Productivity Mistakes You're Making, And How To Avoid Them

Life is getting busier, and for the ‘average’ business owner (not that there's really any such thing!) it's even more so. The balancing act that is making sure everything happens as and when it’s meant to is a tough one - it seems like our plates just keep getting piled higher and higher with things that absolutely have to be done and yet no one has figured out a way to add an extra couple of hours to the day. While a Pink Spaghetti VA is a pretty good start, we’ve put together a few tips to help you increase your productivity and allow you to make the most of the time you have available.

1. Thinking you’ll remember it. We’ve ALL been there. Thinking we don’t need to worry about making a note of something because we’ll remember it, and then desperately trying to remember what it was we promised ourselves we wouldn’t forget! Don’t risk it, no matter what it is just write it down somewhere, put it straight in the diary or action it immediately. This reduces the likelihood of forgetting it, and frees up a bit of mental space to focus on everything else you have going on. Having a to-do list means you get the mental satisfaction of ticking off tasks, but also means that you can add to it as the day goes on. For ultimate convenience why not use the notes function on your phone or download an app (there are plenty!) We love Asana as a digital to-do list, and the ability to assign tasks to other people means that you can keep the entire workforce up to speed easily. 

2. Starting the day with no direction. This links to the previous point about making a to-do list but making your list the night before can hugely increase morning productivity. Simply sitting at your desk and knowing what you need to do first means you don’t waste that first burst of enthusiasm in the morning by going back through where you left everything yesterday and working out what is a priority. Spend 20 minutes before you finish work each day making the list for tomorrow, it’s the perfect winding down the day task, and means you can get a head start in the morning!

3. Don’t multi-task. While this may seem counter intuitive, don’t be tempted to try and split your attention across several tasks at the same time. Research has shown that in actual fact, the distraction each time breaks your flow and this can take a not insignificant amount of time to regain. Pick a task and see it through, it’ll be done faster and quite possibly to a higher standard than if you repeatedly pick it up and put it down.

4. ‘Eat a live frog’. Obviously we don’t actually mean you need to start your day by chasing wildlife round your garden pond (unless that’s how you wake yourself up in the morning!). But as Mark Twain says, ‘if it’s your job to eat a live frog, best do it first thing in the morning’. Basically, pick the task you are least looking forward to on your list and get it done first. You don’t spend the entire day dreading it and wasting time on other tasks and your sense of accomplishment will be through the roof, meaning you’re far more motivated to zoom through the rest of your day knowing that the worst is behind you!

5. Trying to do it all. As a business owner it’s tempting to feel like you need to have a handle on everything, and you need to know how to do it all. Unfortunately, quite often it’s impossible, and running a business alongside general life usually means that you get to a point where you’re too busy to figure out how. This is where a VA could come in handy - already up to speed on the processes and software, and highly organised to ensure that you’re able to focus on doing what you love in your business. Delegating a task, any task, can feel like a big step – when you’ve poured huge amounts of time and energy into your business, how can you be sure that anyone else will treat it with the same love and care that you do? Rest assured that a virtual assistant, or any other industry expert you hand a task over to, will be motivated to do the best possible job. After all, it’s not in their interests for your business to be less productive! At Pink Spaghetti Weston super Mare, our clients are kept up to speed every step of the way. You will always get the final say in anything we do, and we work closely with our clients to make sure they are happy with the job we are doing.

If you’re ready to become more productive, then why not book a call and see what you could outsource to us. We can help you make the need to multitask become a distant memory!