Today I bring you 4 productivity hacks for small business owners. Being productive by getting things organized and systematized is one of my favorite topics. In today’s post I will review my four primary areas of focus.
Hack 1 – Task lists
One of my favorite ways to be productive it by having lists. I LOVE a good check list 🙂
Since I’m thinking strategically and planning for growth, I use Asana to map out projects. It’s free and has lots of training videos from the company to learn it quickly. In addition, there is a mobile and desktop app that sync.
I’ve created templates for frequent tasks or mini projects such as all the steps for producing a podcast episode. Right now I only have two team members, but I plan for others. Asana is a great platform for keeping everyone on the same page.
I have learned the HARD way that I need to have ALL of my projects in Asana. I now have all my personal stuff, my volunteer work and of course all of my business work there. By having all of my stuff in one place, I can make sure I’m not forgetting anything.
Hack 2 – Centralized notes
My next big area, that once tackled will increase your productivity, is by having a centralized place to keep all those notes. Stop the post it note, scrap piece of paper cycle!
I recommend either Evernote or OneNote for a centralized place. You can have both the mobile and desktop app that will sync.
When you have a good idea and your not ready to make it a task, drop them into Evernote.
I keep notes on tons of different things. If I take an online course, I’ll put my notes there. If I find a good hashtag to follow or something to include in my future marketing efforts, that is where it goes. These notes are easy to search too.
Hack 3 – Centralized email
Email is another way to think about growing and structuring your business for when you have a larger team. Instead of using your primary email as a catchall, break out different tasks into different addresses. For example, anything financial related (bills, notices, payment receipts) should go to accounting@yourbusiness.com. You can create these different addresses for info or orders as well.
You can then set up your email like I have in the video training below to be “centralized” hub until your team grows. This will save your sanity and is technically cleaner than just having things forwarded.
Also remember, having email addresses that match your domain name is a sign of professionalism. Read that related article here. I HIGHLY recommend you use this marketing method to help promote your business. If you need more help in this arena, send me a DM and I can help you out. Here is the guide that goes along with the video no opt-in required.
Hack 4 – Centralized calendar
My last recommended “everything in one place” system is by using Google calendar. You can use the same gmail account as in my email strategy above. I use my personal gmail address.
EVERY thing should go here. Make sure you block off holidays, vacations and even stay-cations. You can have separate calendars that are a part of your master that you can use for different things. For example I have a birthday calendar. I also have a separate calendar for each of my sons. Then I can share that calendar with their dad. Also, my oldest who is now working, adds his work and school commitments on his calendar. This is a huge time saver and a great habit for him to be in.
Here are some of my top tips when using Google Calendar:
- Use the “all day” feature. This is good if you don’t have something scheduled for a specific time.
- If something repeats such as weekly or yearly, use it. I use the yearly repeat for birthdays.
- Use different colors and be consistent. If you have subcalendars like I have my birthday calendar, you can assign the default color to something different than my master calendar. My oldest son’s is yellow, my younger son’s is blue, my master is purple, my volunteer is pink, etc.
I hope these 4 productivity hacks for small business owners like you are helpful. Don’t miss any of my training by joining my vip list.
