Top 10 Productivity Tips For Entrepreneurs

As entrepreneurs, we’re always short of time. I can’t even count how many times I’ve said “there’s not enough time in the day” to myself.

Starting and running your own business can be time-consuming at the best of times, so staying productive is crucial for entrepreneurs. Otherwise, progress and success are delayed. I mean, why even start a business if it’s not going to be successful?

Time really is money and how productive you are can make or break your business. Keep reading to learn the top 10 productivity tips for entrepreneurs so you can use your precious time wisely to benefit your business.

1. Make Lists For Staying Productive

The key to being a productive entrepreneur is to know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, when to do it, and how you’ll get it done. It motivates you, organizes things, and helps you keep track.

Every day, make a to-do list of things you need to achieve that day. Then, align these goals with your bigger goals for the month or week. Make each item on that list as actionable as possible.

Don’t make your to-do lists long. Prioritize the important things and what you don’t have time for can be left for another day.

2. Use A Schedule

The next of my productivity tips for entrepreneurs is to schedule your to-dos. The best entrepreneurs are known to schedule their days hour by hour.

You can use time blocks to schedule groups of related tasks or longer tasks. Don’t forget to schedule time off and breaks for yourself too.

You can use printable, a day planner, or scheduling apps already on your phone like Google or Outlook Calendar to create a good schedule for staying productive. Eventually, this will turn into a daily routine that feels like second nature

3. Start Bright And Early

Bad news for night owls. Studies have shown that waking up at 6:30-7 am is the best time to wake up if you want to a be more productive entrepreneur. It sounds crazy, I know. It may even make you clench your gut in fear if you’re not a morning person.

Obviously, getting a healthy amount of sleep is imperative to having a good morning routine, so that’s where you’ll need to start. After that, you should fill your new morning routines with healthy habits that invigorate and motivate you.

- Eating A Balanced Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Getting a good dose of protein in the morning prevents you from feeling sluggish later on in the day.

- Exercising: Getting your blood pumping and body moving helps you feel motivated to take on the day.

- Practicing Gratitude: Listing out things you’re grateful for daily helps to encourage you to take advantage of every day. It’s been shown to make you happier, too!

- Read Or The News Or Listen to A Podcast: Stay up to date with what’s going on in the world by reading your newspaper every day or listening to a podcast that will inspire you.

- Setting Goals For Each Day: Have an intention for every day that aligns with your personal goals as well as your business goals. This brings us to our next item on the list of productivity tips.

4. Set Daily Goals

The next way to be a more productive entrepreneur is to have an overall goal for each day. Other than your to-dos for the day, you should also have a daily goal that aligns with those to-dos and your bigger goals.

People who set daily goals are over more likely to achieve success than those who do just make up goals in their head at the beginning of the month or year.

Different from monthly goals, daily goals are actionable goals you can complete every day, building momentum for other goals and motivation for staying productive.

Get my best goal-setting tips here.

5. Create Workflow Routines

What does your workflow look like? Another one of the best ways to be a more productive entrepreneur is to create a consistent workflow or working routine.

It’s helpful to have a process that you can rely on for every project, to stay organized and focused. Having a good workflow routine can also help you manage your progress with goals.

Here are some workflow apps that are super handy for staying productive:

- ClickUp

- Monday

- Asana

6. Focus On One Thing At A Time

Despite belief, multitasking is not a good way to be productive. Actually, it’s more a distraction than anything. Your brain can’t multitask. It’s just not made to do that. Try it for at least 20 minutes without getting distracted.

When you’re trying to accomplish multiple things at once, it’s only just going to take you longer. Instead, the best way to be more productive- and effective- entrepreneur is to single-task.

Focus on one thing. Do it until it’s done, and don’t let yourself get distracted with anything. By doing this, you’re able to get things done quicker and better since it has your full attention.

7. Create A Distraction-Free Workspace That Promotes Staying Productive

This can be hard, especially if there are kids in the home. But, if you want to be more a productive entrepreneur, then you have to go somewhere you won’t be distracted or interrupted by anything.

If you’re working from home, it can be really tempting to work with the TV going in the background. But, it’s extremely counterproductive. Instead, shut off the TV or any movies you may be watching and focus your whole self on your work.

If you’re listening to music, make it calming music that stimulates your mind, instead of occupying it. Spotify has the best playlists specifically for staying productive.

8. Rest & Relax

It can be easy to want to be “on go” all the time, so you always make money. But relaxation is important. When you lose focus, step away for a little while. Do something else for 20 minutes, and then come back to it.

Studies have shown that one of the best ways for staying productive is to use the 52/17 rule. This involves working on one thing for 52 minutes and taking a break for 17 minutes.

Here are some self-care ideas to help you take a load off:

- Go for a walk outside

- Shut down work at a certain time every night

- Good sleep habits

- Meditate

9. Use Productivity Tools To Your Advantage

Bad at staying productive? There’s an app for that. For anything related to running your business, there's probably an app that can help you do it better.

Here are some of the best apps to use for staying productive:

- Slack is great for communicating with your team. It links up with other apps like Monday, Loom, and others to maximize your team’s efficiency.

- Monday is another great app for staying productive because it organizes projects and workflows.

- Trello is made for project and team management.

10. Outsource What You Can

Make better use of your time by outsourcing what you can. Whether it’s social media or content writing, you can outsource it to a freelancer.

Just note that you’ll have to invest in hiring a good freelancer because high-quality ain’t cheap. Just like any other employee, you shouldn’t be paying for sub-par work.

There are also ways you can automate the things you’re doing. For example, if you can’t hire an accountant, but still need help with that, apps like QuickBooks are really helpful.

Take Back Your Time And Hire A Freelance Writer!

Even if you’re good with words, writing really good content up a lot of time and brainpower. Get that back by hiring a freelance writer like me!

You can use that time to spend with friends and family. Or, maybe you need to focus on your actual business. Either way, you won’t regret hiring a content writer.

Contact me today to see how my content writing helps you in staying productive.