It can be difficult to remain focused all day. Especially when you have a hundred-and-one things on your plate you need to get done.
There are many things we don’t think about when it comes to using our time most productively, such as nutrients, energy levels and writing down your goals.
Understanding how you work best is important and can change the ways in which you work on your business. It can be stressful when you feel the work starting to pile on top.
As a result, we’ve put together a list of the best ways to maintain optimal productivity as an entrepreneur.
1. Plan ahead
It can be easier to know where to start if you can go into your workload with a productivity plan. Planning what you need to prioritise can help you organise your jobs and what you’re going to do when.
If you plan the night before (for what you need to get done the next day), you can be more likely to spend your time productively.
Also, be realistic and block out times you know you can’t be working, as you’ll be more likely to stick to it – eg. if you’re going for lunch or to an event, and schedule in chunks of time you know you can set aside to sit down and focus.
Ultimately, if you plan for the week ahead, you’ll know what time you’ll have free and which days you’ll do certain tasks.
Planning visually can also help you to see what you’re intending on getting done this week and how you can best use your time- sticking to a plan is highly productive.
2. Stay nutritionally fueled up
This one is very underrated and sometimes the last thing you think about when following a busy schedule.
However, when you’re not getting the right nutrients, you’ll find it much harder to focus properly and give projects your full attention.
As a result, you should “snack” during times you’ve set aside via frequent breaks. Having a nutritional mini meal can take up a lot more time than you think it will, but as mentioned, it’s important to stay correctly fueled up all day.
An easy way to get all the correct nutrients is with a wholefood multivitamin, which will contain all the vitamins and minerals you need throughout the day and for brain health.
Think of multivitamins as nutritional insurance; you can spend less time worrying about consuming the right nutrients when popping a capsule or two daily (but you should still try to intake all nutrients through your meals).
Not only that, taking a high-quality multivitamin can also support long term overall health – which could mean less risk of sick days, so you won’t need to worry about having to take a day out when you could do with the time being spent working.
Ultimately, quick and easy snacks aren’t always the healthiest choices and can actually leave you with a short-term boost in energy before crashing and feeling tired.
3. Establish goals
Knowing what you want to get done, by a certain time, is half the problem. And not knowing where to start doesn’t help your productivity levels either.
To make sure you’re not torn between tasks on your never-ending list, make some top priorities and focus on getting those done first.
Completing important projects first before starting other smaller tasks that can be done another time, will really help you start working through your jobs, and give you a clearer idea of what else needs to be finished.
Also, setting yourself deadlines will help you to know which tasks are to be prioritized and be more likely to work towards a time limit- ticking another goal off.
When you know what exactly you’re working towards and the deadline to finish, you’ll be less likely to get distracted checking your phone or emails as frequently. Taking time to goal set, whether that’s daily, weekly or monthly, can be highly motivating and you’ll be more likely to want to reach them.
4. Create lists
Much like planning, writing down a list on paper can show you what you want to achieve, and show you what you’ve managed to get done in your day.
Research has proven retention is far better when you write words down and crossing items off your list will provide a feeling of accomplishment. Having visible evidence of every job you’ve completed can help you stay productive, keep a track of all your tasks, give you a boost and improve your productivity wanting to tick everything off.
If you’re a busy person, making a list of what you want to get done each day, will keep you focused alongside everything else and get your tasks done before the deadline.
Making a list the night before can also prepare you for how much you’re wanting to complete the next day, and seeing it written down can make it seem less stressful and easier to tackle.
5. Work with your energy levels
Everyone has different lifestyles, meaning we can’t always stick to the traditional 9-5 even if we’d like to.
Some might need to stay up late, some might need to get up super early – which means different levels of energy throughout the day.
Once you figure out the times you feel most productive and energised, and what type of worker you are, use that to your advantage and plan working times within these periods.
If you work best late at night, plan to tackle your important or large projects then when you’re feeling the most motivated. Trying to work against your energy levels can mean you won’t focus as well or feel tired, and this is when you won’t be working to the best of your abilities.
If you find yourself dipping in energy, allow yourself frequent breaks to think about something else then come back to your work.
Looking over your work with fresh eyes can help you finish the job or even bring new ideas to it. Taking breaks when you need them is essential to maintaining productivity and motivation throughout the day.
Conclusion
When trying to improve productivity, most entrepreneurs will reach for a quick fix. Caffeine via coffee or tea.
However, it’s better to try and implement long-term changes.
One thing that many people don’t realize is that their energy levels are dependant on their diet.
As busy as you are as an entrepreneur, remember to look after yourself from a nutritional point of view. Once your body is optimally fuelled-up with healthy meals (or supplements such as a multivitamin) then everything else should fit into place better.