The word productivity, especially in the context of productivity in business, has become an increasingly hot topic of late.
There’s been a recent push to ‘hustle harder’ and talk about how to be more productive, but maybe the ‘why’ has been missing.
WHY should you have to work harder? What’s the point? Will it actually help your business to grow? Let’s chat a little more about that…
There’s a common misconception that working harder will make you more successful. And in some cases, maybe it will…but couldn’t working smarter do the same thing with less of a time expense for you?
At the crux of the matter is time management – are you spending 10 hours a week on elements of your business that could be automated? Or are you simply overwhelmed?
Business growth boils down to a very simple equation…you need to create more time to work ON your business, instead of IN your business. And by that we mean, stepping away from the small nitty gritty daily details and thinking more strategically – working on getting dream clients, developing new products, securing funding, hiring new people to support you, or whatever growth and progression look like for you.
So, what are some things that can save you time?
1. Develop time management skills
- Start by understanding where the bulk of your time is currently going.
- Then, it’s time to be ruthless and decide what you’re wasting time on, what can be automated, and what distractions you fall prey to.
Top tip: Try time blocking to help you determine priorities for your day and to break your time into manageable chunks.
2. Create free time
This may seem counterintuitive when trying to grow your business as most people feel as though every spare second should be dedicated to working on their business. HOWEVER, as the saying goes “you can’t pour from an empty cup”.
It’s important to create space to breathe, see friends and family, do activities you enjoy, and so on. Whatever floats your boat really!
3. Make time for play
We’re big believers that creatives should have time to actually create. And what better way to feel inspired than to engage with your inner child and get some play time in!
There are NO guidelines for this, it’s whatever speaks to you. Don’t try and force it, you’ll figure it out. Nothing like a bit of trial and error!
Remember, this is for FUN! There’s nothing better than a bit of play and freedom to help you feel inspired.
And don’t worry if you are not a traditional creative, PLAY is great for generating ideas for every type of business.
4. Automate, automate, automate!
PLEASE don’t waste your time on tasks that could be easily automated. Think social media scheduling, auto-publishing of blogs, email marketing etc.
In the beginning, figure out what you’re spending the most time on that has the potential to be automated, and start there!
There are SO many more tips, tricks, and useful hacks that help you save time, grow your business, and embrace your creativity again. Fortunately for you, we’ve really been there, tested that and come up with 33 useful hacks for you in a FREE PDF.
Until next time!
