Unproductive Habits: The Bog For Entrepreneurs Time management is a great skill to develop if you don't have it already

By Pratik Kanada

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock | Enhanced by Entrepreneur

You are not an employee anymore whose work ends with the end of the day. As an entrepreneur, you have set the goals and the time period you see yourself achieving those goals. The question is have you prepared the roadmap how exactly you are going to make that happen? The secret quotient to success as an entrepreneur is to make your everyday count. We might feel like we have a 3-year plan and we have enough time but it will fly like flee if we don't work hard every Single Day.

"Laziness is like a rumour", it spreading with every passing minute. So, before it goes out of control and you become hell unproductive, you need an awakening and get back to work things out. Once you start getting indulged into unproductive things, it's very difficult to get out from it. It's like a bog dragging you down to death. Well, the bog of unproductivity will kill your entrepreneurship. Let's find these habits and kill them.

1) Mail Will Slow You Down Like a Snail

A plethora of business is driven through the mail. It's the best medium for formal communication, information sharing, document sharing, and many such things. But, keeping a watch on mails will divert your attention and hinder you from focusing on a single task.

Once you lay your eyes on mail, you will be tempted to reply to them. You might even find something informative and start reading and you don't even know where half an hour is gone.

During your key productivity hours, turn off your email notifications. Determine fixed timing for replying emails and don't divert your mind in that direction other than those fixed time period.

2) Listing Daily Tasks

There is a bucket of things to be accomplished in a day but you need to pick which are the most important ones and must be completed in any circumstances.

Pick these tasks at the starting of the day as it is suggested that the brain is at its best working condition in the morning. You are fresh, charged, all set to achieve the target.

If you start without any planning, there are high chances you get lost with the list of tasks and end up without achieving any single one of it.

3) Define the Locus, Pay the Focus

Someone around you is talking about your favourite web series, someone around you is eating your favourite snack, someone around you is taking over a call, it won't be a point of astonishment if you indulge with any of the above tasks.

That's where you start becoming unproductive. Don't let the external sources grab your attention. Plug in your earplugs to avoid the talks around, take your laptop and find the corner to stay away from distractive people.

Once you start involving with the people around, you will realize the joy of time pass and refraining that joy will start becoming difficult. So stay steer clear of the distractions and keep the focus on your agenda.

4) Mobile Apps: Time Taker or Time Saver

Well, if you are addicted to games like PUBG or you are addicted to posting you every meal or daily attire on social media and counting the likes, replying the comments, there are no divergent ways to the fact you are going to be unproductive. Just like email, opening the app for once and you won't even know where your timeslips.

Well, on the contrary, there are productivity apps as well. They will give you timely reminders of medicines, remind you of the birthdays and anniversaries of your near and dear ones, remind about the scheduled meetings, bill payments, and many more things.

It's your personal call how you make use of mobile applications in a productive or unproductive manner.

5) Time Bifurcation

Time management is a great skill to develop if you don't have it already. Create time blocks and work exactly according to the set blocks. Say for example:

9 to 9:30: Check emails

9:30 to 11: Finish client reports

11 to 11:15: Grab a coffee and scroll social media

11:15 to 12: Proofread the articles

12 to 1: Publish the articles

1 to 2: Grab lunch, make personal calls, and play games

2 to 4: Write a new article

4 to 4:15: Grab a coffee and scroll social media

4:15 to 4:30: Check emails

4:30 to 6: Make the client calls

Isn't the schedule worth following? Hell, yes!!! All your tasks get accomplished in a timely and well-planned manner with sufficient breaks.

So, when are you planning to ditch these unproductive habits and get to the real business of productive entrepreneurs?

Pratik Kanada

CEO, 360 Degree Technosoft

CEO of 360 Degree Technosoft, a mobile app development company. Writes about Leadership, Start-up Quests, Social Media, Latest Tech Trends and Mobile Applications.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Leadership

What Makes You a Unicorn in Your Industry? Start by Mastering These 4 Pillars

We all want to achieve elusive unicorn status. But how do you attain such a lofty goal among stiff competition, all vying for the same thing?

Business News

Here's How Much a Typical Google Employee Makes in a Year

Compensation for the median Google employee was up 5% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Leadership

Why 18 Minutes of Your Day Can Make You Better Than 95% of People

What if I told you that's all you need to surpass 95% of people in any skill? With 18 minutes of focused, consistent effort each day, you can turn small moments into massive progress.

News and Trends

Nestasia Appoints Delhivery CEO Sahil Barua to its Board

The company is at a stage where supply chain efficiency and fulfilment precision are becoming increasingly important due to the diverse and delicate nature of its product offerings. Stakeholders believe Barua's expertise will help address these challenges as the brand sharpens its focus on scaling

Growing a Business

7 AI Tools That Help You Build a One-Person Business — and Make Money While You Sleep

Who needs a team? These seven AI tools let you automate everything, scale like a beast and reclaim your time.