What is it that successful entrepreneurs do differently from the rest? How do they accomplish more in the same twenty four hours that we all have?
Last week I attended a fascinating training course on how to Systemise (and automate) your business. It was quite eye-opening. It is now, quite literally, possible to automate all the processes in your business using the software and apps available without spending a fortune. We will return to this
subject in a future email.
But today, I want to give you my seven tips to be more productive as an entrepreneur. These will be invaluable when you start to systemise and automate your business processes to free up your time to life the lifestyle you want.
1. Set long and
short-term goals and break down your activities to achieve your objectives. With clear targets in mind, you are well-positioned to focus on present jobs and plan for future work. Be ruthless. Does it get you closer to achieving your goal? If not say 'no'. With defined objectives, day-to-day work can be organised in a streamlined manner.
2. Establish deadlines
and block off time. Being deadline oriented is perhaps the number one attribute that productive entrepreneurs display. Keep deadlines in mind and work accordingly. Allocate time in your calendar to complete each task and cut out distractions such as getting up from your desk every now and then, needless surfing of the net or whatever else it is that distracts you. Time blocking is the number one tip for getting more done.
3. Do not procrastinate. Now that’s a self-evident truism, isn’t it? But entrepreneur or not, procrastination is the number one productivity killer. Work has the wonderful quality to expand to fill whatever time we choose to allocate for it. You can get a job done in four hours or you can wrap it up in two. Do not delay getting started because you feel there’s enough time on hand. Start early and save
hours.
4. Find out what your productivity enhancers are and incorporate these into your routine. This can mean different things for different people. Do you get more done when you start early in the morning, tackle the hardest job first and then move on to the lighter ones? Most people answer in the affirmative for these. Or are you a night owl? Can you shave
an hour off your night’s sleep or do you need more sound sleep to wake up fresh? Consider an uncluttered desk and a crisper approach when replying to emails.
5. Follow the 80/20 rule. Find out the 20% of your activities that yield 80% of your results. Do those diligently and delegate or outsource everything - and I mean everything - else. Aim for a
balance between the important and the urgent.
6. Use appropriate tools to save time, money and enhance productivity. You can use tools such as Hootsuite to schedule postings on social media sites. Skype and Google hangouts are also a great way to communicate with your team and clients in a cost-effective manner. If you’re managing a team you will definitely
benefit from a web-based project management system such as Trello or Basecamp or something similar.
7. Team up with the right people. You’re an entrepreneur, a person with ideas, not a know it all! You will achieve far greater results by having the right people on your team and in your peer group. Successful entrepreneurs pay special attention to this aspect
of their work. Communicate your expectations on the work ethic to be followed at the very beginning of a relationship with your team and you’ll reap the benefits.
Time is money, more so for those that have chosen to strike out on their own. You too can achieve more each day by implementing these very simple tips. Small things add up. Shake off the indifference and absorb the good practices and before you
know it, your business will show the results and your productivity will increase.
Noel Guilford
Noel Guilford is the principal of Guilford Accounting a small business
accountancy practice specialising in advising owner-managed businesses on current accounting, finance, and tax matters. You can reach him via email at noel@guilfordaccounting.co.uk or by phone at 01244 660866. He is the author of the best selling book 'Figure it out - an entrepreneurs guide to understanding your business numbers' which you can
obtain by visiting http://guilfordaccounting.co.uk/figureit out.