You can’t ignore the back-end pieces that have to work together and flow smoothly in order to build a brand, grow a movement or disrupt an industry. If the operations side of your business is a mess, putting out fires will always take priority… leaving no room for creative innovation, fun visibility or networking with powerhouse peers (or wannabe peers). If you’re soaking up what I’m spilling and are getting a little excited about operations, I invite you to listen to The Ops Authority podcast. Every week, I will share actionable strategies from the Director of Ops community to move your business forward and transformational stories of powerhouse business owners who now value operations.
https://theopsauthority.com/
episode 10: How to Inventory Your Own Productivity
Do you feel sluggish in your day-to-day work life? Are you curious if you use your time wisely? Are you ready to run a more profitable business? Every small business owner has limited time and desires success, so here’s how you can inventory your productivity and maximize your time.
If you feel like you’re in a work slump and you’re unsure how to get out, start by assessing your productivity. Let’s take a look at how you’re using your time. In this episode, you’ll learn how to assess how you spend your work hours and how to make small tweaks so you stay focused on your goals. If you’re ready for tough love and wise strategy, tune in.
Productivity vs. Hustle
Your day should be designed to fit you. There’s no specific formula of how your day “should” look. Remember that your productive day will look different from others. Instead, examine your work-day patterns.
Productivity doesn’t mean every second is filled with a business task.
When every minute is occupied, that’s hustle and it’s not what I want for you. Hustling leads to frustration, burnout, and overwhelm.
There will be times of seasonal hustle, e.g. a launch or putting out a new product. However, hustling should not be your norm because it is unsustainable for long periods of time.
How to Know If You’re Intentionally Productive
If you feel sluggish or unproductive, audit your time. Record what you do in your business for three to five days. How?
- Grab this download, created just for you.
- Set a timer for 60 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, record what you did for the last hour.
- Hit repeat on your timer.
- Continue this process of recording what you do 60 minutes at a time throughout your workday.
Once you’ve tracked your time for three to five days, ask yourself:
- What category does each task belong to, e.g. meeting, creation, scrolling, personal?
- What strategic objective does this task fall under?
- Where do I see patterns?
- When do I attack tasks I put off?
- Does where I spend my time match my #1 priority?
Follow These Suggestions to Maximize Your Productivity
As I’ve tracked and tweaked how I spend my time, here are a few best practices to make your workday even more productive:
- Think through if you want to batch your days or do you like your current system.
- Block off one or two “Get It Done Days” per month. Batch administrative activities.
- If you find yourself switching back and forth between communicating with clients through email, Voxer, or calls, stop the madness by creating an expectations document for your clients that outlines when you’re available and through which platform. Another option is to set aside time each day for returning messages.
- Set up a time each day to housework, e.g. putting away the dishes or throwing in a load of laundry.
- Hire help for housework if you have the revenue to do it.
- Train your family to help you with housework.
- Spend time documenting what you do every day.
Weekly Ops Activity
- Download your time tracker document here and start tracking your time
- Share a screenshot of your tracker on the Weekly Ops Activity thread on Friday!
Episode 5: The Seven Pillars to Your Business Strategy with Andrea Layne
Episode 8: Three Productivity Hacks You Haven’t Thought Of
Episode 9: How to Find the Right Project Management Tool with Cadri Cunningham
Key Quotes from the Episode:
“Take the time to do the audit.”
Connect with Me:
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This episode was originally published on theopsauthority.com/podcast/10