Every entrepreneur wants to boost productivity. To become way more productive and focused on the activities that actually grow their business.
But for many small business owners, they simply don’t think they have the time to really grow their business.
There is a little known productivity hack that can boost productivity and help people increase focus, effectiveness and free up more time.
How I increased my productivity
Before I started as a business coach, I was an executive in a large marketing agency.
I worked 60 hours a week, managing a team of 20 and handling the marketing accounts for a number of FMCG brands.
It was a high stress job, and multi-tasking was king.
It was normal to jump from one project to another and one issue to another.
Clients had to be kept happy and I had to ensure my team was delivering projects effectively.
There wasn’t a lot of extra time to spare.
I wanted to boost productivity and started researching different time management and productivity systems.
Eventually I discovered this one productivity hack and everything changed.
I went from working 60 hours a week to 30 hours and was far more focused, productive and effective. Revenue grew dramatically and my clients were happier.
I started teaching this system to my team and their effectiveness and happiness grew as well.
My business coaching clients now use this productivity hack to boost their own productivity.
How time blocking increases productivity
So, what is this productivity hack that can boost productivity?
It’s called time blocking and it helped me and my clients stay super focused on exactly what needs to be done to achieve higher levels of growth and success.
With time blocking, you devote a specific amount of time to a particular project and do that task exclusively until it is complete.
Now, the length of time you set for the project or task will be different for each of you but the method I use is the 60-60-30 method.
I always use this method in the morning when I am more energised and focused.
A quick guide to time blocking
- Identify your most important project
- Work on that first
- Shut off your email and turn off or get away from your phone
- Set a timer for the first block of time (50 minutes in my case) and work on only that task until the timer goes off
- Take a 10-minute rejuvenating break (a walk in my case)
- Set the time for second block of time (again, 50 minutes) and work only on that project
- Have a further 10-minute rejuvenating break
- Take a 30-minute break (I tend to have lunch or meditate here)
- If you have completed the first project, excellent, move onto your second project. If you haven’t, follow the process again
How to boost productivity with time blocking
To set yourself up to boost productivity and maximise your time through time blocking, these simple strategies will pay huge dividends.
1. Don’t Hope, Plan
Plan your projects and activities in advance so you don’t spend precious time trying to figure out what to do next.
Don’t get to a point in any day where you wonder what you should be doing.
Plan it all in advance.
I plan out each week on Sunday evening. Projects are broken out and then a decision is made on which ones are the biggest priority.
Always start with your biggest priority.
2. Boost productivity by focusing on just 3 things
I focus on achieving just 3 things every day.
If I achieve more than that, it is a welcome bonus.
When I am working through projects using time blocking I don’t use my phone as this will distract me. Instead I put my watch on the table and use that.
There are also apps for time blocking you can use including Focus Booster and Focus Keeper.
Time blocking improves productivity
Time blocking dramatically boosts productivity and improves focus.
An added benefit, it gives you clarity on how much of your time you are spending on specific projects or activities.
It helps with accountability.
Give yourself a specific amount of time to complete a project rather than just spending hours and hours on something that should take less time.
If you are writing a new article, like I’m doing here, set yourself a time limit to do it in and block out the time.
3. Focus time on your biggest projects first
Focused time delivers bigger results and this productivity hack will help deliver these results.
You have started by identifying a high value activity to work on.
This clarifies how long you want to spend working on the project.
The next step is to track the return on investment (ROI).
If the project isn’t delivering the results you want, think about cutting out the project altogether or look to outsource it.
Can you think of something right now that you are spending eight to 10 hours a week on?
Is that invested time delivering the right level of results for your business?
4. Eliminate and outsource to improve your productivity
If it isn’t, eliminate or outsource. For me personally, I was spending a lot of time building and growing my facebook page and I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted.
So, I outsourced the management of my page to an expert who has helped grow my page, and I have saved 10 hours a week.
What could you eliminate or outsource? How could you use the time blocking productivity hack?
Whether you’re trying to build a side business into a full-time business, are just starting up and trying to juggle the myriad tasks every business owner must accomplish, or looking to scale your business, time blocking can help you get more of the right things done and create more freedom in the process.
That’s a win – win.
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P.S. Whenever you’re ready….. here are 5 ways I can help you free up your time to grow YOUR business:
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If you want to create a bigger and better future but are feeling stuck and frustrated, book a Focusing Call with me and come away with direction, clarity and focus on what you really want to achieve
