8 top productivity tips for business owners in 2023
I love Christmas just as much as the next person, but I’ll admit, those first few days back at work are tough. I believe you should always aim to begin your year how you want to finish it, but after a nice relaxing break, getting your head back into gear can be challenging, and productivity often takes a turn for the worse.
Fortunately, it doesn’t always have to be this way!
If you often wonder, “how do I make myself more productive?” this article is for you! Read on for my 8 top productivity tips. Let’s make 2023 your most productive year yet!
How can I increase my productivity?
Every year has the potential for greatness, but unfortunately, this greatness won’t magically occur on its own. When you struggle to maintain a high level of productivity, it's easy to find your attention to detail slipping and your goals for the year going down the drain.
Thankfully, there are small changes you can make to your work routine that will help you smash your 2023 goals out of the park. Try out my 8 tips below and make sure this year is your best one yet!
1. Prioritise your tasks
Before you start work each morning, create a fresh list of tasks that need to be completed that day. You can even break larger tasks down into more manageable bitesize chunks so that they don’t seem so daunting.
These tasks should then be sorted into three groups:
Urgent tasks that need doing as soon as possible.
Important tasks that must be completed at some point that day.
Other tasks that can be pushed to the next day if necessary.
By prioritising your tasks like this, you’ll be less likely to jump from one task to another without actually getting anything done.
If you’re looking for a planner to help you prioritise your tasks, I highly recommend the digital planner from Artful Agenda (enter my referral code RE160916 to unlock a gorgeous cover). Or if you prefer a paper planner, take a look at the wonderful range of planners from Dailygreatness*, and Papier* (these referral links will give you a cheeky discount).
2. Block book your time
When working from home or running a small business, it’s easy to become distracted by the smallest things and procrastinate on doing the work that actually matters. Even things like getting the post, making a cup of tea, or replying to emails take much-needed time away from the task you’re trying to complete.
The most effective way of overcoming this is to block book your tasks into your diary, set a timer, and focus solely on that task until the timer is up. I suggest keeping your phone out of sight or turning off notifications to prevent distractions.
The Pomodoro technique below is a great way of implementing this principle:
Choose a task you need to complete
Set a timer for 25 minutes
Work on the task until the timer goes off
Take a 5-minute break
Repeat steps 2-4 three more times (you can start a new task if you complete the old one)
Take a 30-minute break
Repeat.
3. Group tasks together
A great time saver for small tasks is to group them together and work on them at the same time. This helps to eliminate efficiency killers, such as multitasking and task switching. Although this won’t work for all tasks, social media posts or email management can benefit greatly from this technique.
Why not check all your emails at a specific time rather than returning to your inbox whenever an email comes through? Or how about batch-scheduling your social media posts for the week in one sitting rather than logging in to post every day?
Whatever you choose to do, make sure to only group tasks that are very similar; otherwise, multitasking will become an issue.
4. Automate wherever possible
There are so many great apps out there that can dramatically improve your overall productivity. Password savers, Google extensions, cloud storage systems, social media scheduling, and automated emails are just a few. While some will have costs attached to them, many are free to use and will save you tons of time.
It’s also worth thinking about investing in accounting software. Many offer very affordable monthly fees and will make your end-of-year accounts and tax declarations much easier and quicker than doing it all yourself. In my opinion, the time you can save using these types of software far outweighs the costs associated with them.
5. Systemise your business processes
I’ll admit, this tip does sound a bit boring, but it’s also one of the most important! Getting your business organised in terms of online filing and templates is a must when trying to increase your productivity.
Sorting through and creating folders (in both your online filing systems and emails) so that you know exactly where everything is stored will save you heaps of time in the long run. Some folders you could create include:
An email template folder with basic messages that are regularly sent to clients.
A client onboarding folder for all the info needed to welcome a new client or customer.
A branding folder for all your business info, including logos, photos, colours, and social media links.
6. Review your year
Do you review your year at the end of the current one? Many business owners are too bogged down in the day-to-day running of their business to think about it. But taking time out to review what’s worked and what hasn’t is an essential step in shaping your business for the future.
YearCompass is a great resource to help you reflect on 2022 and plan for 2023. When setting your goals for the new year, try to make them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. This will help increase your chance of reaching your goals by the end of the year.
7. Create a working environment
Ideally, we should have a dedicated room that we can call our office space. While you may not have the luxury of a room to yourself, it’s still important to create a working environment in the space you do have.
Even if your desk is in the hallway, ensure it is as organised as possible. Make use of desk storage and lockable filing systems, and try to have supplies of everything you may need to hand.
Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you should skimp on health and safety, either! Get yourself a decent chair and desk, make sure your computer screen is at the right height, and ensure you have proper lighting.
8. Outsource
When running a small business, you often find yourself wearing many different hats to cover all aspects of your work. If you have the time to do all these tasks yourself, great! But if you could do with freeing up some of your time (or you just really hate a certain task), then why not outsource some of them?
Virtual assistants are specialised in what they do, and there’s no point in spending all day tackling a task that someone else could do in a matter of hours. Yes, it does come with a financial cost, but this should be seen as an investment rather than an expense!
Collaboration allows you to:
Spend more time on revenue-generating tasks
Open doors to new affiliations and future business relationships
And, of course, be more productive!
If you think a virtual assistant could help you on your productivity journey, why not get in touch? You’ll be amazed at what a difference outsourcing can make to your business.
TLDR: When you struggle with productivity, getting back into work ready for the new year can be hard. Try prioritising your workload, block booking your time, grouping your tasks together, automating and systemising your business, reviewing your year, creating a nice working environment, and outsourcing unwanted tasks. You’ll soon find that 2023 is your most productive year yet!
* Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link.
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