Productivity is the business concept which is misunderstood. Most entrepreneurs are of the view that productivity is a measure of working harder, responding to more messages or to complete more jobs within a given day. Factually, real productivity is doing the right work at the right time in a clear consistent manner.
We as entrepreneurs can never stop our duties. The needs of strategy, sales, operations, team management, follow ups, finances and learning are all demanding our attention. In the absence of an appropriate productivity system, the day dominates us rather than us dominating the day.
This is not theory. These are practical applications that I observed working in small businesses, start-ups and older organizations.
What Does a Productivity System Mean?
Productivity system is a system of organization of tasks, time, energy and priorities. It is neither a tool nor an app, tools supplement systems, but they do not substitute them.
Productivity system is useful in that it aids you to record all that you need to attend to so that nothing remains in the head. It aids you in clearing your mind on what is really important. It helps you to make decisions on what to do at this time, what to plan, what to delegate and what to drop. Most of all, it will assist you in performing without any burnout.
A productivity system is not aimed at making you faster. The idea is to ensure that you become useful.
Successful Productivity Systems that Work with Entrepreneurs.
No one has a best productivity system.The correct system is based on your stage of business, the team size and working style. These are the most viable systems that have always worked when implemented properly.
Getting Things Done System
Getting Things Done is among the most popular systems of productivity among business people and executives. Its core idea is simple. Thinking is what you are supposed to do with your mind, not recollect. All the areas that require concern must be enclosed in a treasured system.
It entails the process of putting all the tasks on the table, demystifying and making sense of each task, putting them into categories, reviewing them regularly and approaching them confidently. This system is very helpful among entrepreneurs who are dealing with many projects at the same time as it lessens the amount of mental burden.
Personally, I find that GTD is most effective when it is combined with weekly reviews.Even the best system goes to pieces without reviews.
Pomodoro Method on Concentration and Vigor.
The Pomodoro Technique is based on the short and intense working periods and breaks. It is particularly handy with business people that are easily distracted or mentally exhausted. This is a better way of attaining focus without being subjected to lengthy working hours. It does not burn up energy, that is vital to long term performance.
Kanban Visual Workflow Management.
Kanban best suits entrepreneurs who have to handle teams or several work processes.Activities are represented in a visual way in columns like the to do, in progress, and completed. This transparency enhances responsibility and decreases work overload. Kanban is highly effective in operation, content planning, and sales pipeline. With visibility of work, the bottlenecks are clearer and easier to correct.
Priority Control Eisenhower Matrix.
The Eisenhower Matrix assists the entrepreneur to isolate urgent and important tasks.Most business owners use the majority of their time working on urgent yet low value tasks like the need to reply to every message immediately or solving minor operational problems.
Most business owners use the majority of their time working on urgent yet low value tasks like the need to reply to every message immediately or solving minor operational problems.
Entrepreneurs build long term growth by deliberately concentrating on significant, and yet not immediate problems such as planning, hiring, system building, and learning. This system will be training your brain to think in a strategic rather than a reactive way.
Generally, I will recommend this system to founders who always seem to be busy yet nothing much appears to be happening.
Eat the Frog Method of Implementation.
Eat the Frog method is very simple and effective. You begin your day with the hardest task to complete and the most significant one. This is one habit that enhances confidence, focus and momentum. Entrepreneurs have the habit of postponing unpleasant activities such as follow ups, negotiations, or planning. This technique makes you have to deal with them at the beginning of the day, which leaves mind space the rest of the day. On my side, this approach has enabled me to prevent procrastination in stressful moments in business.
The Productivity System that Suits your Business.
Rather than imitate the routine of another person it is preferable to create a system that is based on your business reality. The following is a viable strategy I would suggest.
Question yourself on what exactly drives your business. Examples include the growth of revenues, automation of the systems, development of the teams, and expansion of the market. Unpurposive productivity is a waste.
Planning each day must not take longer than ten minutes. Reviews on a weekly basis are not negotiable. Here transparency is rejuvenated. Lastly, make a commitment of at least thirty days. The fail of productivity systems is the situation when individuals prematurely leave their positions.
Reasons why entrepreneurs should have productivity systems more than anyone.
An employee is able to trust in directions, set working hours, and specific duties. An entrepreneur cannot. You determine what to work, when to work and how to work.Freedom is mighty, yet it is anarchy.
The same daily issues touch on most of the entrepreneurs. The to do list is never ending. Significant work is delayed as there is continually the emergence of urgent tasks. Meetings, calls, and emails are energy-consuming, yet they do not yield any results. You are not satisfied to be busy at the end of the day.
As my practice showed, those entrepreneurs, who implement even a basic system, begin to see the results only in several weeks. They feel less defeated, less dwarfed and more assured of their path.
Productivity Systems: Role of Tools.
Tools are facilitators but not solutions.Even the most high-tech software will not be as effective as a basic notebook with a powerful system without the comprehension. Task managers facilitate planning of work.The calenders assist in guarding attention by time blocking. Repetitive work is decreased with the help of automation tools. There is better cooperation through communication tools. The key is integration. Your tools must be used to facilitate a single workflow and not to build in a series of fragmented systems. When consulting, I will always recommend companies to streamline tools prior to expanding.
Efficiency and Delegation among Businesspersons.
A significant productivity change occurs when the entrepreneurs are taught how to delegate. Most founders think that it is time-saving to do everything on their own.In reality, it limits growth. An effective productivity system will contain a well-defined delegation workflow. Clear expectations, deadlines and follow up mechanisms should be assigned on tasks. This will enable entrepreneurs to concentrate on strategy rather than operations. Delegation does not consist of loss of control. It is regarding the establishment of leverage.
Weekly Reviews Weekly Review as a Growth Habit.
Long term productivity takes place on a weekly basis. They make you look back and see what was good, what was not and what should be changed. In reviews, small business owners have to assess how they are doing towards the most important objectives, revisit priorities and clear mental debris. This practice in itself can be twice effective in the long run. I have observed that businesses change by such a simple move as implementing weekly reviews.
Business Growth and Productivity Systems.
Growth is directly influenced by the productivity systems. Businesses grow more sustainably and by spending time on high value activities, entrepreneurs will grow business in a shorter time. Increasing productivity will result in improved customer experience, quicker decision making, increased team performance, and less stress. Life evolves into a forecast rather than being random. This is the reason behind the fact that productivity is a business system, rather than an individual habit.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Common Pitfalls to Avoid Do not over engineer your system. Simple systems last longer. Do not imitate the influencers.
Avoid skipping reviews. Systems need maintenance. Above everything, do not mix busy work and productive work.
Popular Productivity Traps of Entrepreneurs.
It is only after knowing what usually goes wrong before discussing systems.
The most frequent pitfall is to use too many tools simultaneously. Entrepreneurs just skip one application to another in a hope that they might get a better productivity.As a matter of fact, additional tools tend to cause an increasing amount of confusion.
The other error is not executing before planning. Other founders take hours to plan their week and never do it because the plan is not realistic or not in correspondence with the energy levels.
Poor prioritization is also a problem to many entrepreneurs. All is serious, thus nothing really receives a proper attention.This contributes to the sluggish advancement of such priorities as business building, system construction, and strategic thinking.
Failure to review on a weekly or monthly basis leads to repetition of mistakes and the failure of productivity systems without a murmur.
Thoughts on the Final Reflection of Experience
This I can say after having worked with the entrepreneurs in various industries.Serious business growth does not exclude product productivity systems. They are foundational. You do not need to be perfect. You need to be consistent. Keep it small, keep it in order and change as your business changes. Productivity is not doing much. It is about doing what is most important, in each and every day. You can start a conversation in case you wish to develop a productivity system that is specific to your business stage, the size of your team, and your business expansion objectives. When systems facilitate ambition then the growth becomes easy.