Enhancing productivity and improving workflows to make them more streamlined and efficient is a key area for freelancers and small business owners who want to thrive.
Put simply, when tasks become easier, they are less of a drain on your time and energy, thus giving you more time to focus on the things that really matter.
There’s a range of popular productivity techniques and methods you can apply, such as time blocking and using timers, etc., but they don’t necessarily work for everyone.
Here are 7 lesser-known productivity tips you can try:
1. Dress for the occasion
Take a leaf out of Steve Jobs’s book and have a work ‘costume’.
Steve Jobs famously wore the same thing every day because it required less mental energy, and meant that he didn’t suffer from decision fatigue. One less thing to make a decision about at the beginning of each day.
Having something specific to wear while working can also put you in the right mindset. It doesn’t have to be a suit and tie either; it can be something like your favorite baseball cap, t-shirt, or lucky blouse. Simply something that you know when you are wearing it, you are focused on work tasks. It might be that you need to wear specific work clothes while working, such as overalls or an apron.
2. Set micro goals
Instead of struggling to achieve big goals all at once or getting overwhelmed with your grand annual plan, break tasks down into achievable micro goals. You can even do this daily, and tick things off your daily to-do list. Knowing you’ve achieved your daily goals and reframing them as wins you celebrate can give you the impetus you need when you’re feeling stuck, as well as a sense of achievement and job satisfaction. What’s more, by breaking down bigger tasks into bite-sized chunks, you soon achieve your big goals but without the overwhelm.
It also helps if you are intentional with each task, however small, so instead of flitting from one task to another or multitasking, you complete the task at hand before moving to another. You could even schedule specific days or times for different tasks.
3. Automate repetitive tasks
It makes sense to automate repetitive tasks that take up your time but are necessary (such as invoicing, for example). It’s worth bearing in mind that not all tasks need to be automated, and some don’t easily lend themselves to it. However, it’s worth considering what tasks you can automate. Sometimes simply thinking about automating a task can help guide you through the entire process and could even highlight processes and systems you can improve or eliminate.
If you’ve got clients that you need to bill regularly (e.g. retainer clients) with Invoice Ninja, you can set invoices to be sent automatically with our recurring invoices feature. You don’t have to lift a finger. Invoice Ninja offers auto-billing via the world’s favorite payment gateways. Discover more of our small business-friendly features here. And try Invoice Ninja for free here.
4. Schedule a weekly check-in
At the end of each week, schedule some time to review what you’ve achieved in that week and plan for the following week. Having a weekly overview of your business can help plan for any future contingencies and better spot any potential areas that need action. As well as ticking off items on your to-do list, now is also a good time to check your bookkeeping for any overdue invoices and upcoming bills. With the Invoice Ninja Pro Plan, as an incentive for clients to pay you on time, you can set up invoice late payment fees that apply automatically when invoices pass their due dates. You can set up late payment fees as a percentage of the invoice or as a flat monetary value.
Being organized in this way helps you nip problems in the bud, improves cash flow, and provides a significant boost to your productivity. You can view the check-in as a warm-up for the week ahead, so you don’t start off the following week on a back foot.
5. Listen to music
Music can have an extremely positive effect on your workflow, mood and even your ability to concentrate on difficult tasks, depending on the type of music. Alternatively, you could use the length of a song as a timer, and stop and start tasks accordingly.
Obviously, if you’re the type of person who prefers to work in silence, the opposite is true, and so wearing a pair of noise-canceling headphones while you do deep work could be more effective.
6. Exercise
If you are getting bogged down in a task or simply not in the mood, a short bout of exercise or a movement ‘snack’ during the day could provide the pick-me-up you need.
Whether it’s a short walk to get some fresh air or a glass of mineral water, a plank and some press-ups, it could provide a boost to your creativity, too, or the break your subconscious needs to solve a problem. Taking a break is sometimes the best way to regain momentum.
7. Make it enjoyable
Finally, one way to get tasks completed is to make them enjoyable. Consider applying gamification to the task, or pair it with another task that you like to perform, so it becomes a habit.
You could give yourself a small reward on completion, or each time you complete a task, it goes toward a bigger reward. Some people find that breaking tasks into categories and then color-coding their calendar helps. The key is to remove any sense of friction so it becomes less of a chore, something you do habitually, and you get a sense of satisfaction from once it’s completed.
You’ve got this!
