Organization and getting more done in less time are directly correlated. For entrepreneurs, it’s important to have a few tricks up your sleeve when it comes to organizing your schedule, your office space, and even your mind!
Today, we’re talking about how to be better organized and get more done in less time using super productivity tips for modern entrepreneurs.
Getting Things Done
by David Allen
⏱ 13 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
Set One Goal First Thing in the Morning
We’re going to get organized first thing in the morning! Take the first ten minutes of your day and address the most important task to be done. Whether it’s answering a slew of emails, mailing a bunch of letters, reviewing a report, get it out of the way first.
If you have multiple tasks that share the level of priority, decide which one is the one most likely to hang over your head. That’s your first task right there.
This way, the time wasted on filler tasks– tasks that you picked up in an attempt to procrastinate the original, bigger task– is better spent on more important items on your agenda.
Don’t Multitask
Isn’t multitasking meant to get more done in less time because you’re technically doing two or more tasks at once?
The answer is almost always “No!”
All multitasking succeeds in doing is needlessly pulling your attention in multiple directions. Even if you are able to do several things at once, the quality of the work won’t be as good as focusing on each task individually.
In fact, you’ll find that you would have gotten through more tasks faster if you had focused on one at a time.
Organize Your Office
Did you know that over 83% of small business owners firmly believe that having an organized office is a crucially vital part of the success of their business? Adding to that, 64% believe that proper office organization directly correlates to the profitability of their business?
The next super productivity tip for you modern entrepreneurs out is how you can get better organized. Your physical surroundings need to be tidy. This is the extra push you need to be able to perform at your highest possible level.
When you think about it, the success of your business depends on how well you’re organized. Even Donald Trump is famous for being a neat enthusiast in his office, often employing Feng Shui experts. And if you’re like Elon Musk, this is the space where you’re going to spend 120 hours a week, so it needs to be, at least, aesthetically pleasing.
You will never again fear losing an important contract, a paper holding a vital phone number, stats, or anything that could harm your business.
Organize Your Computer Desktop
Being organized doesn’t just apply to your desk, but also to your computer desktop! A neat, well-organized computer screen will not only save you time, but it will make you feel motivated. There is nothing worse than the frustration of wasting minutes at a time looking for a file.
It’s easy to organize your files. Folders are your best friend; as are memorable folder names. Every few days, even once a week, take a few minutes to delete files you don’t need anymore.
Have a Catch-All Space
What’s a catch-all space? It’s a space in your office or desk, maybe a drawer, a file, or an organizer that you designate as the space where all new incoming items land.
The next time you receive an important document– a copy of a contract, a bill, an invoice; this is where it should go. Consider investing in a desktop file organizer, which can have two, three, or even five trays.
Set Aside 10 Minutes a Week
What are these ten minutes a week for? You’re doing to declutter your office, cleanse it of all unnecessary items. An ideal time and day would be at the last few minutes before you clock out on Friday.
Use these minutes to re-organize anything you may have ignored the past week. Put documents that aren’t in their designated spot into their tray, throw away any out-dated or unnecessary papers, empty the trash bin, get rid of any scratch paper, and such.
When next Monday arrives, you’ll arrive fresh from the weekend and feel comfortable in your office space.
Every few months, set aside ten more minutes to clean your office of any supplies that you haven’t used in the past year. This works towards decreasing the amount of clutter in your office, leaving more room for motivation!
Write a To-Do List
A To-Do list is a step you can’t afford to skip over in the world of business organization. To-do lists help keep you organized, prioritize tasks, take regular breaks, and they stop that feeling of overwhelm you get when you have too much on your plate.
So, here are some of the most valuable tips we found that will encourage you to not only follow up with your to-do list, but will actually make you excited to write one every day!
Step number one: as soon as you find a task that needs to get done, jot it down. At this stage, the tasks don’t need to be in any particular order; they just need to be documented.
Step number two: organization. You’re going to number your list to help you figure out the priority level of each task and rearrange them into a logical progression.
Here’s an extra trick! Don’t place more importance on quantity-heavy tasks. A task that needs attention and focus should be given a higher priority. Your priority system should be based on the time sensitivity of the task and productivity.
Make Smaller To-Do Lists Under Larger Ones
Breaking down a task into smaller chunks makes it more manageable, and even better, it helps adjust your mindset. The next time you have a large to-do bullet point, create one, two, three points under it, breaking the task into steps.
And the last trick concerning to-do lists is this making a tiny tick next to each task you finish! You’re guaranteed a rush of happiness and accomplishment as you see a list full of check marks.
Set a Time to Respond to Emails
For a busy entrepreneur, responding to email may be the most dreaded part of your day. They’re time consuming, and you may feel like your time is better spent on other tasks. Plus, throughout the day, if your phone is constantly notifying you about incoming emails, you’re going to feel scatterbrained.
Unfortunately, no one has figured out how to stop emails from taking over half an hour of your day, but we do have a technique to organize your time surrounding them.
Instead of constantly checking your inbox, jumping at every notification, opening emails, and then deciding to respond later in the day, try this method: have two designated blocks of time each day meant for emails.
Preferably, one block of time in the morning and the other in the afternoon, to cover all your bases or if an email is urgent. During these blocks of times, you’re going to dedicate your full attention to checking and responding to emails.
This way, you’ll have an unparalleled peace of mind and emails will stop interrupting your work.
Use a Cloud Service
The silent enemy of organization? Accidents. Offices are accident-prone; coffee can spill on your laptop, a virus can wipe important files, or for whatever reason, the original file might just up and vanish.
Or what of you forget your laptop and need to access a document or a spreadsheet while you’re away and you don’t know how. The answer is in the cloud.
Integrate the cloud into all your tools; laptop, tablet, and smartphone. That way, should the worst happen, your files will be safe and they’ll be accessible from anywhere at any time. Over 82% of businesses use free cloud services such as Google Drive and Dropbox.
Related: 5 Simple Tricks to Help You Optimize Your Mind for the Modern World
Take Advantage of Every Minute of Your Day
Time management requires as much organization as anything else, but finding space in your day can be difficult. There are ways you can take advantage of every minute of your day and be your most productive self!
That mundane task you dread? Take care of it during your morning commute. If you especially take public transportation, there is a surprising amount of work that you can do before you even get to the office. You can check emails, delete unnecessary files, do research, make phone calls– the list goes on.
Take a Productivity Break
Every two to three hours, indulge in a five to 15 minute break. This isn’t your average break. This immensely helps your productivity levels.
Leave the screen you’ve been staring at for hours on end, get off that uncomfortable desk chair, and forget about your frustration at the task at hand.
So, take a short walk, get a snack, do some stretching, play an online game, do something that gives your brain a break. When it’s time to get back to work, your mental focus will be back to being laser-sharp. You can get more done in less time if you’re concentrated and in a super productive mood.
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