Another year winding down, another attempt at upping your productivity for the new year. If 2022 was anything, it was a full return to the way things always were, only harder, better, faster for many of us.
It can get a little overwhelming at the best of times, but here we share some productivity hacks for 2023, which we hope will help take your work and life to new levels.
Have a schedule
And stick to it. Working without a schedule is one of the easiest ways set you off-course and possibly derail any attempts at getting things done.
Having a full view of what your day is going to look like will ease your mind and help you adequately prepare.
The beauty of sticking to a strict schedule is that you’re better equipped to prioritise the important things and able to filter out the not-so-important things easily.
Better yet, it gets you into the habit of setting very clear and necessary boundaries – for yourself and for those who may demand more of you and your time.
Take breaks
For the love of all things good, please take breaks away from your workstation and from meetings. While we’re on that, don’t think of meetings as breaks either – you’re still working.
Got a cancelled meeting? Use the time to take a walk outside, do some stretches, or practice therapeutic breathing exercises.
Not only will taking regular breaks combat the ‘sitting syndrome’, but your best ideas may come to you in your downtime. In which case, you score because you’re still getting work done even though you’re taking a break from it. A win-win if there ever was one.
Get help
Admit that sometimes you just can’t do it all on your own, and that’s okay. Enlisting the help of an assistant will do wonders for your own productivity.
As you delegate tasks, you’ll be in a better position to free up your time to do the things that you simply enjoy for the pleasure of it. Said like that, it sounds like an indulgence, but the truth is, getting help from a virtual assistant could be the difference between burnout and smooth sailing. In addition, it will also free you up so you can focus on the parts of the business that rely on your particular insights and ideas.
Switch off
Once you’ve established a smarter schedule and way of working that best optimises your time, you should be in a more comfortable position to switch off.
The thought of switching off may send chills down any entrepreneur’s spine, but you’ll find that once you get into the rhythm of a better way of working, along with help, then switching off seems a lot more possible than you’d previously imagined.
If you can’t commit to switching off entirely, then at least start by turning your mobile’s notifications off after a certain time in the day. This takes the work’s power over you away, even if for a short while, and places the power in your hands. By that, we mean you’re in control of what you want to address and when, rather than getting instant demands for what needs to happen ‘now’.
As with advice on anything in life, it’s always there for the taking, but ultimately you’re best-placed to know what works for you and your business.
Here’s to your most productive year yet. Whatever that looks like for you and your business.
Outsourcery offers world-class quality, experienced virtual assistants at very affordable prices. Our assistants also have access to a team of experts in digital marketing, social media, web design and much more, providing a one-stop-shop for your small business’s needs.
