Everyone always wants to be more productive. After all, as a small business owner, the more productive you and your team are, the more money you make. That’s why it’s important that you consistently find ways to improve your productivity.
Here’s where the problem comes in. There are a lot of tools out there to help you improve your productivity. So much that it can be overwhelming. I should know, I’ve tried over 50 of them.
This works for some, but over time I’ve noticed that simple is best for me. Here are some of the ways you can improve your productivity in 2020 based on my findings.
Stick to one calendar system you like (instead of five).
The first way to improve your productivity in 2020 is to find a calendar system you like. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want. The important part is that it works for you. Here are some of the features you may want:
- Ability to share with your team.
- Data that shows you where your time is better spent.
- Ability to create tasks.
- The capability to connect to other systems such as email or project management.
The other important piece is that you stick to one. Having five different calendars can be cumbersome and counter-productive. Just find the one you like best and commit to it.
Stick to one project management system.
Just like you should stick to the one calendar system you like, you should also probably stick to one project management system. Believe me, it will make your life easier.
Which project management system you choose will depend on your business and what you need. For example, for many years I was using a project management system that was great for business owners to communicate with clients, but not so great for internal teams. At least in my opinion.
Once I realized I didn’t really need a project management system for clients but rather one for internal purposes, I found a new one. I still use that project management system to this day and I don’t plan on looking for another one.
This one system has not just helped me with my productivity, but that of my contractors as well. That’s why if you want to improve your productivity in 2020, you may want to find a project management system that works for you and your team.
Get clear on your priorities.
The key to improving your productivity in 2020 is to get clear on your priorities. The problem many business owners have is they don’t really have priorities. I know because I’ve been there. The truth is that in order to improve your productivity, you need to know what to agree to and what to decline.
The simplest way to determine what your priorities are is to look at what’s actually making you good money. From there, focus on what gets you paid and say no to the rest.
Is this overly simplistic? Maybe. But numbers don’t lie and at the end of the day, we want to get paid without running ourselves into the ground.
Final Thoughts
The quest to improve your productivity is something that occurs over time. The more you learn about what works for you and what doesn’t, the better decisions you can make about the tools that help you.
Updated April 2020
Amanda Abella
Amanda is a best-selling author of "Make Money Your Honey", a book that helps freelancers and business owners understand their relationship with money and how to make it more productive. She's driven by helping others live the most productive and fruitful way possible.