Productivity Apps, Outsourcing, & More: How to Stay Focused When Building a Business
Being an entrepreneur or small business owner is a juggling act. Every day, you have to wear a variety of different hats — business development, marketing, sales, administration and reception, and the list goes on.
Staying focused and productive isn’t always easy, but you know that your business’s success depends on it. The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try adding some of these proven productivity tips to your schedule.
1. Don’t download app after app looking for a quick productivity fix
Even though we shared The 6 Productivity Apps You Need in 2019, it’s also important to note that another app isn’t going to automatically be the magic fix that makes your day more productive.
Sure, productivity apps can make certain parts of your day easier. But, it’s more important to have a solid foundation of healthy habits that encourage productivity.
2. Use a tool like Trello or Asana to schedule the day
Project management tools (like Trello, Asana, Basecamp, and others) aren’t just for keeping track of your to-dos. You can also use them to plan out the details of individual days. To make each day go even smoother, try blocking out tasks right on your calendar. If you work best with more structure to your day, this can be a highly effective system.
To see what your schedule could look like using this technique, have a look at this real world example from an entrepreneur on Reddit: How I boosted my productivity.
3. Figure out when you’re naturally most productive
Some small business owners love sitting down to work on big projects in the morning. Others are night owls who would never get up at 6 a.m. to start their morning routine. To stay productive, you need to determine when your own peak hours of productivity are.
When do you find it easiest to focus? Do you always get sleepy and scatter brained at a certain time? Pay attention to how you feel, then use that information to plan your workday accordingly.
4. Set yourself up for offline success
Whether you’ll be stuck without WiFi for a few hours or just want to disconnect from online distractions to make it easier to focus, it’s never a bad idea to have a plan for offline productivity. There are tons of different apps and programs that you can use, including these 6 Tools for Offline Productivity.
5. Use a password manager
The most secure passwords are long and complex. They shouldn’t be repeated across different accounts, either. Using these password best practices will keep your business and it’s most important data safe, but remembering them all can get tricky.
Save yourself time and frustration with password managers that automate the way you log in to the websites, apps, and tools you use every day.
6. Get comfortable delegating and outsourcing
There are certain things you can do in your business that no one else can do. On the flip side, there are also plenty of projects and tasks that you can easily outsource to someone else.
Not sure what to outsource? Many entrepreneurs start with phone answering and reception, calendar management, scheduling, and bookkeeping. Clearing these types of tasks from your plate will give you more time for uninterrupted focus on the kind of work only you can accomplish.
