10 Ways to Be More Productive as an Entrepreneur

Boris Dzhingarov

If you’ve ever been inspired by Ehsan Bayat’s presentations, you may be wondering how you can make a difference, too. When it comes to running a small business or launching a new idea, productivity is key. Here are a few must-know productivity tips that successful entrepreneurs follow.

1. Set SMART goals. SMART is an acronym of specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Even if you reach for the stars, you still have to operate from reality. Keep your goals concrete and grounded; set a timeframe; include milestones for both short- and long-term goals within your major goal. This will help you stay focused along the way.

2. Realistically estimate the investment. From how much time and effort you’ll need to how much money you’ll be spending, make sure to have an honest outline of what to expect. In the beginning, even the greatest business won’t be self-sustaining.

3. Get rid of distractions. Plan your day ahead of time, designate certain times to checking e-mail, put your cellphone on silent mode, and do whatever else it takes to focus. If you’re not sure where you need to be more efficient, track your work with a free website or app, then review the results to see where you may be wasting time.

4. Don’t multi-task. When you work from home, it’s tempting to juggle work and home responsibilities at the same time. If you’re working, though, you shouldn’t be doing laundry or texting your friends. You also shouldn’t be spending time on less-important work tasks, like monitoring your Twitter feed. The more you focus, the faster you’ll get through the project in front of you.

5. Set your priorities. Difficult tasks that require the most energy and that may be hanging over your head should be done first. A lot of people try do small tasks first in order to get them out of the way, but this wastes precious time when your energy and focus are at their peaks.

6. Take care of your health. This may seem unrelated to work success, but your health and your productivity are closely tied. If you’re sick, exhausted, or in pain, you won’t be able to be as productive as possible.

7. Set deadlines even when there aren’t any. One of the big tricks of entrepreneurship is making yourself work when nobody’s demanding you get things done. Self-motivation is necessary. Put deadlines on your projects and add them to your calendar. Treat them as you would if an editor or a boss were waiting for you to finish. You’ll know you’ve mastered this step when you start meeting your deadlines early.

8. Group similar tasks. Even if you have to switch between a few different “to do” items, if similar ones are grouped together, you’ll have better focus and get through them all quickly.

9. Figure out when you’re most productive. There’s no set schedule for productivity. Some people work better in the evening and others thrive in the morning. By determining when you’re at your sharpest, you can schedule your largest projects for those times and then work on easier projects when your energy is starting to dwindle.

10. Work on the projects that are making you anxious. Most of the time, you’ll realize that a project isn’t as hard as you imagined.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, a majority of your success depends on how much work you’re willing to put in. By being more productive, you can trim down the time it takes you to accomplish certain tasks and goals, which means your energy will be maximized.

Boris Dzhingarov is passionate about blogging and he is writing for several sites online. He gets inspired for his writing from Ehsan Bayat’s presentations.