Imagine how your business would change if you were to devote 30 days to increasing your productivity. You would probably be happier and wealthier than you are now.
Why 30 days?
It’s just enough time to experiment to try out small changes that could make a huge difference. If you enjoyed experiencing a super-efficient lifestyle, then you can continue, but if you find it’s not for you, then you’ve only spent 30 days on this self-improvement project, a month that would have passed anyway.
Here are four productivity hacks to consider trying out for 30 days:
- Use mobile business services
The fastest way to get things done is to get a service to come to you rather than you go to it.
In the past, for example, if you needed to get a package delivered, you had to go to the post office. Need to cash a check, get photocopies, or get a document legally authorized — you had to do it in person.
Now, in the age of the Internet and automatization, you have a choice. You can still do things in person if you like or you can get a service to come to you. You can, for instance, call an overnight delivery service, do online banking, and find a mobile notary to notarize your signature or witness a loan signing. In fact, even grocery stores are now willing to deliver your groceries to you for a nominal fee.
By cutting down the number of places you go to get things done and using a mobile service, you will have more time to focus on your work.
- Put technology to work for you
You can keep your business organized by using an app instead of doing things manually.
No need for notebooks and file cabinets when you can store all your information, from client meeting notes to articles you plan to read when you can do it digitally with Evernote.
No need for staff meetings, phone calls, or memos when you can collaborate with your team using Asana or Trello to manage your projects.
No need for large filing cabinets for folders and files when you can digitize all your information and store it in Google Drive.
- Abandon multitasking
A growing body of research debunks multitasking as a productivity myth.
You can’t do many things at the same time. What you do is divide your attention from one thing to another quickly to create the illusion of multitasking. When you multitask at work, two things become clear: your error rate and fatigue increase over time.
The best way to manage work is to do one thing at a time and concentrate fully on it.
- Track where your time goes in a day
Human beings are notorious for overestimating their abilities and underestimating how long it takes to complete a task.
The only way to create a realistic work schedule is to track how long you spend on each task.
Here’s Your 30-Day Challenge
You don’t have to have super-powers to become super-productive in 30 days. Just change how you do things.
First, take advantage of delivery services. You don’t have to do everything in person.
Next, take advantage of automation tools. You don’t have to use cumbersome manual methods to run your business.
Then, focus on what you’re doing. You won’t have to spend as much time correcting your errors.
Finally, get a more accurate estimate of where your time goes in a day. You can create a more realistic schedule by tracking how much time you spend on each task.
