6 Tips on how to be more efficient

Every business owner juggles multiple projects at once, resulting in half-finished projects, but an entire day wasted. Especially if you don't have any employees working with you, it is essential to plan your day in order to be efficient. I have gathered these six tips to help you be more efficient in your day to day operations. 

Tip 1: Focus on one area at a time 

You will be more efficient if you dedicate a chunk of your time towards one area. Think about all the typical tasks you perform during an entire month. If you are a fashion blogger, you would be creating content, including taking images and writing blog posts. Instead of just photographing one outfit, spend an entire day shooting multiple outfits, then set up some time to write all the blog posts. You will be more productive if you bundle tasks. You can also use this strategy to plan the following tasks:

1-hour community management 

2 hours bookkeeping 

1 ½ hour reading and responding to emails 

Dedicating time towards just one area instead of trying to finish multiple projects allows you to focus and excel entirely. You'll be surprised how much more efficient you are when focusing on just one task at a time. 

Tip 2: Work with templates

Want to save time? Start utilizing templates. Templates will not only make your life easier but also ensure brand cohesiveness. You can use templates for:

Email newsletter

Social media post 

Photo filter/photo preset 

It will take you some time to create these templates, but in the long run, it will pay off. Canva is my favorite tool to create templates, mainly because you don't have to be a designer. This free tool offers great designs where you have to insert your images and copy. 

Tip 3: Project Management Tool

My favorite project management tool is Trello. The free version has everything that a business owner needs. In case you're not familiar with Trello, this tool allows you to create projects, invite other contributors even outside your organization, and create deadlines. This tool comes in handy when working with different people because you can track each task's progress. Projects and tasks can also be ranked by priority. 

Tip 4: To-Do List

Nothing beats the good old to-do-list. At the beginning of the day, write down what you want to accomplish during the day. Set realistic to-dos that you know are achievable. Don't overload your list with hundreds of tasks. You will run into rushing through these tasks in order to complete them, which results in a lack of execution. Think about how much time you usually spend finishing a specific task and create your to-do list accordingly. 

Tip 5: Remove distractions

Especially with working from home, it is important to remove any distractions. I know how tempting and distracting it can be to work from home. I often catch myself watching my cats nap on the couch or check out how my vegetables are growing. It is essential to find a quiet space to work from home. Ideally, you should have an office space, but I understand that logistically that's not manageable for everyone. 

I am lucky to have an office where I can shut the door and get work done. If you don't have an office, find a space where you can properly sit. Laying on the couch or in your bed will decrease your productivity level. Instead, sit straight on a chair with your computer placed on a table. Focus on working 2 hours straight before taking a break. During your break, you can get up and check on your pets.    

The Internet is a busy place trying to constantly suck you in with quizzes like "What brunch food are you." (Huevos Rancheros), Skype notification, email notifications, and random pop up messages. If you want to stay laser-focused, I recommend downloading an app or browser extension that limits your access to certain apps. There are phone apps that lock your phone for a certain amount of time and browser extension that won't let you log in to your favorite social media platform. 

Optionally, you can also turn off all unnecessary notifications on your phone or turn it off completely. If you don't want to download an app to block your ability to log into social media platforms, you can log yourself out of social media platforms like Facebook (unless you need them to perform your work) to avoid checking them. You're less likely to log yourself into the platform if you have to enter your username and password.

Tip 6: Don't overthink

Overthinking kills efficiency. If you overthink the design of your Instagram post, you will never get any work done. Instead of overthinking every action, just do it. 

See you next time,

Nina