31 Productivity Tips For Entrepreneurs [Proven Successful Tips!]
Are you spending your time in meetings all day and struggling to get through that ever-growing to-do list? If yes, you need some productivity tips for entrepreneurs that will help you take back your day and gain control over the hours in your day.
In this article, we’ll give you 31 productivity tips for entrepreneurs so you’re not constantly pouring from an empty cup.
31 Productivity Tips For Entrepreneurs
1. Do Not Multitask
2. Prioritize The Most Important Tasks
3. Develop A Routine
4. Habit Stack
5. Ace Your Morning
6. Break Your Day Into Chunks
7. Delegate Your Tasks
8. Take Breaks
9. Do A Retro To Look Back On Your Past Week
10. Schedule Time In Your Day To Check And Reply To Emails
11. Minimize Back And Forth Emails
12. Automate Meeting Related Tasks
13. Block Distractions During Meetings
14. Capture Ideas In The Moment
15. Work On Processes To Help Your Teams Work Seamlessly
16. Help Your Teams Be Productive
17. Fix A Stress Buster Schedule
18. Take Time To Reward Yourself And Your Team
19. Learn The Art Of Saying No
20. Wind Down After Work
21. Focus On Yourself
22. Implement Accountability
23. Make Lists
24. Unplug
25. Continue Learning
26. Exercise And Meditate
27. Learn Time Management
28. Get Enough Sleep
29. Turn Off Push Notifications
30. Cultivate Self-Discipline
31. Take Advantage Of Technology
DISCLOSURE
Some of the links here are affiliate links, and I may earn if you click on them AT NO EXTRA cost to you. I hope you find the information here helpful! Thanks.
1. Do Not Multitask
Multitasking always seems like one of the great business tips for entrepreneurs because it helps you get through your to-do list faster. But actually, multitasking means that you’re not giving your tasks the full attention that some of them may need.
Sure, if you’re multitasking by taking a call while you are out on a walk, that may work. But, taking a call while driving to work could be dangerous.
Multitasking actually hurts your productivity.
2. Prioritize The Most Important Tasks
One of the great productivity hacks for entrepreneurs is to prioritize the most critical tasks.
In your day, look at all the things you need to do, and then prioritize them. Once you have an understanding of what’s important, you can focus on that first.
Focus on the tasks that move the needle first. There is no point in spending time on tasks that aren’t going to help the growth of your business.
3. Develop A Routine
Productive entrepreneurship is often one that is filled with routines. Routines mean that you’ve created a structure in your day so you can focus on what’s important. Without one, you’ll find that you run out of time regularly.
If you have no routine, start small. Wake up at the same time every morning, and go to bed at the same time. Commit to not answering work emails in the evening when you spend time with loved ones or your health.
If you need to visualize it, grab a wall planner and stick it on your fridge where you can see it every day.
This will keep you on track and smash your routines.
4. Habit Stack
Habit stacking is a practice written about in James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
It involves taking the daily habits and stacking them together so that they don’t take up too much time individually or feel overwhelming.
So if you’re trying to build a new habit into your routine, stack it with one that you already do.
For example, brushing your teeth. You probably do that every day. Keeping up to date with current events could be a new habit you’d like to do more of.
So why don’t you listen to the news while you brush your teeth?
The same goes for listening to podcasts while going for a walk or run. Stacking an old habit with a new one is how you can build new habits into your daily routine.
5. Ace Your Morning
Entrepreneurs tips usually include some form of morning routine.
Some of the most successful entrepreneurs have very solid morning routines that set them up for success in their day. If you waste your morning hours, it may be difficult for you to claw back the productivity you lost later in your day.
Morning’s are usually quiet, and it’s a great time to prioritize your to-do list and plan the rest of your day. It could also be a good time for you to focus on things outside of work, like time with your loved ones or doing some exercise.
Having a lie in in the morning could seem like the best idea when you’re tired after a long day building your business. But wasting those precious morning hours could actually impede your business growth. Don’t waste these hours.
Here are some examples of morning routines of successful entrepreneurs.
6. Break Your Day Into Chunks
As an entrepreneur, you probably think you need to work 24 hours a day to be successful.
But there is no way that you’ll be able to work productively for all of these hours. This is one of the top productivity tips for entrepreneurs: look at working for 8 hours, but in that time, chunk your day into tasks.
Block out time in your calendar to reply to emails. Or block out your day for no meetings. Assigning time to your tasks will make sure that you’re spending the right amount of time on the tasks on hand.
7. Delegate Your Tasks
This is one of the productivity tips for entrepreneurs that is often forgotten by busy entrepreneurs that want to do all by themselves!
If you’re looking for small business productivity tips, delegating has to be at the top of your list. As an entrepreneur, you most likely have to wear multiple hats.
But if you have a team, it’s important to delegate the tasks on your list to the people who are better at it.
Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
You are also not required to know everything as the business owner. Delegate. Get some help. This will boost your productivity loads as you’ll be able to focus on the tasks that you can actually add value to.
8. Take Breaks
Taking a break doesn’t mean that you won’t have time to do the things on your list. In fact, taking breaks boosts productivity as it helps with your ability to concentrate.
Also, by getting up to stretch your legs, you could avoid typical injuries from sitting for extended periods.
On your break, take a walk to make a cup of tea. Read a news article or go run a load of laundry. Just make sure that your break doesn’t turn into procrastination.
Cap your break time into 15-30 minute blocks. This will make sure that you’re reaping the benefits.
9. Do A Retro To Look Back On Your Past Week
This is one of the most often overlooked productivity tips for entrepreneurs.
As an entrepreneur, you may be tempted to keep working through your weekend to get through that long list of tasks. Although this may help you with your list, the weekend is an excellent time to reflect on how the week before went.
Doing a retrospective (“Retro”) is a term used in the Agile methodology.
It gets teams to look at the work they’ve done, talk about their learnings so that they can plan for the next block of work ahead. As an entrepreneur, you can run a retrospective for your team but also for yourself.
A personal retro helps your review and evaluate your past week and identify future opportunities. This is vital for your business’s success and will contribute to a boost in your productivity.
To do before you start your week so you’re set up for success.
10. Schedule Time In Your Day To Check And Reply To Emails
Playing email ping pong can take up a massive chunk of time in your day.
Try to limit checking your emails to 4-5 times a day. You could even set a time in your day to check your emails.
For example, 8am and 5pm during the week.
If you set a specific time, add an auto-reply to your emails, so if clients email you, they’ll know when they can expect to hear from you.
This way, you’re setting a clear expectation for your clients and won’t feel like you need to respond as soon as possible.
11. Minimize Back And Forth Emails
Similar to scheduling time in your day to check emails, try to minimize the back and forth emails. It can be really easy to spend time having a conversation over email when actually picking up the phone may be better for your productivity.
12. Automate Meeting Related Tasks
Meeting related tasks can take a lot of time.
Especially if it means you have to schedule the meetings, book rooms, track the different responses, and send meeting notes at the end of the meeting.
Use meeting apps like Calendly to automate meeting scheduling. You could even use apps like One Note, which is part of the Microsoft Office suite and syncs your meeting notes to the Outlook meeting invite.
13. Block Distractions During Meetings
Just like the tip about multitasking, staying focused during meetings is a key productivity tip. Block distractions like emails, social media, and phone calls.
If you’re in a remote meeting, try not to do other work while listening in on a meeting.
You’re in a meeting for a reason. If you’re not providing 100% of your attention and focus in a meeting, then maybe you don’t need to be there and could put your time to better use.
14. Capture Ideas In The Moment
As an entrepreneur, you’re probably always looking for ideas to grow and innovate your business. Sometimes these ideas may come to you when you least expect them, for example, in the shower.
If so, capture it down in a notebook or app on your phone immediately. Some note taking apps include:
Productivity for entrepreneurs means taking these ideas and putting them into practice when you can, so making sure these ideas are readily available is essential.
15. Work On Processes To Help Your Teams Work Seamlessly
If you haven’t got the right systems in place at your business to help your teams work seamlessly, particularly remotely, if possible, it’s time to get a move on this.
Having a team that’s able to work seamlessly will help you and your team be more productive.
Use work management software like Mondays to keep track of all tasks and functions. It also lends itself to a level of transparency.
It is clear who is working on what, which, as a result, limits the conversations around this.
16. Help Your Teams Be Productive
Coupled with the processes to help your teams work seamlessly, it’s essential to have open and honest conversations with your teams about productivity.
Give and receive feedback, and make sure that you listen to your teams and any blockers that may contribute to a decrease in productivity. You want to make sure that your teams are well equipped to do so if you’re expecting a level of productivity.
17. Fix A Stress Buster Schedule
Back-to-back meetings can be stressful, but stress is the last thing you want when trying to grow your business. Work on breaking up your schedule with breaks, and don’t forget to prioritize sleep.
18. Take Time To Reward Yourself And Your Team
All work and no play make for a really dull and burnt-out team. Though you want your team to be productive, make sure you reward their good work.
Plan a team offsite – where you do something fun and unrelated to work.
Don’t forget to also reward yourself.
When you hit business milestones, make sure to celebrate them. Being productive doesn’t mean working all the time. You need to enjoy the journey as this will make it seem less like a chore.
19. Learn The Art Of Saying No
Most productivity tips for entrepreneurs emphasize delegating and the art of saying ‘No’. Focus on the more important tasks and say No to the things you can delegate.
As an entrepreneur, you’re not expected to have everything on your plate. Say No and pass things on to the people who are better equipped to do the task.
This is a great book that talks about how to build this into your day. Have a read!
20. Wind Down After Work
As we’ve said before, you’re not expected to work all hours of your day. You’re not a machine, and you need to schedule your workday and after-work time.
After work, take the time to relax, do something you enjoy (that isn’t work), and take the time to recharge your batteries.
If you don’t, you could be at risk of burnout.
21. Focus On Yourself
Most tips from entrepreneurs about productivity are focused on work. But remember, you are more than just the work you do. What about your hobbies, loved ones, things that make you happy.
Self-care is important, so make sure that you fill your cup before you start pouring from it again.
22. Implement Accountability
Nothing better than having some accountability when you’re trying to get something done. If you have a list of things to do, why not share this with your team. Having accountability will have a positive impact on your productivity.
Work management apps are a great way to have accountability as everyone’s to-do list is on show. Build in a culture of asking each other what’s happening with your tasks, and you’ll boost your team’s productivity in no time.
23. Make Lists
We’ve talked a lot about a to-do list here, and that’s because having a list is the easiest way to boost productivity. Listing all the things you have to do will give you a clear idea of what needs to be done.
You’ll then be able to prioritize the list and delegate any tasks that don’t need your specific attention.
24. Unplug
Basic productivity tips for entrepreneurs always include some form of unplugging. Though you don’t have set holidays, it is important to take some time off to unplug. Put on your out of office and take some time away from your business.
If you’ve set your business up well, you should be able to take a couple of days off without worrying that the house is going to burn down. If you do worry about this, work on building the right foundations so that you can take the time out.
25. Continue Learning
As an entrepreneur, you’re not expected to know everything. Invest in yourself and keep learning. This will help you level up your business acumen and scale your business. If you’re not interested in learning more about business, you can always learn something new.
Online learning is an easy way to learn a range of things from design, cooking to coding. Some great sources for continuing your learning are:
26. Exercise And Meditate
If you haven’t caught on to it yet, taking time to exercise is great for boosting your productivity.
It gives you the time to clear your head, but getting your heart rate up helps relieve stress, which will help you with your work.
Meditation is another productivity booster and doesn’t mean you have to sit with your eyes closed in a dark room. There are many ways to meditate, and you need to find the one that works for you.
For me, running is my way to meditate. I switch off and focus on pounding the pavement, and it pays greatly when I go back to work afterward.
27. Learn Time Management
We talked about blocking out time in your schedule as a way to boost productivity. This is essentially learning time management.
There are many ways you can take time management, from scheduling every hour to looking at the quarter ahead and working out what needs to be done in that time.
It all comes down to how you work and what will help you be the most productive. If you need a hand with your time management, many courses online will equip you with the knowledge you need.
28. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is one of those things that many people tend to underestimate.
Burning the candle at both ends isn’t going to increase your productivity. Getting your 6-8 hours of sleep every night will help you hit the ground running when you start the day without losing your productivity.
29. Turn Off Push Notifications
Notifications on your devices can be very distracting. If your phone is constantly pinging while trying to focus on the task at hand, turn them off. Many devices now can schedule no notification time to help you focus.
30. Cultivate Self-Discipline
All of these tips require a form of self-discipline.
You need to be strict with your time and how much you can give. This is how you can boost your productivity as you have the right systems and foundations in place to help you get there.
31. Take Advantage Of Technology
You’ll see that we’ve listed a range of different technology options to help you become more productive.
From work management apps to ones that help you meditate, a range of apps can help you be more productive. Make use of them.
Additional Thoughts
The Myth About Multitasking
As we mentioned above, multitasking is always seen as the best way to get things done. But the reverse is actually true. Research has looked into the myth about multitasking and found that multitasking results in more stress, hindering performance.
So before you decide to juggle a bunch of tasks. Take a minute to use one of the other tips today to help you boost your productivity.
Do Less, Achieve More
Today’s society is all about being busy. The busier you are, the more you have to talk about. To do less and achieve more goes directly against this. You need to focus your time on the important things instead of everything. This will help you be more productive in the long term.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
There you have it, the 31 productivity tips for entrepreneurs. Pick a couple of these to get started with, and you’ll see your productivity increase in no time.
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