Note: The show notes for the corresponding podcast episode can be found at the bottom of this blog post.
Before I say anything else, hear me say this.
I don’t think life is about being as productive as you can.
The goal of a productivity hack isn’t to help you produce an endless amount of work. It’s to help you get your work done easily and efficiently. In doing so, you have more time for the other important things in your life— your family and friends, hobbies, and health.
Our latest podcast episode dives into many of the productivity hacks that work in our home and business. We elaborated on several of them below and added other practices that can help you have more time for the things that matter.
This podcast episode was made with Zencastr. Use my special link zen.ai/daveyandkrista and use daveyandkrista to save 30% off your first three months of Zencastr professional. #madeonzencastr
Productivity Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs
- Create a morning routine.
A strong morning routine allows you to get the day off to a great start. Make it as simple or elaborate as you want, but consider a few things–
- How much time do you have or want to have?
- What tasks would make the rest of the day flow more smoothly?
- What will put you in the right state of mind?
If you’re married, it’s important to involve your partner in creating your morning routine at home, especially if you have kids. For example, I know Krista exercises three mornings a week from 7-8 am. On those days I’m the one who is responsible for getting the kids ready for school. Each of our individual morning routines may look different but they respect the other’s.
- Create an end-of-day routine.
Chances are you struggle to switch from work mode to home mode at the end of the day, especially if you work at home. An end of the workday routine signals to your brain that it’s time to transition.
Here are a few ideas:
- Log off your computer or close all your tabs.
- Check your email one last time.
- Set a goal for the following work day.
- Note any small tasks needing to be done tomorrow.
- Leave. Shut the office door or walk away from your computer.
Don’t forget to build a personal evening routine that benefits both you and your household. It should help prepare you for the day ahead but also prioritize rest.
A note about your daily routines:
In The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi devotes an entire chapter to the idea that you should live in your season. This principle is key to designing routines that work for your family. It makes sense for me and Krista to start our day early, not only because we enjoy doing so, but because our young kids are up early. The way I wrap up my workday looks different than how Krista does, because her afternoon schedule is centered around our kids’ schedule of naps and school.
Your end-of-the-day routine will look different depending on a number of factors. Do what’s right for you in your season of life.
- Identify ONE goal for the month, week, and day.
To-do lists help you keep track of things that have to be done– you know, like finishing a client project or sending an invoice– but your business’s big-picture goals can sometimes get lost in the never-ending tedium of those lists.
Setting ONE daily, weekly, and monthly goal helps you stay focused. It also provides clarity in how you structure your days. Once you set a monthly goal, you can roll the weekly and daily goals into it so they’re all building on one another.
Let’s say your big monthly goal is to create a new lead magnet in the form of an e-book. You might set a weekly goal to write an initial draft of the e-book and then break the book down into 5 sections, with one to be completed each day. The next week your goal might focus on designing all of the graphics for the book. The third week you plan to finalize the book by editing and designing it. Everything snowballs into one cumulative goal.
Need more inspiration? Check out the recent podcast interview with Steve Perkins– How To Focus on What Matters in Your Business.
- Block schedule.
Create a block schedule that follows the natural rhythm of your day and fits in with your family’s schedule.
What can this look like?
- Schedule your workouts for when you feel tired.
- Schedule calls for typically unproductive time in your day.
- Perform creative tasks when you feel most creative.
- Block out periods of time for communication– like Slack and email– so it doesn’t take over your entire day.
If you want to know more about time-blocking, a quick Google search will provide you with plenty of ideas, and Cal Newport covers it in-depth in his book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.
5. Batch tasks.
Batching is a similar concept to block scheduling. Perform a chunk of related tasks at once so you’re not spreading it throughout your entire week.
- Pick out clothes at the beginning of the week.
- Meal prep all your lunches on Sunday.
- Wash all your linens on the same day.
- Schedule your meetings on certain days.
6. Decide once.
Various internet resources assert that the average adult makes 35,000 decisions a day. And if you have kids, that number is even higher. These microdecisions can eat up a lot of brain space. There’s a reason Steve Jobs wore the same black shirt every single day.
Here are just a few ways you can decide once–
- Eat the same thing every day.
- Choose a look that you wear every day and stick to it.
- Follow the same schedule for your social media posts.
7. Create annual and monthly to-do lists.
There’s a never-ending to-do list in place for most business owners and homeowners. Annual and monthly to-do lists make it easier to accomplish tasks that need to follow a specific routine.
Your business list will probably include tasks like setting quarterly goals 4 times a year, paying quarterly taxes, and planning holiday sales or specials. Assigning the tasks to a specific month helps you stay on track so you’re not wondering about the last time you did something.
These lists are also valuable in your home. Begin by writing down every maintenance task that needs to be done throughout the year (and how often). This might include things like rotating the mattress every 4 months, resealing your driveway every other year, and having the carpets professionally shampooed once a year. Once you have your entire list, spread the tasks out throughout the year. You might plan to remulch your flower beds every April and deep clean the bathroom closets in August.
8. Loosely follow the 2-minute rule.
If a task can be done in less than 120 seconds, go ahead and do it if it doesn’t interrupt your current workflow. Pay the invoice. Respond to the email. Move the document to the correct folder. Prevent those small chores from building up over time.
9. Get outside, especially in the morning.
Morning sun slows down the production of melatonin– the hormone that makes you feel sleepy. This pulls you out of the morning grogginess and jumpstarts your brain. It also helps you sleep better at night. Eat breakfast outside or take the dog for a quick walk before you start your day.
10. Exercise every single day.
The physical and psychological benefits of daily exercise are seemingly endless.
Try to exercise every day– whether it’s an hour on the Peleton, a 10-minute yoga video, or attending a class at your local gym. The clarity that comes with exercise is well worth the effort and self-discipline it requires.
11. Eat well.
The term ‘hangry’ was invented for a reason. When your body doesn’t get the fuel it needs, it’s not only your physical health that suffers. Your mood and energy levels also tank.
Eating well doesn’t just mean your body gets enough calories. You should be providing it with the right vitamins, minerals, and proteins it needs.
12. Take walks throughout the day.
I’ve mentioned the importance of exercise and getting time in the sun. Walking is the perfect solution if you want to knock both out at once. I like to take a short walk outside when I feel antsy from sitting at the computer for too long or when I notice the ideas have slowed.
Looking to really maximize your time? Walking meetings are the ultimate productivity hack.
13. Keep running lists of ideas.
When a brilliant idea pops into your head, throw it in a list. Krista and I keep a running list of ideas on our shared Slack channels. They include anything from content ideas to marketing ideas to Pinterest ideas. We also like to use TeuxDeux and the old-school Notes app on our computers.
You can also pop ideas into a note on your phone or a Google Keep note. The point is to get it out of your head and written down in some form.
A running list allows you to return to ideas when you have time and doesn’t distract you from the task at hand. It also gives you space to discern whether the idea is a good idea or not. When a business idea pops in my head, I try to write it down and revisit it in 24 hours. Some ideas are golden, and some get deleted.
14. Build REST into your schedule.
Productivity is so much more than your ability to accomplish as much as humanly possible. You know the old IT joke, “Have you tried turning it off and back on again?” Our bodies and minds will also start to malfunction if they don’t get the rest they need.
It’s the reason Krista and I created an evening routine that typically has us in bed by 8. This offers us the chance to physically rest our bodies and mentally rest by reading a book.
Whether you consistently block off a day for family time or schedule an hour for lunch every day, give yourself rest. It’s hard to utilize any productivity hacks when you’re too burnt out to focus.
Find it Quickly Here (in the podcast):
0:00 Intro
5:25 Morning and evening routine
7:01 End the work day transition
10:57 Identify one goal for the month
13:37 Block Scheduling
15:32 Prioritize more productive tasks when you are at peak energy and vice versa for least productive tasks
16:47 Batch tasks, meetings, meal prep, etc
18:43 Get outside in the morning
21:52 Keep a running list of ideas
Resources from the podcast:
CrossFit
Online Settler’s
Podcast episode with Steve Perkins
Podcast episode on block scheduling
Ancestry
TeuxDeux
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