4 Productivity Hacks for Busy Founders to Get More Done
Being productive is an acquired skill. And like any other skill, it requires practice and hard work to get better at it.
Productivity isn’t an overnight achievement, it’s a daily activity.
Being productive is not a natural thing for people. It has to be learned over time. New habits and new ways of thinking need to be practiced in order to get things done. If you’re a busy founder, it’s easy to fall into the trap of procrastination and bad habits that might actually be hurting your business and your health.
Here are some productivity hacks for busy founders:
Define What Must Be Done
Productivity comes from deciding what you need to get done, not from deciding what you want to get done. It’s important to know the difference.
When you define the most important things to get done, three is a great number, you have a clearer target for each day. Consequently, you relieve yourself of the other stressors make success more attainable.
Schedule The Breaks
Schedule time for you. When you’re under a lot of stress or pressure, it’s easy to let time slip away from you without realizing it.
You might even think that staying late at the office will help you get more done when, in fact, it’s having the opposite effect. Schedule blocks of time where you can check out and relax — even if that means leaving work behind completely and going home early to spend time with your family.
Give Yourself 20 Minutes
When something feels like it will take a long time, we avoid it. We tell ourselves I can’t possibly start this and actually finish so I’ll do it later.
I learned the 20-minute trick from Brian Armstrong. It totally works. When we give ourselves a finish line, it’s easier to commit. After the 20 minutes, reward yourself, relax, or go for a walk.
Change Your Environment
The environment we set around us directly influences how we work.
Where you work matters. From the location to the time of day to the objects in your vicinity. Personally, I split time between my home office and a local co-working space. I’ve found my productivity boosts and remains high when I focus on the environment I engage in.
Productivity can be learned, like any other skill.
Productivity is an important output that every founder must consider. If you’re not productive, your startup will struggle to grow.
While there are no silver bullets, you can use certain strategies and techniques to improve your productivity over time.
