CEO of Outsource acceleratora leading marketplace and consultancy for outsourcing, offshore and globalized employment.
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As an entrepreneur you naturally wear a lot of hats in the beginning. After all, knowing how your business works is essential. You need to build your processes and procedures for when the time comes to build your teams.
However, too much work can lead to burnout. Studies suggest that entrepreneurs get burned out more quickly due to social isolation and too much passion for their work. Some of the signs you may notice are feelings of exhaustion and personality changes.
The best ways to free up your time are to regulate better workplace productivity and find different strategies to get the work done efficiently. That said, here are several steps you can take.
1. Set goals.
First, it’s important to set long- and short-term goals for yourself and your business. If possible, set achievable work goals each week and test what you want to accomplish by the end of each week.
2. Prioritize tasks.
List your tasks and categorize them according to their priority level. For example, many entrepreneurs use the Eisenhower matrix to split their workload into four categories.
• Do first. These are urgent and important tasks that need to be done right away.
• Scheme. Here you can decide when to perform important tasks.
• Delegate. Less urgent or important tasks should be delegated or outsourced to a team.
• Do not. Tasks under these categories can eat up your precious time and should be removed from your workload.
3. Break down activities into smaller goals.
One of the reasons you may become discouraged from completing a task is if it seems overwhelming. You can overcome this feeling by “decomposing” or break down your activities into simple tasks. This helps change your mindset and connect your thoughts to do a certain time consuming workload in manageable parts.
For example, if you need to write an article, consider breaking it down by heading and subheadings. Once you have an overview, you can write section by section and finish the article more easily.
4. Set realistic deadlines.
Set a realistic deadline for each of your workloads based on your broken down subtasks and prioritize. Review your matrix, break down any complex tasks and determine how much time you need to complete each activity. With this, you don’t have to speed up or stagger your activities, as you have a specific timeline to follow for completing a particular project.
5. Outsource some roles.
Whether you work alone or have a small team, outsourcing a task can help you get the most out of your assigned project. By outsourcing you do not have to spend too much time on time-consuming and repetitive tasks. Instead, you can hire a virtual assistant or a business process outsourcing company to help you do more work more efficiently on your behalf. This also allows you to scale your team more efficiently based on your needs.
6. Stop multitasking.
It has already been proven that multitasking does not work the way we want it to. Contrary to popular belief, multitasking won’t help you “get more done” by doing all your work at once. There is some evidence that it can even negatively affect your health and focus.
Instead, do tasks according to your priorities – go back to your matrix – and according to what you can finish the fastest. Many people start with the easiest and shortest tasks and then move on to the more difficult ones throughout the day.
7. Beat procrastination.
Procrastination has been recorded as an individual problem since time immemorial. Studies show that people who procrastinate more have “higher stress levels and lower well-being”. In addition to the items listed above, there are even more ways to beat procrastination while working. This includes minimizing your phone’s screen time and arranging your workspace to help you focus.
8. Take the necessary breaks.
However, beating procrastination doesn’t mean you have to give up your breaks. Taking breaks improves you physical and mental well-being during your working day. It also refreshes your mind, allowing you to think more clearly when performing a task.
Set aside time for coffee breaks, lunchtime, and small walks in your area to stretch. You can also use the Pomodoro Techniquewhere you work for 25 minutes and then take a five minute break, with a 10 to 30 minute break after four work segments.
9. Re-evaluate your routine.
Like your processes, you should review your routine every few weeks or months. Schedule a specific date and frequency for re-evaluating your routines and productivity strategies, and review everything you’ve accomplished within your time frame. If you have an outsourced team, use your service provider’s monthly reports to see how much progress has been made on a particular project compared to how much time and effort you’ve saved with their help.
10. Improve and optimize your strategies.
Finally, there is always room for improvement in your routines and workload. During your regular evaluation, see what has worked to help you save time and what hasn’t. Then try to improve on the less effective steps by finding the solutions and alternatives to use instead.
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