5 Productivity Hacks For Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are viewed with a healthy dose of awe in today's society. They are the visionaries, the pioneers and the heroes of their stories. Yet they, like the rest of us, also suffer the odd day that sees a dip in their usual energy levels. These days can stretch into weeks if not kept in check which could spell disaster for someone looking to build a career in entrepreneurship. So to my fellow procrastinators out there, here is a quick list of tips to help you master your work space and conquer that elusive beast "productivity". 1. Identifying your key tasks The first step to meet your deadlines and to achieve your work goals is to identify them. While there are many tools out there to help you plan out your day, I believe in the good-old-fashioned pen and paper technique. Group your tasks by difficulty and importance and use that to plan out an effective workflow. Another important aspect of this step is allocating some time for introspection. You know your work cycles better than anyone. Identify your peak productivity hours and schedule more demanding tasks for those times. Try coming in early and staying late at work. This will help reduce commute times and may contribute to your peak cycles. Refine these steps over the course of a few days and watch your work day start to fly by. 2. Embrace your Distractions                                               Now before you get the wrong idea what I mean is, allow yourself some time to figure out what exactly your good and bad distractions are. Yes, there is such a thing as a good distraction. Websites, apps or games that are a constant presence during your work hours that contribute nothing to your tasks or responsibilities and interrupt your workflow constitute bad distractions. A good distraction could be anything from taking a scheduled break from the strain of your computer or listening to music while you work. For entrepreneurs, a quick meeting with your team could give you a good opportunity to take a break and brainstorm new ideas at the same time. 3. Declutter Your desk is your castle. It is your home for a major chunk of your work day. It deserves a make-over just as much as your home does. Declutter, file, organize, repeat every few weeks. 4. Lists, lists and more lists From Evernote to Wunderlist to the tried and true post-it notes, there are innumerable options for list making out there today. Making lists to keep track of both big and small tasks are a practical way to boost productivity and who can deny the visceral pleasure you derive from striking something off a to-do list? 5. Ecosystem Productive workers are a delicate and endangered species in today's workplace. They come in a variety of forms from entrepreneurs to freelancers to the work from home-aholics. Each one requires a different ecosystem to help them thrive. If your workplace strikes you as mundane and sub-optimal for your productivity why not shake it up? Coworking has been taking the world by storm in the last few years. These spaces offer comfortable and efficient workspaces for every kind of worker. Whether you are looking for a quiet nook or a bustling environment filled with dedicated professionals, coworking may be the answer for you. Not only do these spaces give you a variety of workspaces to choose from but they also provide networking and collaboration opportunities that could open the door to numerous possibilities for you and your business.