Let’s be real — running your own business is a TON of work.
You’ve gotta work extremely hard to keep everything in your business running like a well-oiled machine.
To keep all the plates spinning.
To keep all the balls in the air.
You get the point.
There’s a LOT going on, sis! 😳
And the busier you get, the more precious your time feels.
If you’ve been looking for ways to maximize your productivity and make sure your precious time is being spent properly, you’re in the right place. ✅
Because this week, we’ve collected 8 productivity tips we’re obsessed with to help you have your most productive work week yet.
1. Declutter
Yep.
We’re calling you out!
Your workspace is getting a little crowded. 😳
It’s time to declutter.
Studies have actually shown that our physical environments have a significant effect on our productivity, our clarity, our efficiency, and our overall mood.
It has even been found that cluttered spaces have a NEGATIVE effect on our work.
A cluttered workspace can have negative impacts on our stress and anxiety levels, our ability to focus, our ability to sleep, and even our nutrition choices.
Decluttering is not done just so you can have a positive outcome (a clean space), but also to avoid the negative effects of clutter on your productivity and ultimately on your business.
Friends, it’s only gonna take a few minutes — we promise. 💛
Don’t let those empty coffee mugs, piles of receipts, and pamphlets you’ll never read start piling up. 🙅🏽♀️
Their seemingly harmless presence on your desk has some REAL consequences.
Tidy up.
Toss out the trash.
And put away items that are not needed for the task at hand.
They’re only gonna distract you!
Free up some physical space to free up some mental space. ✨
2. Brain Dump
At the start of every single week (and we mean EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK.) you’ve gotta start doing a brain dump.
Monday morning is the time to just dump everything that’s on your mind.
Some people prefer physical paper and some prefer a digital method, but you do you. Just make sure you’re getting it done.
Don’t hold back.
People tend to think that a brain dump is only for work.
FALSE. ❌
It does not have to be limited to work stuff. Let it all out. The professional AND the personal.
That way, you can sort through everything that needs to get done in all aspects of your life and prioritize accordingly.
A hot tip for a successful brain dump is to start off by listing three things you are grateful for before getting started.
This will help set the tone for how you approach this list of tasks.
We have no doubt that you will see a positive impact on your day and your productivity. ✅
3. Do, Delete, Delegate!
After you do a total brain dump, it’s time to label each item on your list.
First, you should go ahead and separate them by personal and business tasks.
Then, label each item Do, Delete, or Delegate.
“Do” is for something that YOU personally need to do.
“Delete” is for tasks that, after combing through your list a few times, you’ve found are redundant or unnecessary to do this week.
Maybe you’ll get them done next week or next month, but they do not need to be done in any urgent way.
“Delegate” is what you label something that needs to get done but not by you specifically. Somebody on your team or a contractor that you hire can take care of it.
It’s important to remember that delegating is not exclusive to business tasks; you can also delegate personal tasks.
For example: hiring a grocery delivery service to eliminate the time it would normally take you to go through the whole process of getting groceries yourself. ✅
Delegation should be something you are implementing in your personal and professional life in order to free up your time and allow you to focus on the projects that TRULY need your unique attention, your special sauce, and your energy. 💃🏽✨
4. Plan Your Week
The fourth tip is to plan out your week with the main action items being prioritized.
That way, you can block off a specific amount of time in your week for each task and feel confident as you head into your week that it is, in fact, possible to get everything done if you stick to the plan.
Depending on how many action items you are looking to accomplish this may vary, but we suggest blocking off at least one full hour for each project.
If the task is not complete by the end of the hour, don’t sweat it.
(Unless you’re trying to meet a deadline, in which case, maybe sweat it a little. 😳)
But at least you made a significant dent in the workload and can block off some more time next week or even the next day.
5. Post-it Notes
This might sound kinda silly, but Post-it notes are an excellent productivity tool.
We suggest making a to-do list on a Post-it note every morning and posting it somewhere in your workspace.
As you accomplish the tasks on your list, you’ll get the satisfaction of getting to check them off. ✅
Isn’t that the best feeling? 💃🏽✨
You can use that feeling to motivate you to get things done.
If you are one of those people that feels excited, motivated, and enthusiastic when you are physically checking items off of your list for the day, then lean into that.
Use it to further propel you forward in terms of productivity and progress in your business.
6. The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is probably one of the most common productivity tips out there.
But honestly, friends, that’s probably because it’s really effective.
How it works:
✨ Pick one task to focus on.
✨ Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on that single task.
✨ When the timer ends, enjoy a five-minute break.
✨ Complete four pomodoros and then give yourself a 15-30 minute break.
Here’s a little tough love for ya:
25 minutes of focused work means you might have to hide your phone from yourself.
No distractions allowed, sis. 🙅🏽♀️
Put it on do not disturb, power it off, or lock it in a freaking safe if that’s what it takes, but commit to 25 minutes of completely focused productive work.
And when your hard-earned break comes, don’t go slinking back to your phone, girl.
Get up. Move your body. Walk around. Drink some water. Put on a song and dance. 💃🏽
Whatever you’ve gotta do, but don’t sit there and scroll Instagram until the 25-minute timer starts again.
This will help you better tackle those distractions that we all deal with throughout our workday.
You can be sure that for those 25 minutes you are in a deep work zone where you actually produce results and make massive progress. ✅
7. Batch Tasks
If you’re finding you have a bunch of similar tasks to complete in a week or a month, it’s time to start batching them.
For example:
👉🏽 You need to write four emails per month to send off to your email list.
Instead of spending an hour on these emails once a week, go ahead and batch them!
Try blocking off a half-day to sit down and write all four emails.
You can even try doing this for a few months at a time or for a full quarter!
That way, you only have to get yourself into that hyper-focused email-writing state once per month rather than once every week.
Think about how good it’s gonna feel to finish a day of work knowing that all of your emails are written and you won’t have to sit back down to repeat that task next week?
That, friends, is pure bliss. ✨
The more you break up a repeated task, it becomes statistically more likely that you will drop the ball on getting it done.
If you need to film next month’s videos? Batch it.
Need to record your next few podcasts? Batch it.
Need to write copy for an upcoming launch? BATCH IT!
You won’t regret it.
You may even find that batching is the #LifeHack you’ve been looking for all along.
8. Schedule Repeated Tasks Consistently
The final tip is to help you create some scheduling consistency for yourself.
Being an online business owner can give you lots of flexibility when it comes to your schedule.
But sometimes it feels almost too flexible and you start wishing you had some consistency to help you stay on track and feel productive.
We recommend that whenever you have repeated tasks, you always schedule them for the same time weekly or monthly.
This goes hand in hand with the batching tip!
If you have to do monthly emails, why not write them all on the first Monday of every month?
Maybe you have to schedule check-in calls with clients. Why not set aside half of the day on Wednesdays to schedule a call with each client?
No matter what the task might be, scheduling consistently throughout your months or weeks will help you know that everything is getting done routinely and will relieve so much stress. 💛
Plus, you’ll know well in advance that there will be enough time for everything in your busy schedule.
*Bonus Tip: Declutter Your Digital Space!
We would never leave you without a bonus tip!
Girl, your desktop is a disaster.
Your Google Drive is a mess.
And your emails? Don’t even get us started. 😳
It is time for a digital declutter.
We would actually recommend setting aside some time to do this in your monthly schedule.
Life is crazy, but it feels a whole lot crazier when your computer can barely function ’cause it’s so full of old files, photos, and downloads.
Clear that up!
Clean up your desktop, your Google Drive, your ClickUp, and your Asana boards.
Having a clear digital space will have the same effect as having a clean physical space.
And remember to do this regularly.
Don’t wait until you can no longer see your desktop background to clean it up.
The time is now.
If you maintain order and organization regularly, you won’t have to deal with the overwhelm that comes with clutter and the lack of organization.
Keep up with your damage control on a consistent basis and see how much better it feels to have a clutter-free digital workspace. 💃🏽✨
In Conclusion…
Productivity looks different for everyone.
But hey, we’ve given you a TON of options to choose from to help up your productivity and make the most of your precious time.
Just give these strategies a shot and see what sticks.
Remember, sis, this strategy change is not gonna happen overnight.
Becoming the most productive version of yourself is going to take some work.
It’s time to start thinking about all the ways you can streamline your current way of working.
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*The information presented in this blog post is for educational & informational purposes only. This should not be a substitute for customized legal advice from a licensed professional in a private setting. If you need legal advice, please consult with an attorney. This is not a law firm.
