How to improve your efficiency on a busy schedule
Do you sometimes feel like you will never get on top of the million and one things pending action from you?
You begin working through your To Do list and just when you’re about to expire, another wave of needs, wants and asks blossoms and knocks the wind out of you. Flat out and completely drained, the motivation you previously had to drive your business goals is replaced by an overwhelming despair of your workload.
You can change the despair to joy and excitement by making these adjustments in your work life to improve your efficiency.
Adopt an entrepreneur mindset…ALWAYS
A busy To Do list focused on value adding activities (emphasis on the words VALUE ADDING) is a great thing and the time you commit to it is an investment in your business. The way you perceive your workload will drive your actions . Successful entrepreneurs have a positive mindset and are energised through self motivation. A positive mindset can help turn a bad situation into a good one in a shorter time period and help you find solutions quicker. This is the mindset you should adopt as you tackle your workload.
Adopt a Lean Approach
Eliminate the non value add activities completely. What you spend time on should bring some measure of growth to your business, if its responding to a customer concern, you could translate that to building customer satisfaction which is great for your brand. If it’s a meeting you’re attending, ensure the purpose of the meeting is clear and that the discussion is contributing to an area of your business that requires attention. What ever you have on your schedule or To Do list should be something that adds value to your business.
Automate repetitive tasks. Chatbots and FAQs for instance are a great way to address your most frequent customer queries. Consider automation in areas of your business such as Marketing, delivery, invoicing and billing
Outsource and Delegate
Entrepreneurs wear many hats particularly when trying to upscale the business. To maintain productivity (and your sanity) consider assigning tasks that aren’t your core skills to others. If you have the skill but it takes a significant amount of your time and attention away from other value add activities consider outsourcing or delegating to someone else.
This extends outside of your business life as well. Mumpreneurs in particular will find it beneficial to have a support structure outside of work that gives them more time in the day. This could be hiring the services of a cleaner or a child minder.
To the best of your ability, ensure you are outsourcing or delegating activities you do not necessarily have to do yourself.
Stay Organised
It is said that for every minute spent organising, an hour is earned. Maintain a schedule you are diligent with and ensure activities are done on time and at the right time. Maintaining a log of required actions and commitments helps to keep you focused. You could adopt a daily routine where you check your schedule the night before and plan the following day ahead of schedule. It isn’t uncommon for working women to have the spontaneous unplanned event (Mumpreneurs can relate) but it helps to manage your schedule better when you understand your priorities for the day and can move things round as needed.
Wunderlist, Evernote and Trello are some great mobile apps to help you stay organised and productive.
Prioritise your health and downtime
You really are no use to yourself or anyone else if you are constantly tired and spent. As an entrepreneur you are responsible for the decisions that impacts the people and businesses associated with your business, carrying the weight of this responsibility and staying productive requires you to be in fit form.
Be disciplined about tuning off work (and social media) a few hours a day, make time to connect offline with your family and friends, sleep well, eat well and exercise. When your mind and body is right, you are in a better state to stay motivated and improve your efficiency.
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Dee is a mum, business transformation coach and brand strategist. She has worked with Fortune 500 businesses on executing multi million dollar projects. She teaches Startups how to effectively launch and grow their business.
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