Every entrepreneur should have goals. Not just any goals but S.M.A.R.T. goals that stretch them to grow. By now you’ve heard that the best goals are strategic, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. Now, I’d like to suggest that productivity is the best strategy to achieve your goals. Without productivity in business, you will see very few results.
Below, I’m sharing 5 productivity hacks that work if you apply them.
- Set Goals based on 3 P’s (Priority, Profitability and Productivity)
The way that we know we are growing is if we set goals and reach them. Every business should have goals. Every entrepreneur should have goals. Goals are equivalent to the results that are achieved after an action or set of actions have taken place. Considering that goals require action, it only makes sense that if you’re going to spend time achieving goals, that there is some measurement of whether or not that goal is worthwhile.
In determining the feasibility of the goals, there is a litmus test that will assist us deciding whether our goals are worth our time, attention and effort. I like to call this feasibility test the 3 P’s: Priority, profitability and productivity.
- Priority – determine if your goal is important enough to be at the top of your list of urgent or expedient things to do. Ask yourself how critical this goal is in terms of value that it adds to your business, brand, bottom-line, etc.
- Profitability – determine if your goal is going to produce a financial gain for you or your company. Will you stand to make money from this goal and how significant of an amount would it be? Once you determine the monetary value of your goal, you will be able to plan accordingly.
- Productivity – determine the ability this goal has to add more value to your business in terms of momentum. Ask yourself will the completion of this goal drive you to an elevated position in your business, niche or industry? How will this goal benefit you in the long run.
Once you have reviewed your goal based on the above criteria, you will be able to determine if you should move forward with your goal and how important it will be to your brand and business.
2. Start a Positive Routine
There is a quote by Anthony ‘Tony’ Robbins they says: “success leaves clues”. I totally agree with this statement. Once you have achieved a goal successfully, the best way to predict future success is to retrace your steps from the previous win and repeat the same process. Pay attention to cycles in your business. When you made the most money or had the best
The best way to achieve success in any area of business, is closely watch other people who have already achieved the goal you want to accomplish and study their habits. Most successful people adopt routines that they repeat over and over again. They become systematic about how they do everything, from waking up at a certain time of day, to scheduling meetings only on certain days to when or how often they check email. It is in the routine that many successful people find a rhythm for accomplishment and achievement.
3. Create Task Lists
On any given day, you undoubtedly have a list of things that you have to do. There are always items that are critically important throughout the day. That’s why it is important to have your tasks written done before you start the day. Secondly tasks list assist in helping you to understand the process if you are documenting the actions needed to achieve your goal. It’s important to take inventory of each action item along the way. Finally, when it comes to task lists, they can be critical in keeping you organized. Otherwise, it’s easy to get off track and lose a handle on what you really wanted and needed to get done.
Not organizing your day based on important things that need to get accomplished, is a very easy way for the day to get away from you.
4. Outsource and Delegate
One of the best ways to use your time wisely and become more productive is to determine what needs to be outsourced and what you should delegate. If you are a solo- entrepreneur you must learn how to outsource specific tasks and responsibilities that you’re not good at doing. if you’re a small business owner and you have a team of people working for you, it’s important to delegate specific tasks and job functions to your team.
There are many advantages to outsourcing and the biggest advantage is saving time. According to entrepreneur and author Chris Ducker, time is one of the biggest assets for entrepreneurs. “So when considering what to outsource, think about the things that take up a lot of your time that could be better spent on other things” said Ducker.
The basic lesson to learn is that you must know when you need help in order to grow your business and scale your business.
5. Review Your Progress and Process
Once you’ve achieved your goals, it’s important to review the progress you made and the process you followed to achieve that success. If you haven’t taken the time to document your process and systems, it will be very difficult to repeat them. Make sure you have set up benchmarks along the way that will assist you in determining the level of success you are achieving with each step along the way. For example: if you’ve decided that you’re going to start a website, there are several steps that you need to take beginning with deciding what the domain name will be and buying your domain name as well as a hosting account. Next you’ll need to determine who will build the site, then you will need to write website copy, etc. Every phase of building a website requires different actions that require different benchmarks for success. Once you’ve completed your goal, it’s always a good practice to review and set new goals.
Do you have comments? Let’s talk . I’d love to hear your two cents. Leave me a question or comment below.