Time Management and Productivity Tips for Ambitious Entrepreneurs

Are you struggling with ‘Entrepreneur Overwhelm’ because you’ve got a never ending ‘to-do’ list and there just aren’t enough hours in the day? 

By the end of this video you’ll know the secret to how I get more done in one week than most entrepreneurs accomplish in a whole month.

Want more awesome branding and business advice—specifically for female entrepreneurs? Subscribe to my channel and click the bell to be notified when I post a new video each week.

I’m Moriah, luxury brand designer and strategist, and I help women build exclusive luxury brands so they can start making more money in their small businesses.

But today, I’m sharing my secrets with you!

Why Time Management and Productivity Need To Be a Top Priority in Your Business

There was a time in my business when I carried around a never ending to-do list.

I constantly felt overwhelmed and frustrated—like nothing (especially my big goals) were being accomplished.

Then I finally decided I’d had enough. I didn’t want to operate from those feelings of powerlessness—and lack of productivity. And that began my journey into understanding time management.

Now, after years of research, practice, and creating the perfect time management program for my life and my business, I’ve seen the way that being in control of your schedule can literally change your life.

The Secret To Getting More Done

I hear it all the time now, “how do you do it all? How do you get it all done? Working with clients, creating content consistently, and you’re a mom too? I could never do that.”

I often encounter this weird sense of awe and wonder at the fact that I’m able to complete my to-do list every single day—and I also accomplish more in one week than I used to accomplish in an entire month.

Like my own former mindset—a lot of entrepreneurs that I interact with aren’t managing their time, their schedules, or their to-do lists.

Instead of being in control of their time—they feel like time is in control of them. They actually feel victimized by everything on their to-do lists and their schedules. So it seems to create this inevitable path to burnout.

But I’m here to tell you that there is a better way. Instead of constantly fighting your to-do list or your schedule—you can actually make time the most powerful tool in your business. And I’m going to show you how right now.

Time Management and Productivity Tip 1: Keep The Big Picture In Mind

One common mistake I see a lot of entrepreneurs make is to work from a to-do list.

The problem is that to-do lists tend to be rather haphazard—scribbled down without order or hierarchy. So you’re just left, in the moment, to decide what task to accomplish next.

There are several issues with focusing on a simple list of tasks. First, you’ll almost always choose urgency over importance.

As I mentioned in my last video, Success Habits for Creative Business Owners, this concept is taken from one of my favorite books of all time, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

The First Problem With To-Do Lists: Urgency vs. Importance

In the book, Covey talked about the Time Management Matrix.

The reason we feel burned out about our businesses, our to-do lists, or any other thing in our lives is that we tend to focus on urgency over importance.

Focusing on urgency makes us reactionary and keeps us in a constant level of stress.

However, when we actually take time to analyze the tasks we’re giving our attention to, we might find that they’re undeserving of our attention in the first place [i.e. urgent but not important – quadrant III] 

For example, checking email or scrolling on social media (saying that you’re “working”), when really your time would be better spent on tasks directly related to your big goals.

The solution: sit down for two hours and focus on the task at hand—turning off all distractions and notifications from your social media and email apps.

Related: How To Unplug From Social Media: Self Care For Entrepreneurs

The Second Problem With To-Do Lists: Avoiding Discomfort

The second problem is that when not selecting urgency, you’ll choose fun or easy next.

We became entrepreneurs because we wanted to spend our lives and make a living doing what we love.

It sounds great, right? Sign me up!

But we all quickly realize that that thing you love becomes a very small part of running your business. To make your business run, to make it successful, and to grow and reach your goals, you’re going to have to do a lot of things that just aren’t fun, or worse—are FAR outside of your comfort zone.

So if you’re staring at a to-do list, picking (in the moment) which task to tackle next, chances are those un-fun, uncomfortable tasks are never going to be chosen

So you’ve got two options: say goodbye to your goals, or reinvent the way you approach your to-do list—which takes me to tip #2:

Tip #2: Schedule Everything Ahead of Time

Hopefully I’ve convinced you that making decisions, in the moment, is not the way to go. Instead, I suggest you get rid of your to-do list altogether, and rely on your schedule to direct your attention.

The process is more involved than I can share in this video however, my system involves a combination of time blocking that I learned from YouTuber Jordan Page, schedule management that I learned from The Life Coach School, and quarterly goal setting that I’ve developed on my own.

So, continuing with the theme of Big Picture, let’s start with quarterly goal planning.

Time Management and Productivity: One Quarter at a Time

At the beginning of each year I sit down with my favorite planner and brainstorm what I want the year to look like. What are the big goals and things I want to accomplish?

I actually only allow myself one big goal for the entire year. Then I break that big goal into quarterly goals (which are actually PROJECTS) that are aimed at helping me reach that big annual goal.

For example, if I have a goal of reaching a certain dollar amount in revenue for 2021 then I’ll brainstorm 4 projects that I can do over the year to help me accomplish that goal. This might look something like:

• Q1: launch a new service
• Q2: create an evergreen funnel for an old program
• Q3: launch a new course
• Q4: Launch a new line of products in my online store

How to Choose The Right Goals for Your Business

Now, I’m not haphazardly selecting goals—I’m choosing projects that directly correlate with my big goal for the year. That means, I’ve already calculated how much of each product, service or course I need to sell and for how much—to help me reach my revenue goal.

After I know my quarterly goals/projects, I break each one down into the various steps I will need to take to see it to completion. Then I map those steps out and arrange them according to time sensitivity. Then I put them on my schedule.

Once my quarterly project tasks are in my schedule—I can fill the rest of my calendar with the other daily, weekly and monthly tasks I need to be doing to make my business run.

Scheduling Your Tasks for Success and Productivity

So instead of showing up to work Monday morning and trying to scribble down a to-do list of things I think I need to be working on, I just look at my calendar and know what task is next and exactly how long I have to work on it.

This has been such a game changer for me—essentially eliminating the decision fatigue I used to feel, when I was overwhelmed with a to-do list. It also keeps me from only focusing on the urgent tasks—now I know I’m steadily chipping away at the real work that will accomplish my goals.

Let me know in a comment below—what is your one big goal for the year? How are you planning to make it happen?

Time Management and Productivity Tip #3: Make Your Schedule Non-Negotiable

Now that you’ve done the work to plan out your goals, break them down into bite-size tasks, and schedule everything out—it’s time to hold yourself accountable.

Just because you put it in your calendar doesn’t mean you’re going to want to do it when the time comes. But you have to remember the larger commitment you’ve made to yourself, and keep the bigger picture in mind.

There will always be a ton of other things vying for your time and attention—from social media and email, to requests from clients and your audience, as well as your family and friends.

Tips to Stay on Task and Accomplish Your Goals

To make your goals a priority, you need to keep your word to yourself and make your schedule non-negotiable. A few ways that I handle this in my own business include:

• I have set office hours in my business
• Answering emails once a day (and guess what—that task is scheduled in my calendar!).
• I am constantly focused on the task at hand—the blocked out task in my schedule

One of my biggest tips to stay on task with your own schedule is to get your clients on board early. It’s your responsibility to train them what to expect from you and how to treat you. For more information check out this video: Client Onboarding: 4 Things You Need To Do Immediately After Booking A New Client

Most importantly keep your word to yourself—remember what’s on the line: the business of your dreams!

Now you know my best time management and productivity tips for entrepreneurs—including how to make sure you’re consistently working toward your goals!

And speaking of #goals—if you’re ready to build a LUXURY brand that attracts the right clients (who pay what you’re worth), then you have to check out my free 20-page guide: The Brand Blueprint.

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