As a solopreneur, I find it crucial to juggling between tasks while prioritizing mental health. Recording TikTok videos, reaching out to new clients with personalized sales pitches, writing blog articles, posting across all socials, preparing travel UGC content, etc. – all these and more have made me crave productivity tips and hacks.
Of course, after reading a lot and understanding what I want, I found several solutions. During this journey, I have learned and asked myself tons of questions which I’ll be listing throughout the article.
Catch up: Tips for Becoming a Solopreneur in 2023
How Can You Be 100% Productive?
Do you want every minute of your day to be productive? Is it even physically possible to be 100% productive?
My short answer is: ‘you don’t need to!’.
Being productive is a great virtue. It helps you understand yourself and your capabilities more. But do you want your mind and body to stay in survival mode all the time?
To be called ‘productive’, you need to finish all tasks and love the results. And how’s that going to happen? By avoiding multitasking!
Avoiding burnout is by far more important than finishing a few tasks. Your progress is affected by overthinking. Here’s when the 80/20 technique enters!
What is the 80/20 Rule?
80% of outcomes happen from 20% of all causes. Ask yourself this question:
- Which are the tasks that give you the biggest impact?
After answering that, you’ll understand what you need to prioritize. Tip: Rewrite your to-do lists as many times as you need. That is an indirect way to understand what needs to be completed first and which requires your attention the most.
This way, you will understand that the critical 20% of tasks will produce 80% of the results! And, if you’re wondering what happens to the other 80%, this might be the right time to delegate.
Benefits:
- Identify what has more value and save time.
- Avoid procrastination.
- Enjoy your winnings more!
Other examples that will help you understand this rule better:
80% of the responsibility and work are shouldered by only 20% of your employees.
80% of sales are from 20% of clients. (source)
80% of your knowledge is used 20% of the time. (source)
80% of website traffic comes from 20% of the content. (source)
Unique Japanese Productivity Techniques & Tips
Kanban
This productivity technique consists of three stages: To Do, In Progress, and Completed.
Kanban is an interesting and highly-motivating way to get things done and put everything into the finish column.
Everyone who always multitasks must try this technique to visualize and prioritize tasks.
Poka- Yoke (Fool-Proof)
This Japanese productivity technique helps detect any possible mistake in real-time. This way you can save yourself from ‘passing’ this mistake to the next process.
The first time I heard about this technique was the way Japanese professionals produced cars. They made sure every part of the process was created, reviewed, tested, etc. – before jumping into the next stage.
This is an amazing hack to save yourself from a pile of hassle.
Kaizen (Change for the Good)
The short description for Kaizen is that it helps eliminate useless acts that slow down the job. It empowers team collaboration, efficiency increment, cost cuts, and higher quality results.
Symptoms of ADHD
I’m sure everyone has heard about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which causes you to start multiple tasks at once but never finish them.
Well, this is just one of the symptoms.
People diagnosed with ADHD have trouble focusing, lose interest quickly, don’t follow rules, and aren’t well-organized.
If you have at least one of the above, then let me tell you that you’re not alone. Also, it is entirely treatable if taken with consistent care.
Try to exercise daily, give yourself more time to finish tasks, avoid distractions (turn your phone into silent mode), and keep notes during meetings or when you get inspired during the day.
Productivity Tips to Work from Home
I have been working from home for a long time, and sometimes, I struggle to stay focused. And I know that many others have this issue too.
The reasons for that are countless: you have other members working from home, pets or kids, loud neighbours, etc.
However, here are some quick tips to think about when you work from home:
- Quick breaks to drink water, or coffee, have a snack or do some yoga
- Dress up as if you were about to go to the office
- Take extra care of your home office
- Block social media most of the time
- Connect with your dear family members or long-distance friends to have a conversation
Productivity Tips from me, as a Solopreneur!
5-to-9 over 9-to-5
For almost an entire decade, I have been one step ahead of everyone I know due to my healthy 5-to-9 routine.
Even during several 9-to-5 jobs, I still managed to wake up early, meditate, have breakfast, and exercise.
Now that I don’t have a specific work schedule, my 5-to-9 routine is even more vital. I set my own working schedule that can go from 1 hour per day to 15! But, nothing can get between my morning routine. And if I skip that, I know the entire day won’t be productive.
As Charles Duhigg explains: “Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.”
Weekly To-Dos
There is nothing like weekly planners! You make a long to-do list with all the tasks you need to be done by the end of the week. You feel no pressure because there are seven whole days to make them all happen.
This way, each task you mark as Done will empower you to jump into the next one right away!
Turn each task into mini-tasks and off to complete them with peace of mind!
Small breaks during the day. A lot of them!
Nothing is worth more than several breaks after each task. Whether I do some yoga, play with the cat, have a coffee, talk with my friends, or run a few errands, I know that everything NOT related to my job is worth returning to my job more focused!
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