As an entrepreneur, solopreneur, or small business owner it’s sometimes difficult to see the forest for the trees. We talk to dozens of people who are overwhelmed with daily tasks preventing them from being their most productive selves.
The good news is that we are here to help. We support hundreds of clients by Method Matching them with the perfect Virtual Assistant, which allows them to focus on the higher-level tasks of developing and scaling their business. Along with providing you with a highly skilled Virtual Assistant, we offer our clients more support and techniques for maximizing time and increasing productivity.
We’ve outlined some proven ones in this Blog Post.
Tops, Tools, Strategies and Habits.
There is a proven system to maximize your productivity. Typically, that system is made up of three things that happen simultaneously. They are establishing a routine and sticking to it, utilizing productivity tools (we made a list), and seeking qualified support so you can delegate.
These three practices will allow you to take control of your time and free you to focus on what’s important to you and your business.
DAILY
Establish Then Lean In to a Routine.
This can be difficult for some people, but it’s proven to be invaluable to your success.
There is effort in the beginning, but the benefits are immediate.
Here are some key elements of an impactful routine.
Determine a Structure for Your Day.
Designating times to accomplish certain tasks, and of course there can be flexibility here, but every effort should be made to stick to the plan.
- Utilize scheduling tools like Calendly where you can block off time to focus on higher level tasks.
- Build in mini breaks and take them.
- Use to-do lists. This can be digital notes that you share with team members, while some people prefer pen and paper.
Make Adjustments (Formally) As Needed to Your Plan. If something isn’t working, change it. But be sure to formalize the changes.
WEEKLY
Now that you have some daily structure in place, work on your weekly work flow, and try timeboxing to create a plan for the week.
The Timeboxing Technique.
- Timeboxing is assigning a fixed period for a planned activity. Here are the steps for successful timeboxing.
- Start with a calendar with an overview of the week.
- Determine and declare your work time, your “office hours.”
- Add in your breaks – lunch and a brisk, quick walk outside if possible.
- Examine your responsibilities. Client calls, projects, meetings, etc.
- Determine the number of hours you can work this week.
- Divide your responsibilities into the total hours and pad this slightly.
- Track this blocks time through your inbox, and send out any necessary communications.
- Try and allow an overflow day or a half day, as things invariably will happen- like someone may need to reschedule etc… ” But schedule it and use it to catch up on anything that got postponed or requires additional follow up.
MONTHLY
Do a Digital Deep Clean.
This is a tough one to routinely make time for… but it’s extremely frustrating and counterproductive to spend valuable time searching for what you need. The deep clean should hit all these areas.
- Inbox Clean Up. Unsubscribe and Block if necessary.
- Cancel unnecessary accounts and uninstall apps.
- Get a password manager.
Employ Digital Tools.
Digital tools can enhance productivity, but don’t feel compelled to use them all. Pick the ones that help most and start slowly. Sometimes we can suffer from app overload.
Here’s an App List both paid and free designed for busy people.
Paid tools
- Slack
- Calendly
- Trello
- Hootsuite
- Canva
- Keeper
- Evernote
Free Tools
- Wave
- Hootsuite
- Mailchimp
- Planoly
- Grammarly App
- Zoho CRM
- Square
- Loom
Finally, one of the most important strategies you can implement is very simple, delegate, delegate, delegate. Take a look why we are the best company to provide you with a Virtual Assistant so you can do just that!
We would love to help! You can schedule a no obligation phone call with our Director of Business Development.
She is equipped with many bright ideas to help you see your way out of the trees and start enjoying the forest!
