8 Productivity Tips for Entrepreneurs: Reignite Your Motivation & Creativity
There are many incredible benefits to running your own business. But even when you’re passionate about what you’re doing, there are times when you feel stuck. When you’re the boss, who is there to give you productivity tips? Who will help you reignite your motivation?
The answer: YOU!
We all hit a rut or struggle to find that creative spark once in a while. We’re only human, after all! Many obstacles can affect our productivity, from burnout to inefficient systems and workflows to imposter syndrome and beyond. That’s when we need to step back and reassess how we’re doing things.
Check out eight of our favorite ways to increase productivity and reclaim control of your time.
Identify when and how you’re most productive.
Step 1 to increasing your productivity: Figure out when and how you’re at your best! Ask yourself:
What times of day are you most productive?
How long can you work before you need a break?
What kind of breaks help reboot your motivation and creativity?
Maybe you have the most energy in the morning when you should tackle the biggest tasks first. Some find themselves most creative in the afternoon, while others get a burst of energy in the evening. Whenever you’re most productive, plan to tackle your most demanding tasks during that time.
Breaks are also crucial to keeping up our productivity. What helps rejuvenate your mind and motivation? Perhaps you need a short walk and some fresh air, or maybe you like to take some time to journal or meditate.
If you find yourself sitting and staring at the computer, getting nothing done, or falling asleep, it’s probably time to step away, stretch, or even get some sleep if you’re too tired.
Remove distractions.
Working from home can be a blessing and a curse. The convenience is fantastic, but it can also be difficult to separate work and life. Schedule regular days to work at a coworking space or coffee shop, where you can’t get distracted by things like the laundry or unfinished house projects.
Eliminating distractions means turning everything off. So put your phone on “do not disturb” and close your email, Slack, social media, and any other distracting sites or modes of communication. Instead, set aside a couple of times each day to check things like email and social media so you can reply.
Establish and communicate boundaries.
Setting boundaries goes hand-in-hand with mitigating distractions. There’s no such thing as successful multitasking–in fact, research shows it negatively impacts productivity. To be truly productive, you need to focus on one thing at a time. This is impossible if you have people calling, messaging, and emailing you constantly.
Communicate with your team, clients, and/or vendors when you’re available for specific tasks and meetings. Try stacking all networking meetings on one day or setting office hours when people can contact you with questions.
Let people know your preferred method of communication and the best way to get in touch with you. Should clients email you with questions? Schedule a quick call? Remember, you’re in control! You can determine the most efficient way to discuss certain items.
Eat the frog.
Do you have a big task looming over you? Perhaps one you don’t feel like doing? You’ve probably heard the term “Eat the frog,” which essentially means to do your biggest, toughest to-dos first. Rather than procrastinating, get it done early in the day when you have the most energy. If you have to, go to your coworking office or favorite coffee shop to eliminate distractions, as mentioned above.
If you’re struggling to start on that big task, commit to five minutes working on it. Before you know it, you’ll have finished the whole thing. Taking action is key!
Completing your most challenging task will set a positive tone for the rest of your day. You’ll feel accomplished, which will feed your motivation and increase your productivity.
Sometimes, you may find yourself putting off a project or task because you don’t feel confident. Stop avoiding and deal with it. Don’t continue to let it stress you out. You can either:
Tackle it one step at a time. After all, you felt that you could do it when you initially took on the project! So nip that imposter syndrome in the bud. Do some extra research or ask the client additional questions–even if you’re a bit uncomfortable, this will help you deliver a better product. OR
Talk it through with a friend. Do you have a colleague or mentor you could go to for advice and a different perspective? Someone else in your field whom you trust? Sometimes, talking it over with someone you respect can help spark fresh ideas and confidence.
Learning to say no is another crucial skill when running your own business. If you meet with a client and feel that it’s not a good fit from the beginning, saying no can save you the stress of having to push through a project you don’t enjoy.
Recognize burnout.
Are you feeling overworked and exhausted? Struggling to get your creative juices flowing? Reverse engineer it to figure out why. Try these burnout-related productivity tips:
Decrease your workload/increase your prices.
Get help, whether that means hiring an employee or outsourcing tasks like bookkeeping.
Get a good night’s sleep! Many entrepreneurs put in excessive hours and sacrifice sleep, but this can quickly lead to burnout.
Take a couple of days (or at least a few hours) to step away from work and enjoy some “you” time.
Not dealing with burnout will prolong the issue. It could also result in lower quality of work, leading to unhappy clients. Don’t let it put your mental health and your business at risk.
Automate tasks and systems wherever possible.
Assess your time. Where are you spending too much of it working in rather than on your business? What tasks could be automated and save you and your team time? Consider:
Project management
Accounting
Client management
Communication tools
Automating your systems will also help your business run more smoothly, ensure an easy process for your customers, and convey a powerful professional image.
Set weekly and daily goals.
Make a list of weekly goals and then smaller daily goals to help you achieve them. These should all be needle-moving for your business. You could take some time at the beginning of each week to plan out your days or a few minutes each evening to plan the next day. Just be sure not to overwhelm yourself. Keep your goals realistic and make it so you can take each day one step at a time.
Write down your goals so you can check things off as you complete them. Getting them out of your head and down on paper also helps reduce overwhelm and increases the likelihood of achieving them. After all, what feels better than checking things off your list?
Reflect at the end of each week to determine if you accomplished everything on your list. Was every task necessary? Could something be done more efficiently? Did you try to pack too much into one week? Then adjust accordingly.
Create a routine.
Dedicate each day to certain types of tasks or to work on specific business areas. A rising trend is a weekly “no meeting” day. If you have a team, this can help both you and your employees!
Dedicate a day of CEO time. This is the day you spend reflecting and dreaming about your business, strategy, priorities, and planning/creating your own content. Use this time to reconnect with your big vision and goals and plan the coming weeks and months. Remembering your why can help rekindle your inspiration and productivity.
If you find priorities and vision evolving, that’s ok! Adjust your goals and systems accordingly. Decide where and how you want to spend your time. If something doesn’t serve you and your business anymore, you can shift priorities.
And of course, don’t forget to set a day for personal matters, relaxation, decompression, and leisure.
Step away and ask yourself why whenever you find your motivation and creativity at a standstill. Evaluate your workflow, processes, and goals. Taking space to reflect will help you move forward rather than trying to push through the wall.
Do you have any productivity tips that you’ve found particularly helpful? Send a message to janet@skyhousecreative.com–I personally reply to every email!
