Do your to-do lists get achieved by the end of every business day? It’s normal, and the reason is likely because you’re taking too many things on. It’s not about the volume of tasks but that the less valuable ones get mixed in with your jobs. So instead, I recommend you prioritize the three things you need to achieve each day vs. the traditional to-do list. So, here are the ten strategies to complete all your tasks. You can focus on high-value activities that grow your business.
Ten tips to building wealth and business success daily
1. Pinpoint your goals
How can you decide what needs to be done when you don’t know what you’re working on? And this needs to be specific. Because time is a scarce resource, and we can’t get it back. “More revenue” or “expand the team” isn’t clear and doesn’t lend itself to a structure to achieve them.
2. Set your priorities
What are the need-to-dos to achieve your above goals? Understanding this is key to winning back control of your invested time. If your goal is to increase your number of clients by 40% in the next six months, this is where your priorities should lie. Focus on the tasks that move you closer to achieving this goal.
3. Select the appropriate tasks
Allocate your time to your highest hourly-rate tasks that will grow your business and set you up for long-term success. As a business owner, it’s your job to focus on the £500 p/h tasks, not the $50 p/h ones. Listen to our podcast about hourly rate identity.
4. Effectively delegate your tasks
Remember the tasks that drop off your list when you pick the three most important? It is where they go! Also, anything that doesn’t need your attention should be delegated. Get them off your plate so you can focus on your high-value, needle-moving tasks. Allocate a short time every morning to send these tasks to the appropriate person.
5. Manage your emails and voice mails
Shifting tasks can cost up to 40% of your productivity! Even if it’s as small as responding to a quick email. The first thing you can do is schedule a time, or a few times, in your calendar for checking emails and voicemails. When checking in, evaluate whether they are high, medium, or low priority.
6. Organize your workplace
Like the point above, productivity can take a severe dip when you can’t keep momentum up, which is particularly hard when you spend 15 minutes searching for a report in a stack of messy papers. If you spend 5 minutes organizing your workspace when you get to the office, you can complete your tasks with fewer interruptions and maintain peak productivity.
7. Minimize your interruptions.
If your time is overloaded, say so. It will help manage the expectations of others regarding your time. If it can be dealt with quickly, without further discussion, decide if you make the time for it there and then. If not, or if it needs a more considerable discussion, schedule a time to return to it.
8. Accept being a procrastinator
Learn how to position these traits so they do not cost you time. Focus on your outcomes and set them in motion, or get more people involved to achieve them. If you feel like procrastination is getting in the way of your productivity, check out this blog with three easy ways to break the cycle of procrastination.
9. Do not neglect your default diary
If it’s Tuesday and you have tasks that you know should be completed every Tuesday at 9 AM, do it. Short of an emergency that needs your immediate attention, do not push these tasks down the list for other things. In all likelihood, they won’t get done.
10. Take a breaks
You’re no good to anyone if you’re not looking after yourself. And you don’t need to be a work machine for every minute of the business day. Give your eyes a rest from looking at a screen, get up and walk around, grab a cup of coffee and ask your team what their plans for the weekend are while the kettle is boiling.
