This post is a mix of the top productivity tips from the articles and podcast episodes published in 2021. These tips will give you a headstart on the new year. So enjoy these snippets and feel free to check out the full blog post if you want all of the tips that were originally shared.
Ditch the Hustle Mentality
We need to break the cycle of the hustle mentality because it keeps you busy, but it doesn’t get you the results that you want. So enjoy this snippet and avoid adopting this unproductive mentality next year. Check out the entire article in the post How to Stop Wearing Busy as a Badge of Honor and Be More Productive.
It seems to me that people feel like busyness is a badge of honor, that means that you’re important and successful. But you don’t have to be busy to be important. And successful people aren’t always busy. So really, it’s a mindset shift that we need to make. We need to talk about being more productive and getting things done. So my goal is to influence as many women as possible to get them out of that hustle heart mentality and help them adapt to a more balanced way of living.
Here is simple three step process to help you with that.
Step one, put boundaries around your schedule so that you can identify the time that you really have in your schedule for things outside of those non negotiables.
Step two, make time for the more important things. Be intentional about how you use the remaining time in your schedule. Be sure to select goals that are based on the season that your life is in and create a detailed action plan that you can implement in small steps every day to make progress.
Step three, create routines in your life so that you can handle all the things that life throws your way. These routines will help you preserve energy, reduce your stress levels, because it promotes feelings of order indirection which they are things that we can control, which is contrary to life in general. So create some routines in your life like right now.
In a nutshell, if you’re truly happy with being so busy all the time, then forget everything I said in this episode. But you have to be honest with yourself about the lifestyle that you want. Either way, be conscious about how much you take on at one time. Don’t adopt that hustle mentality. But be intentional about how you spend your time and work smarter, so that you build a thriving business, and you have time to spend however you want so that you enjoy your life.
Do Less Manually to Get More Done
You know, I had to include some tips about business systems, right? There are some very specific systems that you need in your growth strategy next year. So here’s quick productivity snippet to help you with that. Check out the entire article in the post 3 Systems You Need in Your Sustainable Growth Strategy.
So the first one sounds like a no brainer, but it’s one of the ones that’s commonly overlooked. That’s the money management system. Now, I know that you know, you need to keep an eye on your money. And why you may think be thinking, well, that’s just common sense. Guess what, most business owners do not know their numbers. And because of that, many small businesses do not survive.
And now let’s talk about system number two, a backup system. Now you may be scratching your head about this one, but in a nutshell, a backup system is a plan B to keep your business running as a solopreneur. You need this to be in place so that your business can survive and thrive. arrive without you, the best time to prepare for an emergency is to have a plan in place before the emergency arises.
Declutter and Organize Your Digital Files
There is no time like the present for you to get this done. Remember to create a file structure that makes sense to you. Check out the entire article in the post The Productive Home Business Series, Part 1 – How to Organize Your Documents.
If your folders don’t make sense, or you can’t find your files, you won’t stick with your system. But this doesn’t have to be hard. Make one folder for any files that you can’t figure out where to put them. This is a place for everything that doesn’t really fit into your main folders. But once you start getting your files in place, you’ll see if you need to add some additional folders for other categories that emerge. And then you can eventually store those files somewhere.
Remember to work in small increments. You can’t organize years of papers or files and chaos in one night. So you need to take baby steps. You know, I’m a huge fan of working in small increments like 10,15, 20 or 30 minutes, that allows you to gain momentum, see the progress you’re making. So it encourages you to keep going and you don’t get overwhelmed with the process.
So when you schedule time to sort your files, notice I said scheduled time, so be sure to just put it on your schedule and set your timer when you start sorting. But when the timer goes off, stop and move on to the next test that you have for that day. But do this consistently until all of your files are cleaned up. And as you start to save new files, put them where they belong right away. That way you aren’t creating new piles that you will have to clean up later.
I hope these snippets have you excited about the idea of being more productive as we go into the new year. There are even more tips in the actual episodes so be sure to check those out.
This has been a truly amazing year and I really appreciate your support each and every week. So I would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Feel free to DM me on Instagram @the_shannonbaker. I look forward to sharing more productivity tips and strategies with you. If there is a specific topic you would like to hear on the show, please let me know that too! I want to make sure I continue to provide the resources that help you succeed.
Links to the Full Episodes Mentioned
Episode 54 – How to Stop Wearing Busy as a Badge of Honor and Be More Productive
Episode 72 – 3 Systems You Need in Your Sustainable Growth Strategy
Episode 58 – The Productive Home Business Series, Part 1 – How to Organize Your Documents
