The A to Z challenge and writing about woman entrepreneurs. You may read the previous posts here.
B is for Business PlanC is for Customer ConnectionD is for DistractionsE is for Enterprise EvaluationF is for Fatigue G is for GratitudeH is for Harmony
P is for Productivity
It was tempting to go with P for Procrastination, but the choice here is to focus on the positive. Productivity and Procrastination are both two sides of the same coin. Here's hoping that the more productive you get, the less you procrastinate. The beauty of procrastination is that you don't even realise that you are doing it, till it is pointed out to you.
Think about it, how many times have you checked your email, read and replied to messages on Whatsapp, watched videos on YouTube, watched reels on Instagram, or scrolled through your Facebook feed, instead of doing something more productive related to promoting your business. You can argue that the time spent on social media is important to client connection, but in your heart you know just how much time you have wasted.
Here's a good idea to check if what you are doing is truly productive. Just ask yourself, "What value does this activity provide my business?" Either it's actually generating sales for you instantly, or it's giving you access to prospective clients. If that's not happening, it's simply not productive. Stop doing it during your designated work time.
A side product of being a procrastinator is that things pile up, then cause you stress, and reduce your productivity. It ends up with you becoming more frustrated and doing less to promote your business. The vicious cycle loops over and you will find yourself doing everything but working on your venture. Procrastination often goes hand in hand with bad organizational skills. Here are some suggestions to be better organized, and more productive.
There is a lot to be said about following a daily routine. Yes, it is a predictable and boring life, but you will find that when you factor in everything that you need to do into your routine, more will get done. Have a fixed time for morning meditation, breakfast, physical exercise, and of course work hours that you devote to your business growth plan. Do this everyday. At the same time. Fix that routine and watch how you bloom.
The Exercise
What You Will Need: A pen and paper and some time to think
Make a stress list.
The idea is to think up of all the pending tasks that are causing you anxiety and writing them all down on paper. It doesn't matter how big or small the issue is. If it's causing your stress, you need to write it down clearly on paper. You will find that half your worries are ghosts that disappear right away.
Another question that you can ask yourself when you want to stay focused on being productive is, "What do I need to finish today to make my life easier, happier, and less cluttered?" This will instantly bring to your mind the activities that you need to accomplish. Translate this into a To-Do list and you will have clear direction for what you should be doing next.
The worries that have been causing you stress and made it down to the paper will now become actionable items that you can work through. Now prioritize the ones that are most frequently making their way into your mind and bothering you.
Write down a single activity next to the item causing you stress. This is the first step to resolving the issue. Now go ahead and do it, whether it's a difficult phone call, a lot of paper work to catch up on, or dealing with a difficult vendor, just make a start.
In your daily routine block out a chunk of your work time that you use to do this single activity step each day, for every item on your stress list, till you have nothing left to stress you out. You will develop systems that keep you productive all through the week. Procrastination will be a thing of the distant past.
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