I see a lot of small business owners struggle with basic administrative tasks that could very easily be outsourced to a Freelance Admin.
So, what if you could delegate those tasks so that you can focus on your small business’ goals and growth?
I’m Gina Koran, your host for today’s coffee-induced conversation about outsourcing those pesky administrative tasks so that you can focus on the important money-making areas to grow your small business!
Ready? Well, grab that cup of coffee and let’s dive in!
Overwhelm
Being overwhelmed is a common reason that small business owners tend to experience resistance to acting on their goals.
It is hard to act when you have so much to do that you just don’t know where to start.
Am I right?
Frustration
Even if many of the tasks you need to accomplish aren’t related to your goals, it is easy to get frustrated and even to give up.
If you are like most small business owners today, you have too much on your to-do list even without working on your goals.
You probably also have a hard time letting other people help you or saying no when you are overloaded, let alone outsourcing those tasks to a Freelance Admin!
Freeing up time is the quickest route to not becoming the overwhelmed owner of your business.
It’s time to think about outsourcing administrative tasks to a Freelance Admin
Well, it is now time to get over that feeling so that you can reach your goals.
Now is the time to learn to delegate and outsource tasks to free up your time for what matters most (such as working on your goals).
Feeling overwhelmed with administrative tasks for your small business? Outsource them to a Freelance Admin and give yourself back time!
Make a list of tasks you can outsource to a Freelance Admin
The first thing I suggest is to make a complete list of everything you currently have on your task list.
Next, go down the list and consider each task, one at a time.
Which tasks do you absolutely have to do yourself?
And be honest; I am certain you will find that some of them could be done by someone else.
Now, mark off every task that you have to do on your own.
What is left are the things that you can delegate or outsource.
I hear a BUT…
Now, I know that you are probably already coming up with some objections in your brain.
Outsourcing those tasks costs money, no one can do it as well as you can, etc.
If you spend money outsourcing tasks on your to-do list, you’re going to trade that money for time you could spend on other things, such as working on your goals.
As a small business owner, I think we can agree that that is a fair trade, right?
And as far as no one else being able to do the tasks…did you know that Freelance Admins have a wide range of skills.
Very likely, they can accomplish those tasks more quickly and efficiently, freeing you up to focus on other areas!
Not sure what small business tasks your can outsource? Touch base with a Freelance Admin and find out!
WHAT tasks can you outsource to a Freelance Admin?
I hear you asking “Sure, but exactly WHAT tasks can I or should I outsource to a Freelance Admin?”.
Well, that list is endless.
Pick a handful of tasks from that list you made that absolutely MUST be done, but that maybe you don’t like to do.
Or don’t WANT to do at all.
Or maybe things that you fall behind on because you are not 100% sure how to do them.
Seriously, look at the list of tasks you made that you do every day, that take up your time and that take your time away from your business.
Next, go down your list and start figuring out everything that you can delegate or outsource.
Trust me, there’s a Freelance Admin out there who loves to do those things that you don’t love to do!
Outsourcing those pesky administrative tasks to a Freelance admin can help take the stress out of your life!
PHEW!
You will soon begin to feel the relief that comes with having those pesky tasks taken off your plate.
And the great thing about this is that you can continue to grow the list of outsourced tasks as much as you can, or even want to!
That time you gain by outsourcing tasks to a Freelance Admin? You can now put that time to use working on your goals and dreams.
I’d be willing to bet that once you start to delegate, you won’t want to stop.
And you will quickly add more things other people can do to the list.
Then you will be able to devote even more of your time to your most important tasks.
What can YOU outsource to a Freelance Admin?
So, what is on your list?
I would love to hear what you’ve decided that you can outsource, so drop a comment below.
And if you’re not sure if outsourcing those tasks to a Freelance Admin is the right move for you, head on over to my contact page and hit me up!
I would love to go over your list with you over a virtual cup of coffee, and see what tasks I, or another Freelance Admin can take off your plate to make your job easier!
Until next time, my friends…stay healthy and happy!
Have you ever found yourself angry with YOU because something you’ve worked so hard at isn’t just exactly perfect?
No? Just me? Hmm.
Today, we’re talking about perfectionism and some ideas my coffee-saturated brain has on overcoming perfectionism.
Perfection is highly desired, so perfectionism must be good, right?
It seems like our society applauds being a perfectionist.
It’s made out to be a good thing in all forms of popular media and across social media.
Except for the fact that true perfection isn’t possible.
Sure, there are traits perfectionists have that are good things.
Drive, ambition, the desire to improve. Lofty goals and the dedication to work hard to achieve them. A desire to be the best you can be.
All of these things are absolutely good character traits.
The problem is that perfectionism takes all of these and pushes them to toxic levels.
Even “great” becomes “not good enough” and every goal achieved, no matter how lofty, must be succeeded by an even harder goal.
Accept it as part of your personality.
If you’re struggling with perfectionism, know that you can get move beyond it and live a much healthier and more rewarding life.
You just have to work hard at making progress over your perfectionism.
You CAN do this. And the outcome will be more than worth it!
So, are YOU a perfectionist?
Perfectionists tend to set unrealistic goals for themselves and others.
Here are some common characteristics of perfectionists. If you recognize yourself in this list, you probably are a perfectionist.
Perfectionists Set Unrealistic goals.
Do you want everything to be perfect?
Do you set standards so high that even Superman would have trouble meeting your expectations?
It’s these impossible-to-meet standards that lead to frustration and anxiety.
You are Extremely Critical of Yourself and Others.
Because you want to meet those high goals that you set and/or expect others to set them, you are hard on yourself and others.
Especially when mistakes or “failures” happen.
You might berate yourself or others or get angry when things don’t turn out as you expect.
Perfectionists Tend to Only Focus on Results.
Do you enjoy the journey towards reaching a goal?
Or are you so focused on achieving the goal that the process doesn’t matter?
Growing and learning along the way is often the best part of reaching a goal, but if you can’t see anything except the goal itself, you’re probably a perfectionist.
You Have a Huge Fear of Failure.
Are you terrified of failing?
Does the thought of making a mistake make your blood run cold?
Do you have nightmares about failing to live up to your own expectations?
Fear of failure pushes most perfectionists to work even harder and faster to avoid the dreaded outcome.
Perfectionists Have All-or-Nothing Thinking.
You believe that if it is not perfect, it does not count.
Let me give you an example of perfectionism.
We live on a 100-acre farm. As with most farms, we have a VERY long driveway.
A few years ago, we decided that we wanted to line the bottom (we live on top of the hill) of the driveway with Dogwood trees.
And we wanted to alternate them, pink and white.
Off we go to get our tress, relying on the employees at the place to give us 12 WHITE and 12 PINK dogwood trees.
Naturally, some of the pink…are white.
And they’re not ALL trees. Some of them are Dogwood BUSHES.
Most flowers on Dogwood trees are rounded.
Several of ours are pointed. Those are the Dogwood bushes.
Move forward a couple of years when the trees start to bloom.
Overcoming perfectionist tendencies can be hard, especially when out of your own control!
Instead of alternating colors, we have three or four of the same color in a row.
And the flowers are different on some of them.
Cue the perfectionist.
Colors must be alternated.
Bushes must be swapped out for trees.
Yikes! This is going to be a lot of work.
OR we can let them grow where they are.
We also found that the white bloom before the pink. Most of the white flowers are gone before the pink pop.
Who’s going to know?
Well, being perfectionists…WE will know.
Now, in case you’re wondering…no, we didn’t dig out the offending “wrong” trees and toss them.
Remember…100 acres. The ones we did replace have found happy, new homes elsewhere on the farm.
Some stayed put, because we’re working hard to overcome our own perfectionism traits!
And guess what…not one single person has EVER commented about the fact that there are more white dogwood trees than pink lining our driveway!
It’s quite likely no one has even noticed this phenomenon!
Perfectionism isn’t all bad.
It may seem that way, given the negative effects that it can have on a person and their life, but that may not be so.
Perfectionists share many positive traits that are highly desired and lead to success in life.
The problem occurs when these traits are taken too far and become toxic.
Jeeze, where’s the positive?
Well, here are a few of the positive qualities most perfectionists share.
They Have Big Dreams and Drive.
Perfectionists share a passion for lofty goals and the drive to work for them.
This is an incredible thing.
Many people never even consider setting the kind of goals a perfectionist takes for granted.
This gives perfectionists a much better chance of succeeding in life.
Perfectionists Are Driven to Excellence.
There’s nothing wrong with having standards, and that’s what perfectionists excel at.
Perfectionists often perform better and create better end products because they have such high standards.
They Are Very Dedicated to Completing a Task.
It is hard to find someone more dedicated to reaching a goal or succeeding than a perfectionist.
Perfectionists as a whole tend to work harder and longer than most to achieve whatever they set their minds to.
Perfectionist give over-attention to detail
They can become almost single-minded in their pursuits.
The desire to achieve can move them to think outside the box, increasing the odds of success.
Perfectionists Are Extremely Detail-Oriented.
The desire for perfection lends itself to paying attention to the small things, and perfectionists tend to be detail-oriented people whose sharp eyes will pick up on flaws, glitches, and other hard-to-spot details that most people miss.
They Refuse to Accept Failure.
Many perfectionists don’t know when to give up, or even if they should.
This stubbornness often leads them to achieve incredible breakthroughs in their field, whether it is in sports, science, medicine, etc.
Each of these qualities is a good thing, and no one thinks you should give them up in your quest to overcome perfectionism.
They’re part of who you are.
Too much of a good thing becomes unhealthy, however, and your challenge as you struggle to make progress over your perfectionism is going to be to rein in the good things about being a perfectionist just enough that they are healthy and helpful rather than a problem.
Mistakes Don’t Make You a Failure.
No one likes making mistakes.
This is especially true for perfectionists. You want to do everything perfectly.
When something goes wrong, it may feel like the world has ended and that you’re a failure.
But mistakes and failure aren’t the same thing.
Even if something you tried to do didn’t work, even if it “failed” spectacularly, that is not the same thing as failure, nor does it MAKE you a failure.
Good is the enemy of great. But perfect is the enemy of everything.
Remind yourself that whatever the mistake was, it does not reflect on who you are or on your worth as a person.
Admit the Mistake.
It might be tempting to pretend the mistake didn’t happen, to brush it off like it was nothing important.
This might salvage your bruised your ego, but you won’t learn anything.
Figure Out What Went Wrong.
Do you know what caused the mistake?
Why did it happen?
What led to the issue in the first place?
Was it something you did?
Something you didn’t do?
Were there causes beyond your control?
Try to determine the root cause of the issue.
What You Can Learn from the Mistake?
Mistakes might be painful, but every mistake is an opportunity to learn and grow as a person.
If you just step back and take a look at the mistake, figure out the cause and see what lessons you can learn, you can then apply those lessons in the future so that you don’t make the same mistake again.
Perfection isn’t possible, but self-improvement is!
Start Each Day Fresh.
Every day is a brand-new day.
Don’t dwell on the mistakes you made yesterday, the things you didn’t get done, the bad (or even the good) things that happened.
Every day is completely new.
It’s a 24-hour gift just for you.
Start each day as if it’s new and fresh and no other days have happened, and you’ll free yourself of much of the stress that comes from undone tasks and past mistakes.
Focus on the Process, Not the Results.
Remember that having goals is great and is good for everyone, but it’s not the most important part of trying to reach the goal!
The process is much more important than the end result.
Instead of focusing on the amazing progress that you’ve made, or the results that you’ve achieved, you focus on what you didn’t do or what didn’t go just right.
Learning and growth all occur while you are striving to reach the goal, not when you actually reach it.
Redirect your mind to the process when you catch yourself focusing on the end result.
Focus on the work you are putting in and not the results you hope to achieve, and you will go further than you’ve ever imagined.
Reward yourself when you overcome perfectionist traits!
Reward Yourself.
Who doesn’t like being rewarded? Our brains love it.
They are structured to respond to rewards-the more immediate and the more desired, the better.
How can you use this in your quest to overcome your perfectionism?
Set rewards for yourself for doing (or not doing) specific behaviors.
These should be specific rewards that you love, that you have easy access to, and that you can have immediately.
Those of you who know me or have been following my blogs the past few months know that I am a coffee-holic.
So, when I want to reward myself…COFFEE!
Try New Things.
The drive to be perfect all the time can make it hard to try something new when you know you are not going to be perfect at it from the start.
The way to overcome this problem isn’t to avoid trying new things.
The best way to overcome it is to try new things more often.
In fact, make it a habit; aim to try several new things every month.
Your mind will become accustomed to being a beginner and will help you get out of the habit of expecting perfection (or even excellence) the first time you do something.
Look at your progress and what you’ve done.
Maybe things haven’t changed too much, but they certainly have changed.
Take a good long look at where you are and where you started, and you will see the changes!
You may not be you want to be yet, and you’re not making progress as fast as you would like, but guess what?
That’s okay.
Nothing good gets completed in a hurry (remember that old saying about Rome?) and you can’t change a lifetime worth of habits overnight.
Small steps are the way to go.
The smallest baby steps add up over time and will completely change your life.
It takes patience and dedication, but it is much easier to remain committed to small changes than to try and make giant leaps!
May Busch, EXECUTIVE COACH, SPEAKER, ADVISOR, AUTHOR, ENTREPRENEUR has some additional, great tips on overcoming perfectionism – check out her article!
So start to recognize it in your own behavior, and experiment to find the ways that work best for you to apply it only in those situations when it’s needed. That way, you can make the tendency toward perfect work for you, not against you.
If you are like me, as a small business owner/entrepreneur, your daily routine is key to your productivity. Today, I am sharing 7 ways to help boost your productivity with daily routines.
Welcome back to GinAdmin. I’m your host, Gina Koran and as always, I’m pleased you chose to spend a few minutes of your busy day with me as I share my coffee-induced thoughts with you. So grab your cup…
Many of the things we do each day to reach our goals can be achieved by creating small routines or daily habits that you perform without even thinking about it each day.
By making your actions routine and, more importantly, a habit, you will find you get more done and not feel like you are always working.
Get Hydrated
Starting off the day hydrated will boost your energy and make it more likely that you get your tasks completed.
Staying hydrated keeps you focused and boosts productivity throughout the day.
Even yours truly, a self-proclaimed coffee addict, I start my day with at least one glass of water. And while I might joke that I drink that glass of water to clean my palate before I start my coffee IV, it is truly to get myself hydrated after a full-night’s sleep.
I also will drink water with my lunch and my evening meal to keep myself hydrated, understanding that staying hydrated keeps me focused and more productive throughout the day.
The great thing about water is that you can spruce it up. Add a slice of lemon. Toss in some fresh mint. Maybe cucumber slices. So many possibilities!
Review Your Schedule
I’ve talked about this before, but each night before bed I write down the most important tasks I need to work on the next morning.
Then first thing (after my glass of water, of course) each morning before I start my day, I glance over my list to get an overview of what I need to do during the day.
Then, I can prioritize each item based on my very colorfully-coded calendar.
If you are looking for some inspiration on time blocking, check out Cindy Bidar’s latest podcast : “How to Use Time Blocking to Get Stuff Done”. Cindy is a master at this!
Create a Morning Routine
Set up a morning routine for your self-care. This is totally personalized to each person, based on your needs.
You can start with a shower, make your bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, etc.
You may also want to add meditation, do some yoga, or maybe even journaling into your morning routine.
Those are some of my own routine: drink my glass of water, do my morning stretches for my back, brush my teeth, shower and dress for the day, make the bed.
And finally make my first cup of magic bean water a.k.a. coffee. As my friends at Chicago French Press say: Coffee beans magically turn into a life-changing potion everyday!
Then I head into my office to start my day, starting with that task list!
Monitor Your Nutrition
Another way to become more productive is to eat properly. As I have said before, I am not a doctor. But I do understand the importance of proper nutrition.
I would love to eat like that 14-year-old girl with her sugar-based cereal again. That sugar high, though will lead to a sugar crash a couple hours later for me, the NOT-14-year-old-girl.
I also know that too much pasta and/or bread make me lethargic.
Talk about unproductive.
You know what foods work best for you – do that.
For me, fruits give me a natural boost. With summer coming (YAY), that will mean early Wednesday morning starts as I head out to the farmer’s market where I grab loads of fruits and veggies to give me that natural boost.
Another trick I found is prepping food in advance to make it easy to stick to whatever plan you come up with.
It also makes for a less stressful meal-planning time each day if you have a super busy day and find yourself short on meal-prep time!
Develop a Positive Mindset
Find ways to look at the positive aspects of your life. When you have a positive mindset or outlook, it tends to strengthen your motivation.
And I get that with everything going on in the world and around you today, that it is sometimes easier said than done to keep a positive mindset.
Developing a positive mindset can help boost productivity.
One of the biggest ways I have found to stay positive is to distance myself from the news.
I have greatly reduced my time on social media. We don’t even watch the evening news, something both my husband and I grew up with with our parents. If you are reading this and you know my Dad, mum’s the word! (Wink)
Now that is not to say that we do not know what is going on in the world. We simply reduce our exposure to it all.
I have to admit, since we stopped watching and reading and listening to the news as much, both our mindsets have become much more positive!
Celebrate Your Victories
When you are successful and accomplish something, find a way to celebrate, no matter how small the victory.
One of my rewards for completing a task is (no surprise) …a fresh cup of coffee. When I am working from my colorful calendar and its time blocks, once I complete a task, I’ll refresh my cup.
This also gives me a chance to get up and stretch my back after sitting through that task so that it doesn’t put a damper on my positive energy.
Find something that motivates you. Something that will give you that motivation to complete a task. Then celebrate your win!
Don’t work all the time. This is especially important if you work for yourself. The work never seems to end.
Set specific hours for your workday. Stick to these hours at least 80 percent of the time.
Keep in mind that being flexible is important. Sometimes working hard is going to be required, but it’s not required every single day.
I am getting better at this. And while I might have a client text me in the evening, if it’s not an emergency, it goes on my task list for the next morning (see how I tied that in from earlier?).
Well, there you have it, Gina’s coffee-induced thoughts on boosting your productivity through daily routines!
If you have some other ideas on boosting productivity or daily routines, drop them in the comments below. I would love to hear yours!
For my fellow small business owners, if you are interested in ways that working with a Freelance Administrator can help put more time in your day and boost your productivity, drop me a message over at www.GinAdmin.com/#contact.
Until next time my friends, stay safe, positive and productive!
Improving your mindset can help you grow both personally and professionally in achieving your goals.
But do you know what is the number one factor that determines whether or not someone succeeds at achieving a goal?
Is it genetics? Luck? What about skills or natural talent? Hard work has to be in there somewhere, right?
All of these factors are important, some more so than others, but none hold the number one spot.
So, what is number one?
If you guessed mindset, you are right. Mindset is a better predictor of future success than every other factor you can consider, including working hard and natural talent.
Welcome back to GinAdmin. My name is Gina Koran and I, along with my trusty sidekicks (a.k.a. my cup of joe and my pup) will be your host into this journey of changing your mindset to help you grow both personally and professionally, and achieving your goals.
What is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is where you believe in change and improvement.
You believe that your skills and talents can be improved through hard work, practice, and dedication.
You embrace challenges.
People with a growth mindset set challenges as learning and growth opportunities rather than obstacles standing in their way.
They don’t get easily frustrated by failures and roadblocks; they believe these things are to be expected and are a sign that they need to adjust and try again.
I never see failure as failure, but only as a learning experience.
Tom Hopkins
The success of other people is inspiring to people with a growth mindset. They try to figure out how the other person succeeded and how to imitate them. This increases their own odds of success
You’ve heard the old adage “A leopard cannot change its spots”. Well, yes. But you are not a leopard, you are a human being. And we, as humans CAN change our spots!
Mindset is Changeable
Don’t buy into the myth that mindset is static. Not only CAN it change, but it DOES change throughout your life, whether or not you purposely try to change it.
So if your mindset is changing anyway, why not guide these changes and help them along so that you can grow into the best possible version of yourself?
Now, you’re probably asking yourself “HOW can I make these changes?”.
Well guess what…I have some tips. These tips are actually some habits you can create to help you change your mindset into one of growth!
Changing your mindset takes time and work. There’s no magic that will let you do it overnight.
And, of course, you don’t want to do ALL of these!
Pick the ones you think you can do easily and start there. You can always come back later and start on a new one!
So here we go…
Create a morning ritual to get your day off to a good start.
Move your body ~ it can help improve your mindset and ultimately achieve your goals!
What makes you feel best in the mornings?
What can you do to set yourself up for success every day?
Maybe it is journaling over a cup of coffee or going for a morning run.
Maybe it is taking a few minutes to meditate or stretch before you get in the shower.
It might even be something as simple as making your bed before you leave for work.
Figure out a routine that works for you and prioritize doing it every day.
If you have been with me for a while, you know that running…yeah, probably not going to happen.
But as the weather gets warmer, I will start going walkabout with the pupper. (AND my cup of coffee!). This gets my blood flowing and sets me up for a good day of good old-fashioned work!
Reflect on your day.
Every night before you go to bed, take a moment to reflect on your day.
What went right?
What didn’t and how can you make it go right tomorrow?
Did you get done what you wanted to do? Why or why not?
What can you do to make sure tomorrow goes well?
I mentioned in a previous article that my best tool is my very colorful calendar.
Every morning before I start my day, I look over my calendar and have a snapshot of what I need to accomplish.
This also helps clear my brain most nights so that I can rest knowing that tomorrow is already laid out for me.
You can read that article here to get more ideas on how I use my calendar.
Practice gratitude daily.
Find at least one thing you can be grateful for every day. There are ALWAYS some good things in life you can be grateful for.
Stop and be thankful for them every day.
This only takes a few seconds and can be done any time of the day!
Always be working towards a goal
Big or small, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you always have a goal you’re striving for that makes you stretch and challenge yourself.
When you reach one goal, move on to another.
If you’re headed to a city you’ve never traveled to before, your journey will be more efficient and effective if you have a detailed road map to guide your travel.
Break big goals down into subgoals that will help you see quick progress.
Start journaling
Use prompts to write a journal entry about your mindset 2-3 times a week. Or free write and see what comes out.
You don’t need a fancy journal; a pen and a sheet of paper or a notebook are all you need.
You can write about literally anything – what did you see the crazy barn cats doing on your morning walkabout with the pupper?
What funny story did your kids or your best friend tell you today that gave you a chuckle?
Remember…this is YOUR place to just let the words fly!
Eat healthy foods.
Fueling your body and your mind can help your mindset.
Food is fuel for the body and the mind. What you eat affects how much energy you have, how well you can focus, and your overall mood.
So, a couple disclaimers here.
First, I am NOT a dietitian! I bring this point up because I know that personally, if I eat a lot of carbs, I’m going to be sluggish and not really accomplish much.
That being said, I have a plaque on my desk that reads “I’m a woman of many moods and they all require Chocolate”.
And to quote a friend of mine…”just sayin’”.
The key for me is that I know my body and what it needs to function productively.
Start an exercise habit.
Exercise is good for you in so many ways and has profound, positive effects on your mindset as well.
You don’t need to train for a marathon (shudder). Maybe go for a walk, go swimming, take up yoga or another gentle workout like tai chi, or do anything else that appeals to you.
ANY exercise will help you improve your mindset.
I find that by simply doing some stretches and going walkabout, I’m more energized and my brain just functions better.
Prioritize sleep.
Nothing makes you feel better than a good night’s sleep. And nothing makes you feel worse than a bad one.
Most people today are chronically sleep-deprived. If you want to cultivate a growth mindset, don’t be one of them.
Prioritize getting a good night’s sleep every night.
And again with the disclaimer…I am not a doctor. Do what is best for you, your body and your brain.
Take regular breaks from social media.
Social media is fun and lets you connect with friends, but it has a downside.
It is easy to get drawn into that video of the dog doing tricks, like fetching its owner a beverage. From the neighbor’s fridge.
I have started to set an alarm when I pop into my social media. If I don’t, there I sit…watch videos of things that are keeping me from being productive.
I have also started “saving” posts so I can go back to them in the evening, AFTER my work is done and I am relaxing. Then I can binge dog videos to my heart’s content!
Get your creative on – doing something creative can help improve your mindset!
Do something creative.
Creativity is one of the most necessary, yet often neglected aspects of being a well-round person.
The challenge involved in it will make you grow and improve your mindset.
Aim to do something creative every day, or at least several times a week. Write, color, paint, draw, play a musical instrument -the options are endless.
And there you have the 10 habits I found for changing your mindset to help you grow both personally and professionally, and achieving your goals.
None of these habits are magic. They won’t change your mindset overnight.
What they will do is support you and help you along on your journey. They will motivate you to keep going when things get tough and to feel your best.
That will help you cultivate your growth mindset. It may not be magic, but it sure is helpful!
I would love to hear your ideas on changing your mindset (IF you need to make a change, that is) to a growth mindset.
And if you try any of these ideas, pop back in and let me know how it goes!
There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of How-to Coaches out there. Coaches that will teach you how to do everything from how to set up your office for better efficiency to, you guessed it…how to be more productive.
So today, I’m going to share with you some ideas that have worked for me.
Welcome to, or back to, the GinAdmin Blog. My name is Gina Koran and I’ll be your host on this journey into How to be More Productive.
I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and see what insight my coffee-fueled brain can share with you!
Okay, so how CAN you be more productive this week?
You can spend a lot of time doing things that add little to no value to your life or your business and are just plain busy work.
OR you can plan your week to be more productive and useful than you ever thought possible.
Sounds great, but exactly how do you do that?
Here’s what I do.
My coach, Tawnya Sutherland at VANetworking coaches her VA Insiders to set aside a 3-hour block of time EVERY week to work on our OWN businesses.
So “My Business Time” is Saturday morning from 9am to noon. During those three hours, I look first at my goals, then the things I need to do next to achieve them.
Those tasks get added to my calendar based on my goals and objectives for the week.
I even go so far as to list each action that needs to be taken for the final result I’m looking for so that I don’t get caught up in a bottleneck or roadblock.
Or worse, get sucked down a rabbit hole and spend hours looking up recipes for snickerdoodles. Anyone else guilty of this? No? Just me?
Are there tasks on your list that someone else can do for you and free up some of your time?
Are you spending a lot of time doing tasks that aren’t directly related to money-making tasks for your business?
You know what I’m talking about – posting to social media, responding to comments on your posts, writing blog posts…all those tasks take up valuable time!
One of the items on my list (this one is more personal, but it’s time-consuming and eats into my own business time) is menu planning.
Those of you who plan and cook meals for your family will understand the pain of figuring out every single day what to feed your household. Can I get an “Amen”?
This task is outsourced in my house. Sort of. Basically, if I ask “what’s for dinner tonight” and there’s no response, you’re getting either leftovers or breakfast. Simple, fast, but still nutritious.
So, think about turning those tasks over to someone who can do them for you to save time, time that you can spend on tasks that get you closer to those goals! Someone like, say a Freelance Admin (wink).
3 tips to help you be more productive based on some of my own experiences.
3 tips to be more productive
The Hive Team over at http://www.hive.com have written an awesome article about productivity.
When you want to get more done in a day, the best thing you have going for you is a good plan based on smart goals.
I find that I can do better by following these three tips.
Tip #1: Set Daily Goals and Objectives
Work with a long-term plan to create your medium-term and short-term plans and actions.
If you plan right, you’ll be able to set daily goals and objectives that allow you to finish any project or task on time.
Start with the result you want, a time you want the result, and then work your way backward in your calendar to today, planning small actions that will lead to the result you want.
I learned this idea ages ago, possibly even before my military days. You’ve heard the old saying “Start with the end in mind”.
What’s the goal? Now work your way backwards to today and you’ll have the steps you need to take to reach it!
Tip #2: Remove Distractions
It’s also important to achieving your goals to avoid and remove distractions that take you away from the schedule you set for yourself.
My own calendar looks like a kindergartener got ahold of a crayon. Each day has tasks, reminders and appointments listed in different colors based on what that task pertains to.
By listing my daily steps in my calendar and taking away anything that will interrupt me during the day, I can be sure to achieve each task and get me one step closer to my goal.
Tip #3: Stick to Deadlines and Timelines
Setting a realistic timeline and deadline requires you to know how long it takes you to do things and what is happening with the rest of your schedule.
If you schedule everything you need to do, including personal tasks, it’s going to be much easier to set and stick to realistic timelines and deadlines.
This is probably THE hardest part. At least for me.
There are so many shiny objects to distract us and so many other tasks that have to be done each day, that it’s easy to go off course.
One of the ways I combat this is, again with the calendar…I block time throughout the day to work on my tasks. If it’s a big goal, then I break it down to working maybe 90 minutes every day.
I try not to go beyond that because being human, my attention span only allows me about that amount of time before I look for those shiny objects to distract me!
Speaking of time blocking, that’s a big part of this next area:
What IS time management and how does it relate to being more productive?
When we talk about time management, we’re not really talking about managing time.
We’re talking about managing the schedule you set for yourself, ensuring you have enough time and energy to do what needs to be done in that timeframe.
This requires that you understand how long it takes you to accomplish the task, knowing how to do the task right, which technology or equipment you need and that you have the right resources to get it done.
All of this requires planning.
Here again, I defer to my colorful calendar. I know every morning when I sit down at my computer EXACTLY what has to be done today to move me another step forward toward my goals.
Can you…
How often does someone call or stop you if you’re out and about and ask you for a favor?
My husband is famous for poking his head in my office with a “Hey, can you do me a quick favor?”.
Sometimes I shoo him out, especially if I’m in the middle of a project or task. But, since I live with him, mostly I say sure.
I’ll ask you here: “Hey, can you do me a quick favor?”.
When someone comes to you with new things to add to your schedule, don’t just say yes automatically.
First, tell them you’ll check your calendar.
Then check your schedule but also check your mind to find out if you really want to do it or not.
Only say yes if you CAN actually fit it in, even if you think you want to do it.
The great thing about being a business owner and being your own boss is it lets you say YES to more of the things you’d like to do and turn over the rest to someone who likes to do the things you don’t!
MULTI-TASKING: Is it keeping you from being more productive?
If you’ve ever read job advertisements, you probably see them asking for “natural multitaskers” or “good multitaskers” as if this is a good thing to be.
The problem is that scientifically, you cannot truly multitask. No one can.
As a human, you can only truly focus on one thing at a time.
Scientifically multitasking is a myth and actually does not help you to be more productive!
A person who multitasks might get by and do a good enough job, but if they really focused, they’d do better.
Studies show that multitasking reduces productivity, increases stress, and it’s not realistically possible.
I found this quote, which made me laugh because it’s so completely me that I might just put it up on my office wall:
“Multitasking is the ability to screw everything up simultaneously.” ~Jeremy Clarkson
I’ve gone away from trying to multitask myself.
I found that those studies were dead-on for me:
I was stressed out because I never felt like I was accomplishing anything and was driving my productivity down.
Once I started focusing on one task at a time, I was a much happier me!
Now, while multitasking may be a productivity myth, you can still have more than one project going at a time. Consider working with a Freelance Admin.
Our job is to work with you to take some of those tasks off your hands so you can focus on the bigger picture of your business.
Okay, so here is my disclaimer:
You have to do what works best for YOU.
These are the things that work best for me in my own business and in my own life.
If they work for you, then my goal has been achieved.
Which is why I share my coffee-induced “wisdom” with you!
Bottom line:
We all have enough time to get things done, if we know and implement the ways that work best for us to achieve our goals.
A great option if you find yourself not having enough time in your day to complete the tasks you need to in order to achieve your goals, is to work with a Freelance Admin.
We’re good at taking those tasks, freeing up your time so that you can do what you love!
I’d love to hear from you.
What tasks could you outsource that would benefit you and your business and help you achieve your goals?
Leave me a comment!
And if you’d like to know what GinAdmin can do to make your life easier, hit me up and let’s chat!
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