your inbox every time you hear it ping? If so, you’re hurting your productivity because you’re constantly interrupting yourself. Organize your daily schedule into blocks of time, and be disciplined and intentional with how you spend the minutes and hours within those blocks. Schedule breaks and white space to deal with those pesky emails and other interruptions, but don’t let anything break up those dedicated blocks of time that you’ve set aside to work on projects that need your full concentration.
Schedule EVERYTHING
Even if you think you schedule your time well at work, take a look at your to-do list again. Chances are there are things that keep getting pushed aside because you just can’t find the time to get to them. If that’s the case, you can improve your productivity by scheduling time to tackle them, no matter how silly or insignificant they seem. Have something on your list that you’ve been putting off for months now? Schedule a time block to tackle it, and don’t let anything push it aside. This goes for anything else you deem important as well, like family time, exercise, or time with friends.
Find Your Ideal Environment
Did you know that the environment in which you work can have a dramatic impact on your productivity? If you’re constantly finding yourself interrupted by coworkers, bothered by loud noises, or otherwise thrown off your game, you owe it to yourself to find a new place to work. If you have the flexibility, try out a coffee shop or coworking space. If you need to be within the four walls of your business all day every day, find a way to organize your desk or office space so you have what you need to get things done. Just because you CAN work from anywhere doesn’t mean you’ll be productive while doing it.
Group Your Tasks Together
Have a bunch of redundant tasks you need to accomplish for different clients? Group them together so you can fly through them. For example, if you know you need to send invoices to five or six different clients, do them all at once so you only need to open your accounting software one time, etc. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can check tasks off your list once you’re in the zone.
Give Yourself a Break
If you’re already doing all of these things, congratulations! Your productivity is high and you’re getting things done. If you still feel like you’re in over your head, it’s time to get some help. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hire more staff, though. It’s important to have trustworthy partners and vendors who can take care of mundane tasks so you can focus on running your business. When it comes to credit card processing, 360 Payments has you covered. Give us a call at 1-855-360-0360 or drop us a line on our website. We’d love to give you peace of mind about your credit card processing.
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