By Goodnews Buekor
According to the United States Chamber of Commerce, most small business owners work 40-49 hours a week, with 81% logging time after regular work hours and 89% working on weekends, being productive as well as conserving time as a business person. Using these productivity hacks highlighted, you can make the most of your day.
- Understand the time you’re most productive.
According to sleep specialist Michael Breus, Ph.D., your maximum productivity times are hinged on your chronotype (are you a morning lark or a night owl?). Understanding how and when best you function is important to maximize productivity. You will do more harm than good to yourself and your business by pushing yourself to work early in the morning when you’re inherently more active at night. It can also be as inefficient to stay up late when you concentrate better early in the day. Know what works for you and stick with it.
- Concentrate on one task at a time
As much as you can, avoid multitasking. The American Psychological Association research revealed that the brief mental block that switching between tasks causes could reduce productivity by 40%. To enhance concentration, you could try single-focus techniques like Pomodoro, in which you work on one task for 25 minutes, then take a break for five minutes. Also, you could try apps and tools like Momentum or the Pomodoro app to keep track of your work time and break time.
- Leverage automation; delegate responsibilities
A simple task can be automated and responsibilities delegated to others. Here are some tasks that you can automate and the tools to use: Marketing tasks: Automation platforms can handle the manual processes associated with emails, advertising, social media posts and other related tasks. Tools like HubSpot, SalesForce, and Constant Contact, can be helpful. Invoicing and payment tasks: You could explore QuickBooks, PayPal or Stripe to speed up sending invoices, logging expenses, collecting payments, and running reports in record time. Human resources tasks: Outsourcing hiring, payroll, and other human resources tasks can help save you time. Data entry, website maintenance, scheduling, and note-taking tasks: look for virtual assistants for hire on Upwork, or use one of the digital assistant apps.
- Be realistic
One common mistake entrepreneurs make is underestimating the time they have to devote to a new venture or idea. To monitor how you spend your time, you can audit your days and reprioritize as needed. Map out and write down your tasks for the week, estimate the amount of time each task will take, including breaks; record the amount of time it took to finish off each task during the week, and then use your findings to adjust subsequent schedules.
- Know when to take a break
When your brain is exhausted, you are likely to make mistakes, and even simple tasks take a long time to complete. Outcomes are usually poor when one is tired. The next time you encounter a challenge, consider sleeping on it. When you feel exhausted, take a break, don’t force it. Productivity depends on your body and brain functioning at the highest capacity. Together with the hacks highlighted, ensure you are eating well, sleeping, hydrating, exercising, and getting the emotional support you need.
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