Understand This Strategy and You'll Get More Done If you don't use your time efficiently, you won't accomplish your goals
By Kimanzi Constable Edited by Dan Bova
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There are countless articles written about productivity. There are courses, videos and coaches who teach entrepreneurs how to get more done. Productivity is important -- if you don't use your time efficiently, you won't accomplish your goals.
It takes a lot to build a business. There are a myriad of things to consider and different parts that need your attention. You'll need to build your foundation, create a marketing plan, handle the paperwork, hire employees, farm out subcontracted work, partner with professionals, and much more.
We built our digital marketing agency while working day jobs years ago. It took time but it allowed us to build a business that takes us to 15 countries every year for consulting training and projects at some of the largest companies in the world.
There are a ton of entrepreneurs that build their businesses that way. The one thing you come to understand, when time is limited, is that you won't get more of it. Time is the one resource you can never recover.
Getting Tasks Accomplished
To get more done, you'll have to use each moment you have efficiently. That sounds like a simple statement but it goes deeper than the words you're reading. Learning how to use your moments in every circumstance effectively will be your secret weapon to experience more productivity than you thought possible.
This means, when you have an opportunity to focus on business, you do that. You cut out distractions and work through your list. If you're going to be more efficient, you should have a plan for your time.
Your mindset is an important part of that equation. A hunger for accomplishing a major goal can fuel you past the moments of distraction. It helps you overcome the times when you want to give up. Your "shoulds" have to become "musts."
Related: To Boost Your Productivity 1,000 Percent, Practice This One Habit Daily for One Year
Always Moving
As we travel for consulting gigs, we spend a lot of time in airports, lounges, trains, Uber's, airplanes, hotels, and more. When we have time in those circumstances, we use it to work on our projects and client projects. Life will always be moving for you. In addition to being an entrepreneur, you're a human being. You have family, friends, and other responsibilities. There will always be something to do so you have to create your productivity.
You will have times dedicated to work but you can create time in-between the moments of life's busyness. Change your mindset. Don't think, "I only have X amount of time to get things done." Think, "I will use every moment of the time I do have effectively."
Batch and Say NO More
Scheduling set amounts of time to work on similar tasks is a common and efficient way to get more done. Batching helps you manage time and task management.
You would take an objective look at the things you want to accomplish during a day or week. You look at what makes sense to work on together and during what block of time. You schedule "batch sessions" and get to work.
We batch content creation time in our agency, for example. I'm guessing there are tasks you could batch. Try it. This may not be a strategy that works for you or that you do long term but it could help.
Related: I Started Saying 'No' to These 6 Things. My Life and My Business Got
Also, learning how to say NO to people and things that take up your time and aren't helping you accomplish your goals is important. When you say NO to what's not the right fit, you free up time to work on what does.
You should be your first priority. Making sure you're focused and doing the things that help you become the best and strongest you. If you're not good, you can't be good for others. You can't give what you don't have.
Say NO to meetings that waste your time, conversations with entrepreneurs who are all talk, and requests for your time from random people on social media and email. Say NO to anything that doesn't help you get more done. Be selfish with your time.
This can be one of your most productive and effective years if you're willing to develop the systems and strategies. Create your success by using the time you have wisely. Only you know what that means for you.
