6 Habits to Make Your Small Business More Productive

A harried small-business leader just like you

Not enough time in the day? Too much to do? That’s the lament of all entrepreneurs and small business owners!

There are lots of ways to save time, and plenty of tools to help you work faster. Recently I talked about super handy smartphone apps that make work easier and improve time management, and I also rhapsodized about this year’s new gadgets that can help you work smarter. And of course you know how a business-savvy storage solution can simplify your workflow!

But some of the best things you can do to be more productive are simply about habit and intentions.

You may have tried using an organizer system, or reading a self-help book on getting organized. Those are great things — keep plugging away. But perhaps these few tips about how to attack your workload can serve to quickly remind you how simple it can be to take control of your work and improve your productivity.

Think of these as the basics. Look at this list each day (it’s short) until one day you find you’ve incorporated all these practices into your daily work habits.

1. Update your To Do List every day.

What’s that? You don’t even keep a To Do List? Well, start there! Then, rewrite the whole thing each morning or at the end of the day. (This may seem like another time-consuming task — it’s not. The 15 minutes you take each day to do this will easily save an hour in lost unproductive time.) It’s best to rewrite the entire list, rather than crossing off and adding new tasks, because you want to put your list in a specific order for each day. Your top priorities should be most prominent — probably at the top of the list; those are the jobs you should work on and complete first. When you start each day with an important task and succeed on that task, it keeps you juiced so you’re ready to plow into the next job on the list. Don’t get distracted — stick to the priorities on the list as a habit. You don’t want to waste your daily allotment of energy and focus on anything else, do you?

2. Break down big projects into small tasks.

A huge multi-part job or project is daunting. It seems unimaginable that you’ll ever reach task number 25, six weeks from now. So don’t list that project as one huge item. Break it into digestible, doable items that can be crossed off each day. This achieves three benefits: first, it gets you to analyze the steps needed to reach the final goal; second, it lets you define and track progress in discrete chunks so you know you’re on the road to completion; and finally, checking off small tasks gives you a sense of accomplishment each day so you remain positive and encouraged (and this keeps you productive).

3. Start that task now.

Draft that first chart. Write that first sentence. Pull apart that prototype. Whatever step you need to take to start a new project is always the hardest step — it can feel like pulling off the warm comforter on a very chilly morning, and we often work harder finding ways to avoid taking that step than we would by just jumping in. So jump in! Once you start, dedicate yourself for a specific timeframe to stay focused. Don’t check email every 5 minutes; don’t accept ad hoc meetings; ignore your phone, and for goodness’ sake, stay off social media (save it for the evening). Don’t let a million little things get in the way of the one important thing.

4. Do one thing at a time.

Multitasking might seem like the norm these days, but study after study show it does not work. You might think you can change your focus every two minutes to get five things done instead of one, but science disagrees. Folks who do try to multitask are straight-out less productive, and they’re even making it harder in future to concentrate and to think creatively! Just because you feel super busy doesn’t mean you’re getting important things done — if you want your small business moving forward, stick to one high-priority task at a a time. (And what about all those little tasks nagging at you in the back of your mind? If they fall through the cracks, the impact will be far less significant.)

5. Take breaks.

Yes, you need to get right down to work, don’t get distracted, stay focused on one thing — and we certainly know entrepreneurs must work hard. But working 12 hours straight — or even three hours straight — isn’t healthy, and doesn’t lead to long-term productivity. Let’s turn to science again — studies find we are at our most productive when we focus intensely on one task for under an hour, then take a brief break (recommendations vary — some suggest a not-so-brief 20 minutes). Take a nap, or get some active exercise — both are good for your focus, creativity and productivity, and also good for physical health (and that improves long-term productivity too)! The physical change also gives your mind some time to rest, consolidate new learnings, and replenish your attention.

6. Delegate!

You don’t have time to do everything for your small business. You’re not the most skilled or talented person for every task. You need to delegate important jobs to your team. It’s smart, good for your team, and will lighten your workload significantly. It frees your mind to think strategically, and to look at tactics from a high altitude — two crucial things a small business leader must constantly do to help your business grow. It also frees your time to focus on the tasks leaders must execute: building out plans, meeting with customers and potential partners, and rewarding, listening to and coaching (not micromanaging) your employees so they will share company goals and use their own strengths to succeed. Again, don’t just delegate the menial tasks — delegate the tasks that aren’t your strengths so you can focus on the things you are great at, and let your team shine where their strengths allow.

Keep this list handy and refer to it each day to remind yourself to build these habits. Of course, a simple list of daily practices cannot change the actual work you do; your own commitment, drive, choices and abilities are what will drive your success (so, by the way, be sure to choose a strategy that matches your abilities). But if these six things become everyday habits for you, that alone will have a major, noticeable impact on your productivity.

Who is John Paulsen? A former small-business leader myself, I feel your pain (and joy) and hope you’ll enjoy the blog. I launched and ran a well-regarded production company in San Francisco with a team of 9 brilliant, hard working people. I learned to manage a wide array of tasks a small business must handle — business strategy, facilities design, HR, payroll, taxes, marketing, all the way down to choosing telecom equipment and spec’ing a server system to help my team collaborate in real-time on dense media projects from multiple production rooms. I’ve partnered with and learned from dozens of small business owners.

2015-02-26T01:18:16+00:00

About the Author: