Do you need to increase your productivity and efficiency? Would you like to know what are the favored techniques of successful women entrepreneurs when it comes to increasing productivity? I wanted to know, too.
Recently, I did an informal survey of 250 women entrepreneurs asking them this question: “What’s the number one thing you do to boost your productivity?”
Listed in reverse order, here are the results:
5. Prioritize your daily list using the “ABCD and E” method.
A = must do.
B = should do.
C = would be nice to do.
D = delegate.
E = eliminate.
4. Delegate everything possible.
If it isn’t directly making you money, delegate it to someone else. Turn over data entry tasks, packing and shipping, and answering non-essential emails and calls to a competent administrative professional. Not sure how to tell if you should turn something over? Ask yourself, “Can this task be done by someone else, or does it need my direct attention?” As an enterprising entrepreneur, your job is to concentrate on what is of most value to you and your business success, not on errands.
3. Break up projects into tasks.
If you have something on your to do list that’s been there for a long time, realize that it’s probably not a task. It’s a project. To do lists are for discreet tasks. When you put a project on your list, you’ll feel bogged down and productivity will slow. Many of the women entrepreneurs surveyed use business strategist Brian Tracy’s method for breaking up projects into easy-to-do tasks:
First, list the finished result you want.
Next, map out every single step of the project.
Then, put the steps into order, putting the important steps to the front.
Now, delegate tasks and assign responsibilities.
Finally, track the progress of the project.
2. Give 80% of your attention to what is important and 20% to what is urgent.
As an entrepreneur, your job is to discern the difference between what’s important and what’s urgent. To figure out the difference between the two, ask yourself, “Will focusing on this move my business forward and make me money or will I just be putting out fires?” Dealing with the urgent all day is draining. Dealing with the important is energizing. Make sure you’re giving 80% of your time and attention to what’s important each day.
1. Focus on one thing at a time.
The number one thing women entrepreneurs do to boost productivity is… focus on one thing at a time. Although women are known to be natural multi-taskers, surprisingly, those surveyed said they were able to get more done when they focused on one thing at a time. Starting and stopping in the middle of things was frustrating for them and meant that not much was completed at day’s end.
What is the number one thing you do to boost your productivity? As you’ve just seen, among the 250 women entrepreneurs I surveyed their answers ranged from prioritizing their daily to do list to learning to break projects up into smaller. Decide which of their favorite techniques will help you the most, and start implementing them right now. You’re sure to boost productivity for yourself and your business.
Dr. Susan L. Reid is a business coach and consultant for entrepreneurial women starting up businesses. She is the author of “Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Journey to Business Success.” Here website is Alkamae
