How to be More Productive?

“I’ve been working flat out all day, but what did I actually achieve?”

As entrepreneurs and online business builders, it’s all too easy to wonder where the hours went. So, what can you do to make your working days more productive? 

Olly Richards says it’s vital to have a plan.

Know your long term goal

Every business should have a vision and long term goals to work towards. Naturally, these will change over time, but you need to know where your business is heading. 

Those five or ten-year-goals are then broken down into smaller targets to achieve along the way.

Goals keep you motivated when times get tough and help to give structure to your plans.

“You need to have goals of some kind, otherwise you’re just flying blind. That’s a dangerous place to be because you have no way to judge success or not.”

Structure your week

It’s not enough to plan day by day; Olly suggests that you need to plan your whole week to be productive. 

Ask, “what’s the one thing that, if I got it done, would make next week a big success?” Choose tasks that move you towards those big goals, then, schedule “deep work time” for them on your calendar. 

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you haven’t achieved everything you planned to do. At the end, review the previous week, note your wins and losses, then decide how to move forward.

“I look back on Sunday and if I’ve achieved 80% of what I set out to do, that’s a successful week.”

Be accountable

It can be overwhelming to do all this by yourself, and it takes time, practice and discipline to keep that productivity going.

 That’s why it’s helpful to find a coach, mastermind group or accountability partner—someone who will give advice and help you to stay on track and move towards your vision.

“Any goal worth having takes a long time to do. If your only goals can be completed in a week then you’re not setting difficult enough goals.” 

In a nutshell

These four strategies keep you on track:

1. Know your long term goals
2. Block off time each day to work on them.
3. Plan your week, not just your day.
4. Get some external accountability, such as a mastermind group or a coach.