I’ll Do It Tomorrow, but Today Is an Even Better Day!

I’ll Do It Tomorrow, but Today Is an Even Better Day!

by | Nov 8, 2021 | Business

Is ‘I shall do it tomorrow’ one of your favourite lines? Tomorrow comes and it is still there looking at you on your list of things to do.

You will always have things within your business that feel like a chore, take up more time than you anticipated and quite frankly, are boring. I get it but you are adding more work to your already bulging mailbox, list of things to do and tasks sitting in your project management tool marked as ‘incomplete’.

How about we look at things that you will do today. For me I put things off because it’s boring, I don’t know what I am doing or feel like I am not the right person for the job.

Most recently I was asked to do something that I had not done before, I will always be honest if given a new task. I don’t want to give my clients false hope or jeopardise the business just because of my pride. It also shows transparency between us and builds a stronger, working relationship. I am not scared to show a vulnerable side and I don’t want my clients to hide their vulnerabilities, because we are all human at the end of the day.

Some ideas on how to tackle something that you are not too familiar with are:

  • 1:1 Training
  • YouTube
  • Facebook Groups
  • Your own online community
  • Pinterest
  • Workshop/short course
  • Outsource to somebody who is skilled within that field
  • Hire a Virtual Assistant

I often put myself on training programmes/workshops to further my knowledge of anything which I use within the business (if I can). I have recently become an Asana Certified Pro, this is my favourite Project Management tool which most of my clients use. Asana integrates with so many other tools which makes it ideal for me. I am now certified to teach other small businesses to use it too, gold star for me!

The way I see it there is always something new to learn, whether you offer a service-based business or a product-based business, the world is your oyster.

As a service-based business, my clients are usually one person running it themselves (smashing it by the way) or even just starting up and their needs are all very different. It is important to me to treat everyone as an individual and look at systems that will streamline their business with ease. One size does not fit all…ever!

If you ever find yourself putting things off, take a moment to think about why you keep doing so. If any of the above resonates with you, maybe it is time to think about outsourcing, so that you can take some of the pressure off of yourself.

I help busy Entrepreneurs to free up their time so that they can focus on growing their businesses. If that sounds like you and you have been thinking for some time about hiring an Executive VA like me to support you, get in touch and book a discovery call with me.

 

4 Tips to Improve Your Productivity

4 Tips to Improve Your Productivity

by | Oct 16, 2021 | Business, Productivity

Sometimes it’s just too hard to get started or you get stuck in overwhelm mode. You know you need to do something, but you don’t know what it is, you just can’t get anything done.

It is time to take back control of your time. With the right tools, you can be a productivity pro in no time. Here are my top tips to help you ‘optimize’ your productivity for better focus, less stress and increase your profits.

My top tips are:

Look at your week ahead

Write a summary of everything that is happening in your week. It can be bullet points or a couple of lines, don’t stress too much but do have an idea of what your week looks like.

If you use a booking tool on your website or social media handles, your availability is all up to date (and saved). You do not want to be caught out sitting in the dentist chair, while a potential client is waiting for you to jump on Zoom.

Diary Management

You will have use of a diary whether it is a paper diary or an electronic one. I use both but prefer my paper diary. Cross-reference the two, to ensure they mirror each other. This will stop any items from clashing. If something is cancelled, update both.

Checking on your availability is good to do but don’t just check what you have booked in, look at exactly what you will be doing at those times. In between these meetings, what else could you be doing? Working for yourself means you have a lot to remember.

Create a to-do list

Your to-do list is the flow of the business in your life. I will always do this the day before so I’m clear when I get to my desk the next morning, I am already a step ahead. Studies show we tend to do approximately 3 hours of deep, focused work a day. You could also focus on the most important tasks first. There is no better feeling than ticking off completed tasks.

Turn off notifications

As a rule of thumb, I check and respond to emails twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. This helps me to stay focused on tasks rather than dipping in and out of my mailbox. Place your phone on silent or put it in another room. Create a distraction-free work environment.

If you are looking for some productivity tools, here are the ones I’ve tried and tested myself:

My top one is Asana. I am a Certified Asana Pro and always recommend this tool, it also integrates with many other apps which you may use within your own business.

Asana is your task management tool to manage all your work projects. Check off, organise, assign, and get things done.

Following closely behind:

  • Trello
  • Evernote
  • Slack

These tips are bound to put a spring into your productivity step.

There are of course many more ways to manage your time and help you to work more productively. Find what works for you. You can do it!