3 Time Management Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs (Boost Your Productivity Today!)
Let’s try something new, shall we?
I’ve been seriously lacking when it comes to sending emails and keeping in touch, and I want to change that. How will I do that, though?
Well to start I’m going to do a “Monthly Newsletter” with hopes to provide some value and helping you not only grow your business online but also help you be more productive.
Each month I will have 3 points to talk about, share a quote that’s helped me as well as share a couple YouTube videos from my new channel that will provide even more value.
Hopefully this is something you enjoy and as always, I’m always open to feedback and suggestions for tips and ideas you’d like to learn about.
Time Blocking
What is Time Blocking?
Imagine your calendar as a canvas, and each block of time represents a specific task or activity. With Time Blocking, you paint your day with intention, carving out dedicated periods for:
- Deep work: Focused time on important projects without distractions.
- Meetings & admin: Dedicated slots for calls, emails, and other essential tasks.
- Personal time: Schedule breaks for exercise, hobbies, or simply recharging.
Why You Should Time Block:
- Boost your productivity: Eliminate multitasking and context switching, allowing you to dive deep and get things done faster.
- Prioritize effectively: Identify and schedule your most important tasks first, ensuring they get the attention they deserve.
- Minimize distractions: Treat your time blocks as sacred, reducing the temptation to check emails or social media.
- Reduce stress & anxiety: Knowing your day is planned and organized provides a sense of control and clarity.
- Achieve your goals: By scheduling time for specific goals, you’re more likely to follow through and make progress.
How I Time Block and What Tools I Use!
When do I Time Block? I do all my time blocking on Sunday morning when I do my weekly review and weekly planning.
What apps/tools do I use? I use ToDoist for my time blocking and that syncs directly with Google Calendar, but I use and view my calendar with Notion Calendar.
Capture/Organize
What is Capture Organize?
It’s a two-step system that helps you:
Capture:
- Grab information instantly: Don’t let valuable ideas slip away! Capture them quickly using notes apps, voice recordings, or whatever works best for you.
- Don’t filter, just capture: Don’t worry about organizing yet. Just grab everything that catches your eye in one location, genuinely called a “Brain Dump”, knowing you can categorize it later.
Organize: ️
- Create a system: Set up clear categories for different types of information, like articles, projects, or ideas. The system I use for this is the PARA Method, Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive.
- Review and refine: Regularly revisit your captured information, archiving irrelevant items and filing the rest in its designated category.
- Use it! Now that your information is organized, you can easily access and apply it to your work, projects, and everyday life.
Benefits of Capture & Organize:
- Boost productivity: Spend less time searching and more time using valuable information.
- Reduce stress: Eliminate the overwhelming feeling of information overload.
- Spark creativity: Easily connect different ideas and concepts stored in your organized system.
- Improve decision-making: Access relevant information quickly for informed choices.
- Achieve your goals: Track progress and stay focused on what matters most.
Weekly Review
What is a weekly review?
It’s more than just checking off a to-do list. It’s a dedicated time to reflect on your past week, analyze your progress, and plan for the week ahead with intention.
Why should you do it?
The benefits are like a productivity treasure trove:
- Boost your productivity: Identify what worked (and what didn’t!), eliminate time-wasters, and prioritize tasks for better results.
- Achieve your goals: Break down large goals into actionable steps, track progress, and adjust your approach as needed.
- Reduce stress & overwhelm: Gain clarity on your priorities, feel more in control, and avoid last-minute scrambles.
- Improve self-awareness: Recognize your strengths and weaknesses, identify patterns, and make better decisions for yourself.
- Spark creativity & innovation: Reflect on lessons learned, generate new ideas, and approach your work with fresh eyes.
Ready to unlock these benefits?
Here’s how to get started:
If you’re a Notion user like I am, CLICK HERE to get my Weekly Review Notion Page that has everything you need to get started. If not, using a Google Doc or whatever works best for you, answer these questions weekly, typically on a Friday after work or like me, on a Sunday.
1. What are your Top 3 goals for the year?
Health
Wealth
Relationship
2. Review the previous week’s accomplishments. (Wins)
3 – Review the previous week’s challenges.
In what ways did you not act in line with your intentions for the week?
What felt particularly hard on challenging this week?
And what would you like to change (if anything) next week?
4 – Look ahead to the next week and see what’s coming up.
Do you need to create a calendar blocks, or a To-Do action item based on this?
5 – Choose your top 3 outcomes for the upcoming week – if the week ahead was going to be a great week. What would be the top 3 things I’d accomplish?
- (a) Schedule time in your calendar to work towards those outcomes.
This Month's Quote:
“How can I approach this with a little less seriousness, and a little more sincerity?”
– Ali Abdaal