Entrepreneurship is demanding, stressful and challenging. Without discipline, consistency, persistence, and confidence, it’ll be hard to achieve goals. That’s why entrepreneurs need simple productivity hacks to guide their day-to-day activities. By so doing, they can maximize productivity and achieve their objectives.
Productivity levels differ from one individual to another. It all depends on the actions you take every day to boost yours.
This is why some people achieve more in life than others, even in the same age group, profession, or industry.
It usually depends on how productive they schooled themselves to be while pursuing their goals. Many of the prominent men and women you find in one profession or the other developed their way of life, attitude, working style, etc.
This proves that you can also boost your productivity if you adopt the productivity hacks in this article. Bear this in mind, one of the ways to boost your productivity is to change your habits.
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So, instead of slacking or complaining about your goals, equip yourself with real hacks that work. We’ll share simple productivity hacks from successful entrepreneurs down below. Start applying them today for faster goal achievement.
Productivity hacks that will change your life
1. Create a personal timetable
Here is one of my favorite productivity hacks you should try. Every day you wake up, there’re small tasks you must complete to achieve your set goals.
Also, you have 24 hours every day of your life. So, the best thing to do is to assign some hours to your daily tasks to properly utilize your time.
Time tables help a lot when you want to avoid procrastination.
Yeah! Sticking to it is where the problem lies. But if you’re determined to be productive, create the timetable and work with it. Make sure you assign time for your rest, breaks, personal phone calls, etc.
2. Avoid multitasking
We often applaud people who can multitask, but multitasking is not a good productivity hack unless it’s on parenting. People who multitask are often busy and desperate to complete their tasks in the shortest time possible.
Unfortunately, multitasking makes them inefficient because they don’t achieve the best results. Sometimes, they’re forced to redo those tasks and thereby waste more time.
So, if you want to maximize productivity, handle your tasks one after the other. After completing one, move over to the next one and focus on doing it well. With a well-structured timetable, you can avoid multitasking but still complete your daily goals efficiently.
3. Try the (10+2)*5 productivity formula
This a formula created by Merlin Mann of 43Folder.com. According to Merlin, you can work for 10 minutes and take a break for 2 minutes and do this 5 times every 1 hour.
This simply means that you’re dividing your 60minutes into 50 minutes of work and 10 minutes of a break but in 5 different stretches.
I applaud this formula because it means that you can be productive for 50 minutes of every 1 hour. Imagine if you do this for 1 week, 1month, and then 1 year, you’ll achieve a lot.
So, why not consider this formula and increase your productivity. But when you’re doing it, don’t jam-pack your day with loads of tasks; otherwise, you’ll not observe your 2 minute break periods.
4. Target one goal per day
If you want to run from the deceit of multitasking, target a goal every day. It’s tempting to fix multiple tasks for a single day but don’t do it.
Moreover, this will ensure that you target and achieve the best result in all your tasks.
Most people usually rely on productivity apps to organize their tasks, and that’s very good.
If you can get a good one, you can use it to achieve more as you’ll have to focus on what you have for the day. While multitasking seems to be the fastest, targeting a task every day is the most efficient.
5. Avoid distracting websites and apps.
This is a digital age, and it’s getting harder and harder to concentrate on our tasks. The level of distractions we get every day is alarming.
We’re no longer distracted by friends or families but by apps and websites. The worst of all is social media apps.
It’s so hard to concentrate for 1hour or even less without wondering what’s happening on social media or wondering if you’ve received tons of emails.
According to RescueTime, many people whose digital life are bubbling can’t stay away from their apps for 6 minutes.
While we can’t blame ourselves for all these, we can minimize how we allow them to distract us. If you want to increase your productivity, you must avoid your digital life for some time.
This is why a timetable can help you to allocate time for everything you have to do. But if you can’t stick to a timetable, you can shut down those apps for some time to concentrate on your tasks at hand.
That way, you can achieve what you set out to achieve and later go on to check your digital life.
6. Take breaks
Here is one of the best productivity hacks we often ignore. But you see, taking breaks rejuvenates you and rewires your mind to achieve more.
When you’re focused on one thing for a long period, you’ll start losing interest, thereby reducing your productivity.
Doing tasks that you’re no longer enthusiastic about is a surefire way of achieving nothing. That’s why we recommend breaks from time to time to rekindle the fire of your productivity.
Many people think that taking breaks is a waste of precious time, but it’s not. It enables your mind to relax and feel better after a stretch of focus.
That’s why you must avoid brain-tasking activities while you’re on break. Allow your mind to rest fully before you start your tasks again.
It doesn’t matter how many breaks your take in the course of your tasks. What matters is that in the end, you achieve the goals you’ve set for the day.
7. Don’t miss your sleep.
Many people advise you to burn the midnight candle, but sometimes it doesn’t work for everyone. If you want to be productive as an entrepreneur, you mustn’t joke about your sleep.
Nothing rejuvenates someone like a good night’s rest. If you miss your sleep, you start a new day stressed, cranky, and weak.
Sometimes, you may start battling with headaches early every day because you’re overworking your brain.
So no matter what you do, always sleep for at least 8 hours every night. If you can’t make it to that, try at least 6 hours every day.
According to experts, if you can sleep up to 9 hours every day, you’ll increase your productivity.
Even though you may think that it’s all a waste of time, it’s better to have 15 hours of productivity every day than 20 hours of uselessness.
8. Always think about the prize.
It’s not always easy to be excited about your tasks. Many people are doing jobs they don’t like or jobs that bore the living daylight.
So, should you quit because of all that, or should you just become useless to yourself or even your subordinates?
The answer is no. so what do you do? Always remember the prize you’re chasing. People who compete in games, tournaments or challenges, or even matches don’t always enjoy doing them.
While some love the applause, popularity, others do it just for the prize. Why not adopt this strategy and increase your productivity.
No matter how demanding, boring, painfully challenging, or annoying your tasks are, think about what you’ll gain for completing them.
Many people work under annoying bosses every day just because they’re waiting for payday. Once they remember the salary they’ll get at the end of the month, they can swallow every kind of insult from their bosses.
As an entrepreneur, there’re things you want to achieve and if you’re going to change your progress level, focus on those things. With the prize in mind, you can tackle and complete your tasks.
9. Create a to-do list
This productivity hack is as old as time. It pays to start your day by making a list of everything you must achieve that day.
One of the reasons we added this old productivity habit is that a to-do list ensures that you never forget an important task.
Yes, most people use scheduling apps for this, but when you want to do “old school,” take out your pen and paper and write everything you have on your plate.
But if you’re going to do it digitally, get a personal to-do app and simplify the whole process. Once your to-do list is ready, you can be striking the tasks you’ve complete off the list during the day.
The joy of striking off a completed task can keep you focused on completing the next task on your to-do list.
One old tip on increasing your productivity with a to-do list is to put the hardest tasks first on your list. The reason we recommend this is to avoid procrastination.
Many people focus on pushing the uninteresting and challenging tasks down the line. Unfortunately, the more you push them down the list, the easier it becomes to shift them to the next day.
So, while creating your to-do list, but the tough ones first, complete them before moving down to the simpler ones.
10. Don’t forget your morning workouts
Adding a 7-minute workout to your morning routine is one of the best productivity hacks for entrepreneurs.
It makes your body release the endorphin hormone, which is often called the “happy hormone.” It’s no secret that when you’re happy, even a sour grape will taste like chocolate (laughs).
This means that you can tackle even the hardest tasks without feeling low or tired. You’ll be fired up to achieve your goals for the day just because your spirit is high and enthusiastic.
So, every morning, jog outdoors and warm your spirit, soul, and body for the tasks you have to face.
Well, if you’re not the outdoor type, you can use your treadmill and prepare for the day. Apart from releasing the happy hormone, exercise helps you to remain healthy.
If you’re sick, how would you be productive at anything? This is why we recommend this as a must-do for all entrepreneurs.
11. Break up your tasks
You can call these “mini-goals” as an entrepreneur. But the point is that you need to break up your huge goal into small manageable units for easy achievement.
It’s often scary to carry out a huge work at once. But if you break the work into small units and maybe attach time and a short break to them, you’ll achieve them easily.
One of the reasons people procrastinate is their fear of handling a huge task. Instead of attacking it headlong, they push it down the line to school their minds about it.
But you don’t have to do that. Instead, you can break that mountainous pepper work into different categories and start completing them one after the other.
For instance, if you want to take stock of your inventory in a day, the idea alone can make you scared.
So, what do you do? You can categorize the inventory by-product and start from one. For instance, you can decide to take the inventory of all the electronics in your warehouse first.
After that, you can move to household items and so on. Once you learn to do this, your tasks will become simpler and easier to complete.
12. Create templates for tasks
If you’re someone who does many routine tasks, why not create a template for them? What do we mean by template?
A template is a document with blank spaces which you can fill to match your requirement. Templates are great for those tasks that you follow the same procedure to complete.
For instance, if you’re usually sending out emails every time, you can create an email template to fill for different clients.
Templates save time for entrepreneurs and also help them to achieve more. If you also give presentations every day to maybe different clients, you can create a template that captures the essence of what you do.
13. Know your best time
This is very important, and as an entrepreneur, you should pay attention to it. Do you know that there are some specific times of the day when you’re more productive?
Some people tend to be productive in the morning, while others become more productive in the afternoon.
They’re people who are better at what they do during the evenings. So, have you taken the time to discover your timeline?
If you have three important tasks to complete in a day, you can schedule the toughest or most important during your most productive hours.
Then the rest of the tasks that are not too tough can come when you’re not that powered to do more.
You should not ignore or overlook this simple productivity hack. It can go a long way to change the level of progress you make in your business.
14. Delegate some tasks
Here is one of the best productivity hacks that every entrepreneur should adopt. Being an entrepreneur means that you have others working for you.
Don’t jam-pack tasks every day for yourself. If you want to be more productive, learn to delegate some of your subordinates to handle those tasks you don’t have to complete personally.
The good thing about delegation is that you can reduce the loads on your plate and concentrate on your business’s most crucial tasks.
Thank God for technology. You don’t even need to hire subordinates to hang around you all day. You can go online and hire a virtual assistant who can be handling the menial job you don’t want to do.
These assistants work remotely but are very helpful. So, instead of having a list of uncompleted tasks, delegate your assistants to complete them.
15. Always reward yourself
Here is the simplest one that maximizes productivity if you’re searching for one of the best productivity hacks for entrepreneurs.
This is a personal motivating habit that increases productivity. If you want to stay active and focused on your tasks, remember to reward yourself for the ones you’ve completed successfully.
If you learn how to celebrate the milestones you’ve crossed, it’ll help you to cross more. Don’t always focus on the ones you didn’t achieve and forget the wins you made.
There are many ways to celebrate your success. You can take a break to spoil yourself with some goodies, or you can share a happy moment with your friends to celebrate the things you achieved in your business.
It doesn’t matter how small it is because celebrating even the smallest things will help to set your eyes towards achieving the higher ones.
Work from home productivity hacks:
Working from home can be tough. If you’ve tried it during the lockdown, you can easily relate to it. It isn’t easy to work in a home with kids, a spouse, and even pets. But does it mean you shouldn’t try?
No! Sometimes, you can’t avoid working in your home, especially as an entrepreneur or during pandemics. So, what can you do to stay productive if you’re working from home?
1. Create a dedicated workspace
Amongst the productivity hacks for entrepreneurs, this is most important for those who work from their homes.
If you don’t have a designated workspace where you concentrate and handle your business, you can’t be productive at home. It doesn’t have to be something fancy but something private.
It may be a table and chair in the corner of your sitting room or even on your balcony. Just make sure you have the complete gadgets and access to everything you need for your work.
2. Set a time for your work
This is the first thing to do. Do you wish to work from 9 to 5, 12 to 4, or from 1 pm to 4 pm? You have to be clear about that. Setting this timeline will help you to plan your chores and work efficiently.
3. Set clear boundaries
You have to set boundaries for yourself and your friends. Stick to your work during the designated hours and stop once the time is up.
Then, also communicate your work-time to your friends and family members, so they don’t disturb you.
4. Take a walk or jog
This is one of those productivity hacks that fire up your enthusiasm for the day.
Before you sit down to work, spend at least 15 minutes walking or jogging around your neighbourhood. That way, you’re releasing the happy hormone and also maintaining a healthy habit.
5. Dress the part
This is funny, but it’s effective. Dressing up like when you’re going to an office changes your mindset about everything.
Instead of thinking that you’re not at work, thereby slacking away when you dress up, you’ll have a different feeling about your work.
6. Add enough light
Your home workspace should be adequately illuminated and airy.
They’re all part of the things that’ll fuel your fire of creativity and concentration. Your energy will be at its peak, and your spirit will be lifted too.
7. Plan your breaks
This is one of the best productivity hacks for every work-from-home entrepreneur. It’s often tempting to visit your bedroom for a nap and the kitchen for some snacks.
These are some of the downsides of working from home. So, plan the breaks as you would when in your office.
You can schedule a launch break or snack breaks depending on the time you chose as your working hours. This will increase your productivity.
8. Avoid procrastination
This is a very tempting habit that people who work from home should avoid. Procrastination is a thief of time and money.
Some people would rather procrastinate a task later than tackling it headlong. The shocking thing is that procrastination makes a job tougher because it adds up to the tasks of the following day.
So, the more you shift it, the more it becomes harder to complete. So, no matter what you do, avoid procrastination anytime you’re working from home.
Conclusion
If you want to make progress as an entrepreneur, you must try hard to be productive at every point in time. But to achieve that, you must change your habits.
This is why we shared these productivity hacks to help you maximize your productivity. By adopting these hacks, you’ll not only increase your results but also change your life for good.