Staying productive is getting tougher in the era of digital noise. The grind gets more demanding for solopreneurs. Distractions kill your time and it gets frustrating, I know.
Between maintaining your website, keeping up with financial transactions, finding the right bookkeeper, juggling with a myriad of tasks and doing the actual work that gets you business – is exhausting.
You beat your back trying to keep up the schedule and getting things done.
But here’s the good news: You can achieve much more by making these 3 small changes to your day. Let’s see how we do that.
Eat the frog early
I did not say wake up early because not everybody is capable of being a morning person. If you function as a night owl, stick to being that.
But the important thing to do is, completing the pivotal tasks that you keep putting off. For example, the first thing I do as soon as I wake up and finish the morning rituals is, sit at my desk to write. My business revolves around my writing. So the first thing I should do is – Write. Likewise, pick the task that brings you business and finish it first. It makes sense, isn’t it?
Now, this habit did not come easily to me either. It took time and persistence to cultivate this flow. But the process became friction-less after I took up a 30-day writing challenge. I wrote a minimum of 500-700 words daily no matter what – even on weekends, even when I was dead tired after a long day. I wrote even if I had to travel to a different city with my toddler and then back. I just wrote. It is all about focus and determination. You can do it too.
So, do the one thing that brings you money early in the day. The rest of the day, you could go out, play with your kid, hang out on social media or just take a nap – you will stay guilt-free and stress-free when you hit the sack at night.
Give yourself power
Let’s admit. We get uber scared to hand over our business data to a third person. You are afraid to let go of the control you have on your business. Be it hiring a graphic designer or a social media manager, it does feel awkward at first. You worry about their dedication and intention. But you know what? There are more willing people in business than you think there are.
I was afraid to delegate and subcontract in the beginning. I did all of it, myself. Designing my website, writing content for various clients, doing the finances, designing graphics and other admin tasks.
Honestly, it is taxing. Stress takes over and brings you trouble. Save that well of problems by seeking help. I have hired whenever I thought it is too much to handle. After all, we only have 24 hours and a pair of hands, isn’t it?
So, by hiring someone to assist you, you are giving yourself more power. And not just that, you are gifting yourself more time and peace. Do you see how important it is to run your week smoothly?
You also get to feel powerful when you are getting things done faster by delegating those tasks that eat up your day. It took away my precious time. So do you know what I did? Find out in the next section.
Work on the heart of your business
If you are a blogger, it is okay to be clingy about not outsourcing writing. Because that is the heart of your business. Obviously, that is what brings you business and it is okay to be attached to your heart-work. But there are so many other promotional and operational tasks that can be done by someone else.
For example, running a blog is not a one time task and doesn’t involve only writing. It needs creating lead capturing forms, lead magnets, PDFs, guides, freebies, graphics on Canva, segmenting your lists, promotions and other activities. All of these tasks are important and need consistency.
If you keep worrying about the font on your graphics, the color of your pages, using a border or not, then you are iterating failure. Instead, let someone else whose jam is aesthetics handle this part of your operations.
You also cannot waste time setting up your funnels and autoresponders. It is alright to find someone to do the setup. You choose – delegate or automate. But do not procrastinate.
Take control of your time
I am guilty of scrolling Facebook endlessly. I am guilty of not writing enough. I am guilty of being a perfectionist.
One of the most famous persuasionistas and a long time solopreuner Bushra Azhar says, “Launch quick, launch dirty”. This statement makes so much sense if your goal is to make business. But if your goal is to impress, you keep lingering dissatisfied and it will be a rut.
Launch quick, launch dirty – Bushra Azhar
Social media is addictive. It is designed to be so – to keep you there. I use social media as a tool to conduct market research. It is brimming with information to study your audience. But apart from that, it only keeps you in a loop.
Yes, people talk about visibility, showing up etc etc. What is the point of doing all of that when your core is crumbling? So, strengthen your core, take control.
And, do not brood over those unhealthy temptations. Move on, create something significant and impactful. Read your mission statement. Reread it. It will inspire you to spend your day productively.
To summarize,
- Your first task in the morning should be the one that brings you money
- Seek help – hire, delegate or automate. But do not procrastinate.
- Choose between success and perfectionism and restrict time on social media.
P.S: If you are a writer or blogger, get this 9-step hack to write faster.