Francesca is back with four productivity tips to help us get more work done. Let’s take a read at what she has to share with us. Take it away Francesca!
Working from home certainly has its perks. You’re not tied to a strict 9 to 5 schedule, you don’t have to wear a suit, and you can avoid the dreaded morning and evening commute.
But it also has its drawbacks. Being able to stay productive when you’re not in a typical work environment takes a lot of discipline, and if you aren’t able to maintain the efficiency you need to get stuff done, you might end up wasting time, missing deadlines, and stressing out.
Fortunately, there are a few techniques you can try to maintain productivity. Check them out below and see how you can apply them in your work-from-home business.
Know yourself
This is the first and most important step in productivity. People have various productivity, patterns, preferences, and habits. Get to know what yours are, then optimize your tasks and schedules accordingly.
For instance, I know my body well enough to know that I’m more productivity in the morning. That’s why I schedule my most important tasks early in the day, and then assign low-level activities (such as responding to email) in the afternoon.
Do something similar. Recognize when your mind and body are most efficient, so you can maximize your productivity patterns.
Aside from knowing when you’re most productive, also ask the question of where, and then strive to put yourself in an environment that’s conducive to work.
Case in point: I can never be productivity in the bedroom. The lure of my soft, comfy sheets are just too great. I can’t work in the living room either, because it’s too close to the TV and the kitchen (where the fridge is). To address, I conduct my writing either at the library or at a nearby coffee shop where there’s an actual table and no distractions.
Where are YOU most productive? Can you work from your couch or do you need an actual desk? Can you stand the hustle and bustle of a coffee shop or do you have to be in the library or a co-working space to be efficient? Whatever the case may be, take note, then plan accordingly.
Put your tasks on paper and physically scratch them out
Physically writing down your goals may seem like a small step, but trust me, it can make all the difference.
Having your goals down on paper helps keep your focus. It also makes it easier for you to prioritize them and know what you need to work on next.
Also be sure to scratch off items from your list. Again, it may sound small, but it actually has an immense effect on your brain. The act of physically crossing off an item from your to-do list gives you a sense of accomplishment and empowers you to keep working.
Automate certain tasks
Are there any tasks that you can put on auto-pilot? Identify those activities and then use a service like IFTTT to automate them.
For example, I programmed the service to automatically share my blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ whenever I publish a new one. This saves me a lot of time because it enables me to spread the word about my work without having to go to each social network one by one.
I also use IFTTT to automatically save email attachments to my Dropbox folder, thus saving me about an hour every month.
Find tasks in your business than you can automate then set up the systems to do so.
Batch your activities
Instead of jumping from one different task to the next (like writing a blog post one minute, then paying your phone bill the next) consider batching similar activities.
Doing so helps you save both time and energy. See, when you switch between two different tasks, it takes your brain a certain amount of energy to switch gears. As a result, you end up spending more time and effort on each one.
Address this by batching your tasks. For instance, in my business, I take care of all financial tasks every Friday morning, instead of scattering them throughout the week.
Are there any tasks in your business that you can batch? Create a schedule for them.
Wrapping Up These Great Productivity Tips
I hope you found these productivity tips helpful! Here’s to productive days ahead!
