Working long hours and actually doing things are two very different things. There is a significant gap between the two. Productivity is important and much more important when you are in charge of things.
The value of what you do and how you spend your time may be expressed in monetary terms. And despite millions of people using the expression ‘time is money,’ not nearly enough people actually comprehend what it means. The more you can do, the higher your hourly rate will be. This includes a contract that pays on an hourly basis. The misconception that many have is that to increase their profits, they need to keep working such long hours.
And although this makes perfect sense, consider how those hours could have been spent instead: networking, developing new products, or generating new revenue. That time may be spent working on your business rather than in it. It’s quite easy to get stuck in the same place.
Now is as good a moment as any other to break some of your less-than-ideal routines and replace them with healthier ones.
Keep hydrated
You will feel sluggish and lethargic if you do not drink enough daily water. There is a good probability that you are one of those individuals who are at least somewhat dehydrated, as the majority of people are. Sip from a water bottle all day long. Within a couple of days, you will feel more energised, and the functioning of your brain will also significantly improve.
Get up and move about
If you sit for long periods without moving about, you increase your risk of developing backache and hitting a big slump. However, if you get up and move around every half an hour, you keep your blood circulation smooth and reduce this risk.
Write down your to-do list
There is nothing more stressful than walking around with a to-do list in your head. Your mind will constantly interrupt your attention to check how many tasks you have already achieved, and this will make it difficult for you to focus. In addition, every time this occurs, it will take you around fifteen minutes to regain concentration.
Write your list first thing in the morning while you are waiting for the kettle to boil. Write down the tasks that are necessary for you to get done in the first three spots on the list. Everything that comes after that should be considered less urgent, but it must still be finished.
Get some help
You cannot be in two places at once, or maybe you can, but you shouldn’t try. Either way, it is impossible. It is possible, however, that the moment has come for you to engage a UK virtual assistant to provide you with additional support.
If there are some activities that you do each day or each week that take up time that would be better spent elsewhere, then you should look for a fresh set of hands on the internet and find them. Not only are they able to complete all of your research, but they are also able to plan out your whole calendar, book calls, respond to emails, and even set up your social media accounts for an extended period of time.
Before you get into this, you do need to have completed this one item first. If there are a lot of things on the list that anyone can do, then you should give them to someone else to take care of.
Set yourself deadlines
When there are no deadlines, there is no rush. It is considerably more probable that we will complete a task if we give ourselves deadlines, even if such deadlines are self-imposed. According to Parkinson’s Law, completing a task will take an extremely long time if you do not give yourself specific deadlines. After establishing goals and achieving them, you move on to the next assignment.
Using a Pomodoro timer is the most effective method for carrying this out. In most cases, slots will begin at 15 minutes, and there will be a break of five minutes between each one (during which you will have the opportunity to go to the toilet, drink some water, and stand or walk for a few minutes).
After the first four sections, there will be a break that is a little bit longer before you return to it. Because the timer motivates you to give those 15 minutes your whole attention, you are more likely to make significant progress on the tasks that you need to do.
Make the most of tech and automate what you can
Evernote is a great option to consider if you want to complete a lot of your work when travelling or otherwise away from your desk. It is compatible with any piece of technology you own and comes with a tonne of useful functions. You have the opportunity to add notes and photographs, in addition to a wide range of sharing options. Trello is a wonderful method to organise your to-do list for any ongoing projects your team is working on. The assistance of technology really helps to keep you focused and organised.
When you have more people working for you, when you apply some automation and when you find better methods to manage your workload, you have more time to focus on the aspects of your business that bring in revenue. The best piece of guidance, though, would be to make an effort to avoid making sweeping changes all at once.
It takes time to create habits, whether they are good or bad. If you want to notice a difference in your workload and income, then it is in your best interest to make adjustments gradually over the course of a few months. This will really pay off for you.
