Today’s entrepreneurs face the daunting challenge of trying to stay productive despite numerous distractions and opportunities that can compete for their attention. Then, it can be harder to make meaningful progress. However, productivity hacks for entrepreneurs can help them overcome the challenge while improving their workflows.
1. Learn the Power of Turning Down Requests
People constantly ask for things from others. They could range from something as substantial as getting help with a move to small requests like scheduling a five-minute discussion. The problem is that many entrepreneurs say “yes” so often that they become overwhelmed by seeing how their to-do lists look after agreeing to various obligations throughout the week.
Agreeing to several small things in a day could quickly add up to an hour or more taken out of a day. Consider that even brief meetings or interactions with other people often take up headspace for longer than the face-to-face moments last.
Entrepreneurs must learn to say “no” to things that distract them or don’t get them closer to their goals. Another necessity is that they alter what causes them to turn down something versus accept it. That’s because a person’s time gradually becomes more valuable as they become successful. Plus, circumstances change, making people reconsider who and what is most worth their time and energy.
Perhaps an entrepreneur used to always set aside time for a packaging executive from whom they hoped to get a discounted rate. It’s no longer necessary to do that once they find a good offer from a competing company. They shouldn’t ruin their relationship with the packaging executive, but it’s probably no longer a good use of time to drop everything to meet with them.
2. Use a Meeting Checklist to Determine If They Must Happen
Productivity hacks for entrepreneurs don’t always require doing more. Sometimes, they necessitate cutting things out. For example, a 2022 study found one-third of the meetings companies have are unnecessary. Moreover, organizations pay an average of $25,000 per professional employee each year to have them attend those gatherings.
However, entrepreneurs can cut down on those costs and wasted time by using a meeting checklist to figure out the necessity.
Here are some possible questions to put on the checklist:
- Are we meeting about an urgent or time-sensitive matter?
- Have I narrowed down my ideal meeting outcome?
- Must everyone on the attendee list come, or could some read the meeting notes?
- Have I set a time limit for the overall meeting and each topic discussed?
- Did I create a clear and relevant agenda and distribute it to everyone?
- Could the meeting’s communications happen through email instead?
Some people fall into the trap of using cloud-based tools like Zoom to set up more meetings than before. They believe it’s easier to have everyone click a link to attend rather than going to physical meeting rooms.
It’s true that cloud computing can enhance collaboration and efficiency by changing how people work. However, the relative ease of going to a meeting in the cloud can make an entrepreneur forget that the computer-based format still takes up time. Therefore, they should use the meeting checklist regardless of whether a gathering occurs online or offline.
3. Get Strategic About Office Setups
Many entrepreneurs spend the majority of their workdays in their offices. These spaces must promote productivity as much as possible. The steps taken go beyond the room’s layout.
For example, facing the office desk towards a sunny window helps promote daytime serotonin production. Serotonin can reduce depression and help people stay alert. If facing toward sunlight isn’t an option, entrepreneurs should do the next best thing and buy indoor lamps with daylight bulbs.
As the name suggests, they mimic outdoor sunlight, which can trick the body into producing serotonin. Many people find them particularly beneficial during the autumn and winter, due to the shorter days.
People should organize the frequently accessed items in their offices to make them easy to reach when sitting at a desk. Speaking of sitting, adjustable chairs are ideal for helping keep parts of the body in a healthy alignment. Then, people won’t need to spend as much time shifting around, so they’ll feel more comfortable and ready to focus.
Productivity hacks for entrepreneurs can fit easily into the rest of the day. For example, it’s wise to start with a clean workspace, then spend 10 minutes in the morning or evening to keep it tidy. Setting aside that small block of time is a great way to maintain cleanliness before the overall state of the desk becomes messy and overwhelming.
4. Conduct a Time Audit
It’s not always easy to figure out how much time to devote to a new project or idea. However, that task becomes more manageable once entrepreneurs go through a time audit. Here’s how:
- Write down all tasks for the week
- Calculate how much time each one will take, including breaks
- Reprioritize the tasks if the estimated time exceeds the availability
- Note how much time each task takes compared to the estimate
- Adjust the next week’s schedule based on the audit results
Many experts who offer productivity hacks for entrepreneurs recommend they use a time-blocking approach. It involves setting aside periods of time where people solely devote their attention to one task at a time. Individuals who use time blocking for scheduling also typically rely on it to plan every part of their day down to the smallest detail.
Time auditing suits time blocking and most other approaches to scheduling because it helps people become more aware of how they actually spend their days. Otherwise, entrepreneurs could feel they’re always falling behind, even when they’re getting a lot done.
People typically carry out time audits over seven days. That’s generally a good length of time for entrepreneurs to choose. However, they should also be mindful of any unusual circumstances during the week that affected the audit results. For example, did a meeting run long, or was the entrepreneur stuck in traffic for longer than usual when driving to an obligation? If so, they must factor those realities into next week’s planning.
Try These Productivity Hacks for Entrepreneurs Today
Most people would love to make the best use of their time, and that’s especially true for those trying to start or maintain businesses. Productivity hacks for entrepreneurs aren’t magic fixes for severely wasteful workflows. However, when applied correctly and consistently, they can give people impressive outcomes that keep them motivated and serve as inspiration for others.
