3 Productivity Tips for Small Business Owners

Boosting productivity is not so much a matter of time management as it is producing quality work within the time you have available. When you run your own business, it is important to maximize your most valuable resource—yourself. And that means squeezing every last drop of productivity from your day.

It’s easy to schedule time for work, only to get distracted by client emails or phone calls. Or, you may work diligently for a few hours only to realize after that what you were doing didn’t quite mesh with your overall goals, resulting in wasted time. Here are three productivity tips to help make the most out of every hour of every day.

1. Conduct Regular Reviews of Your Process and Strategy

Allot a specific block of time for this review so that you have a solid grasp of how productive you’ve been and where you need to make changes. For example, setting aside dedicated time for this practice at the end of the work week can help you to identify your successes as well as areas where you can improve. Then you can use this information to help guide your planning for the week ahead.

Be sure to weigh your weekly goals and accomplishments against your overall business goals to ensure you are continually working toward what is most important to you, and aren’t getting caught up in an unimportant or counterproductive task. When reviewing your process, consider the many tools available to help you with those smaller more mundane tasks.

2. Make Time for Yourself

Take some time for yourself. Independent professionals often pride themselves on the ability to multitask—and it’s often a necessity, given the nature of independent work. However, research has proven time and again that we do our best work when we have the freedom to focus our entire attention on one thing.

Even if you feel as though you’re being more productive when you multitask, your performance can suffer. Set aside a few hours each day to remove all distractions such as checking email, browsing social media or the internet, and answering phone calls. In this distraction-free environment, see if you experience an increase in real productivity.

3. Keep Your Weekends Open

It’s best to use your weekends to relax and refresh. This way you can start the new week with a boost in energy and motivation—which leads to increased productivity.

There is, however, one exception to this: If needed, use an hour or two on the weekend to get caught up so you can start the week on top of your game, or even get ahead by taking care of some of the less taxing items on your to-do list in advance. Beginning the week with a head start already in place will motivate you to keep up the pace and get even more done.

Remember, running a successful independent business requires motivation, focus, and productivity. By incorporating these tips into your weekly routine, you can easily boost all three.