Five Ways to Increase Your Productivity

We all know people who are outrageously productive — the ones who seem to always have multiple balls in the air and can smile and juggle. How on earth do they do it?

The truth is that productivity is all about lifestyle habits. What do productive people do better than you, and in what order? As a small business owner, your life is busy enough with the demands of your business in addition to the demands of life in general. Here are five buckets productive people keep filled that might help you take back some of your time — and join those seemingly effortless jugglers you see around you.

Health
This may seem obvious, but good sleep, healthy eating, and a willingness to take breaks during the day (real-deal breaks like a walk outside or the occasional five minutes spent anywhere but in front of a computer screen) put you way ahead of the curve in terms of energy, clarity, and creativity. Being responsible for a small business is not for the faint of heart; keep yourself in fighting shape.

Delegation
Productive people know what they’re good at and how to make the most of the areas in which they — and others — excel. Do you need a CPA, a virtual assistant, or a freelance designer? They are only a few clicks away. Keep yourself focused on your area of business expertise and eagerly outsource the rest.

Time
This one is a little trickier to manage in the traditional business world, but entrepreneurs with more flexible schedules can be all over it. We all know our most productive times of day. For example, if you’re in the business of blogging and the time you’re most in the flow is from 6 to 10 a.m., dive in deep then. If you’re a night owl and you offer an online service, structure your work hours to take advantage of your most productive self. And if you are in a 9-5 business, stack your day so that your the critical tasks and meetings fall at your best time.

Execution
Being a perfectionist takes a lot of time. You’ll find that productive people don’t give in to this, even though they may want to. Sometimes you just need to take action and not overthink. Getting things done means, occasionally, that something less important can be an 8 out of 10 instead of a 10. Everyone will live.

Priorities
Deep down you know what’s urgent, what’s important, and what can wait. Any productive person knows how to set and hold boundaries around their to-do list. When you started your business, you knew what had to be done and in what order. Hold fast to that understanding and don’t be swayed by mini fires that can be extinguished by others — or left to smolder until you have time to stomp them out.

If you need legal help, don’t hesitate to contact me at the Law Office of E.C. Lewis, P.C., home of your Denver Small Business Attorney. Phone: 720-258-6647. Email: elizabeth.lewis@eclewis.com.

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