If you feel like a chicken with your head cut off trying to get everything you need to get done in a day finished, you may be at risk for burnout. The sad fact is that many people who feel overworked are not as productive as they think. Society has instilled into many people that downtime is terrible and that you should always be busy to be productive. Keep reading to learn 9 Ways to Increase Productivity and cut down on busy work.
The truth is, productivity is only measured by results, not by how much you have to do to get the results. Because of this fact, you can be super busy and totally not productive and not busy at all and extremely productive. If you want to be more productive, it’s imperative to learn how to use your time wisely, as well as to eliminate, automate, and delegate when possible.
Create a Life and Business Mission
One reason some people have trouble making decisions in life and business is that they have no idea what they stand for. Create a mission statement that explains in a few sentences what your values, morals, and principles are.
Understand How to Prioritize
When you set goals, you must learn what’s important to you about the goal. Usually, the most crucial part is the deliverable or the impact of the goal. Know what’s important to you by matching goals to your values, morals, and principles.
Learn to Say Yes Slowly
Some people will tell you to learn to say no, but the problem is that saying yes is going to get you a lot further than always saying no. You do want to do new things after all. Instead, say yes slowly. Think about the offer and make sure it matches your goals, values, principles, and morals. Plus, check that it fits in with your mission and that you genuinely have the time to devote to it properly before you say yes.
Know the Expected Results or Deliverables
Being busy is about the appearance of action while being productive is about the results or the deliverables. You should be able to describe precisely what is expected once you’re finished.
Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome
One thing that distracts everyone is getting their head turned by the next big thing. It’s okay to give yourself time to discover other things because you never know what doors will open, but don’t diss what you’re already doing. Set aside about five percent of your time to explore shiny objects so that you keep windows and doors open but don’t fall out.
Do Stuff
The only way you can actually succeed in life is with actions that produce results. Do things, but always make sure you are checking to see if what you’re doing is working or not working. Do more of what works, eliminating what doesn’t.
Make Time
If it’s important to you for your mission in life, then make time for it. It doesn’t matter if other people don’t get it, you do. Put the things that are important to you in your schedule.
Focus and Stop Multitasking
No one is capable of multitasking, according to science. Because of this, it’s time to stop doing it. Yes, many jobs out there require it as part of the interview process, but it’s a ridiculous and impossible thing they’re asking of you. Stop doing it.
Eliminate, Automate and Delegate
Whenever you can stop doing things that don’t affect results, as well as automate and delegate the things that do, you’re going to experience a lot more success and a lot less burnout. You can’t do it all, and you shouldn’t even if it’s your stuff and your business. You need help, and you should get it.
If you want to show results and not just look like a busy person, you can do it with the right plan in place. Remember that the impact you make is far more important than how you get there.
For example, you can lose ten pounds slowly over the next year by simply getting rid of about 120 extra calories per day from your diet. This is equal to one cup of coffee or soda. Or, you can do it the faster way and totally redo your diet to force your body into letting go of those ten pounds in a month. However, which method is truly going to give you the best long-term results?
Want to learn more about the Signs of Burnout as an Entrepreneur and how to avoid burnout in your business?
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AT IS SELF LOVE–AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR CREATIVE WOMEN?
Being a businesswoman isn’t just about being “good at” or “smart about” business.
It’s also about being able to handle your business – and life – and not let the speed bumps you encounter permanently affect you, your business or your idea of who you are.
Because TBH? On the path to running a successful online empire, you’ll encounter lots of snags, slip-ups, hiccups and moments where you’ll want to give up.
That’s where self love comes in.
We get that creative women in particular can be ridiculously hard on themselves.
Have you ever poured your heart into a social media post that literally no one commented on–and assumed it was because your ideas were bad or stupid?
Or helmed a launch that didn’t quite turn out the way you’d planned it in your pretty Day Designer–because clearly you’re just not “cut out for” this?
Yep–we’ve all been there.
The good news? The more you truly love yourself, the better you’ll be able to navigate these tricky (and unavoidable) situations–and the faster you’ll be able to pick yourself up, dust off your Lululemons & get back to doing the good work you do in the world.
No matter what’s going on “on the outside” – whether it’s a client who refuses to pay on time or a program launch that totally flops – real self love will help you navigate anything our crazy world throws your way with (way) more ease, grace and resilience.
Bonus? When you learn to love yourself, you’ll also have more love to extend to others – including your friends, family and–of course–lovely paying clients.
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