How to be productive as an entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is a busy person. He has to do 10 times more work than an average man, in a day. While we stuck juggling between day to day tasks, we tend to forget how to balance our work and personal life. To achieve goals and utilize time and energy efficiently, we need to make some active changes in life.

Here are some effective tips to achieve maximum productivity:

1. Waking up early

I cannot emphasize more on waking up early in the morning. I know it’s difficult to be an early bird. Hopefully, after reading this you will have a good reason to wake up early now. People who wake up early are more likely to receive the full amount of what is needed for a healthier body and mind, which gives them a positive outlook towards life. A well-rested mind is more organized, energized, and are better problem solvers.

Some successful people who are early birds are:

• Richard Branson: Founder and Chairman of Virgin Group
• Michelle Obama: Former First Lady of the United States
• Tim Gunn: Fashion consultant and co-host of “Project Runway”
• Tim Cook: CEO of Apple

2. Planning a day prior

Planning what you are going to do in a day, a night prior helps you to prioritize your work. You will have a to-do list ready in your hand and you can be productive sooner in the morning. You will have time to have your breakfast, enjoy yourself with your family and you don’t have to worry about what next you need to do next. Planning a day prior, helps you to plan with a calm and peaceful mind. While planning on the same day or not planning at all can be chaotic and you tend to forget to do an important task. Planning helps to make effective decisions, increase the productivity of an individual, and resources can be utilized maximum. There are many software available, which can help you with planning or managing your day or project.

3. Prioritize your work

Entrepreneurs have many things to do in a day. A highly productive Entrepreneur will prioritize his important task and finish it first. Highly productive entrepreneurs know their limits, strengths, and weakness. They automate or delegate the work they aren’t good at. Time is money. By prioritizing their task and focus only on that single task, instead of hopping back and forth, they can bring maximum profit out of their work.

4. Take a break

Some studies show, taking a 10-20 minutes break between work, helps you to be more productive. In those 20 minutes, turn your Phone’s notification off, either sip a cup of coffee or take a nap or switch to a modest task, do something to recharge your batteries. Diverting your mind or resting for a few minutes helps your brain to relax, restore your energy, prevent burnout, and make you more active and productive.

5. Focus on one task at a time

Entrepreneurs avoid multi-tasking and put their limited resources like time, energy, attention, and money in a single task so they don’t have to redo it later. When you work on one task at a time, you can concentrate deeply, can be more creative and can solve the problem quickly. It’s quite difficult for an entrepreneur to focus on only one thing when there are already many things to do, on his plate. Working under stress or switching tasks in between makes work difficult and unbearable for the long term. Working on a single task brings better results and much quicker than multitasking.

6. Sleep is important

Many studies show an adult human need 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Sleep is important not only for a productive day but also for health. If you don’t get enough sleep that will affect your immune system and later will affect your work. Sleep enables the body to repair and healthy. Sleep deprivation can cause heart disease, weight gain, depression, and decision fatigue, which will negatively affect your productivity.

7. Energizing breakfast

Many people skip breakfast because they are running late for work or feeling lazy, and that’s a huge mistake. When you wake up in the morning, sugar in your body needs to produce energy for your muscle and brain. Skipping the breakfast in the morning can throw off your body’s rhythm of fasting and eating. If you don’t have your morning meal you are more likely to get hungry later and you will end up eating junk. Breakfast starts your metabolism and helps you burn calories.

8. Meditation and exercise

A person can work only when he is mentally and physically healthy. Meditation helps a person to achieve mental stability. It eliminates or decrease worries, stress, anxiety, and increases your ability to concentrate. Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. Regular exercise can improve muscle strength and also boost your endurance.

9. Commit to continuous growth

“There is always one more thing to learn”- Steve Jobs. No one started as a productive person right from the start. The difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is his interest in learning and educating himself continuously. New technology, tricks, and techniques change rapidly. To become a successful and more efficient entrepreneur it’s important to constantly educate yourself, by enrolling in courses, read books, attending seminars, and other activities that help you to be more productive.

10. Set boundaries

Setting a boundary in terms of how they want to allocate their time in such a way that their energy to work, social life, and productivity can be used properly. Saying “NO” or postponing things that are unimportant or non-urgent can help them to be more productive. Balance in life is important. A person has limited resources in a day. Limited energy to perform a task, limited money for investment, limited hours for his work, and social life. Setting boundaries is important for a person’s mental and physical health. If a person is exhausted, he won’t be able to perform well.

Do you will follow these steps and I hope it will help you to achieve your goals. Don’t forget, consistency is the key.