7 Top Productivity Strategies for Solopreneurs

As a busy Solopreneur it can seem impossible to get everything done. Do you look around at others and wonder how they get so much done and make it look so easy? I know I do. There are plenty of times when I wonder how I would get it all done (help or no help).

Today we’ll go over some tried and true methods for getting more done each day that you may not have considered as an entrepreneur.

Delegate/Outsource

Even if you are a Solopreneur (an operation of one), you can still delegate, or outsource, both on the work and on home front. Hire a virtual assistant to help you with your repetitive tasks that aren’t your main money-making items and that you don’t even like to do.

Is there something you avoid doing but must be done? Find someone else to do it. It might be dealing with customer service, sharing blog posts and items on social media, or it might be housework. It’s up to you what you choose to delegate. I was fortunate to find help and it’s been the best strategic move so far.

Use Your Calendar

Today we have so many useful ways to use a calendar, especially if it’s virtual. Using an online calendar that lets you create separate calendars for each portion of your life yet integrate them into one big life calendar (such as Google Calendar), can be a very good way to keep track of your schedule. You should schedule not only work, but personal time too.

By scheduling work in time increments that you think you need to get a particular task done, you’ll be able to fill your calendar more productively.

For instance, if it takes you 15 minutes to check email in the morning, schedule only 15 minutes for checking email. By micromanaging your calendar, you’ll end up with more time to do everything that matters to you.

Set Milestones and Deadlines

When you do services for others it’s simple to create milestones and deadlines based on your clients’ needs. But, it can seem a little harder when you’re creating milestones and deadlines for yourself.

Even so, it’s an important component to being more productive. Be realistic when determining how long any one project should take you. Then, work your way back on the calendar to today giving yourself enough time each day to work towards meeting your milestones.

A Little Self-Discipline Goes Very Far

Periodically during the day, double check yourself to ensure that you are doing tasks that are in your calendar. If you’re not, stop what you’re doing, look at your full calendar and start working on the things on it for today. Do not allow yourself to do anything else until you’ve done the things on your calendar for today.

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Reward Yourself

Just as tasks should be listed in your calendar, so should rewards throughout the day. Put into your calendar “when I finish xyz I can spend 15 minutes on Facebook” or “when I finish setting up my new marketing campaign I’ll book a spa day.” Set a timer so that you don’t lose track of time. By keeping track of your time this way, after about a month it will all become second nature to be very productive and not let yourself get sidetracked.

Create Active Checklists

Do you do something on a regular basis over and over again? Do you have a new client checklist? Do you have various task checklists to ensure you don’t miss a step? Many different professionals have checklists that help them stay on track for any one task. They use it to ensure that nothing was forgotten. Don’t assume you’ll remember; use an active checklist every single time for best results. I love using Evernote, Google Keep, and Plutio as great ways to create Active Checklists. I use them for different reasons but at the end of the day, my tasks lists and checklists are all Active Checklists.

Remain Mindful

Finally, always stay mindful of the consequences of being disorganized and unproductive. As an entrepreneur, everything rides on your ability to be able to plan, organize and implement all the tasks and projects you need to do on any given day, week, month, quarter and year.

The Rundown

There you have it, 7 quick ways to improve your productivity and allow you to run your business as efficiently as possible. So now that you have these at your fingertips, put them into practice. There’s no use for knowledge that’s not being used to help build your experience. As you create processes and implement them, you’ll be amazed at how productive you’ll become.

It’s your turn now! Don’t forget to share with us which strategies you’re using and which are working for you.