6 Productivity Hacks For Solopreneurs: Stop Struggling With The Endless Array of Jobs And Enjoy Being Your Own Boss

It is easy for one to get overwhelmed when you are the chief cook and bottlewasher. A little bit of planning would go a long way in calming that.

Working on your own venture means freedom. And challenges. Stress! You have to be in charge of admin, marketing, bookkeeping, handling inquiries and complaints. And get your main job done as well. It may feel like you have a million things to get done but so little time. Sometimes, you can’t even figure out how to get started!

Eventually, you feel like you’re slowly losing any sense of control and rather than having a good work-life balance, you find yourself scrambling to cram every possible minute with something or the other that needs to get done.

Plan for the day / week in advance

At the start of every week, make a list of all the major tasks that need to be done during the upcoming week. Make sure that all appointments are added to your calendar and review any overlap. At the start of the day, make a list of the day’s tasks and review your daily appointments. Besides helping put some order to the chaos of your week, ticking off tasks from your to-do list can get addictive.

Set aside a dedicated time every week for maintenance activities

Blocking a fixed time every week to complete essential but tedious tasks like bookkeeping and admin will ensure that you are up-to-date, and don’t miss out on completing any important work. If these tasks aren’t performed on a regular basis, you will suddenly find yourself faced with a mountain of work, with very little time to complete them.

Use calendar blocking

Do you have those times when you go to reply to one email and find yourself trapped in your inbox couple of hours later? If there is no structure to your day, you may well find yourself being busy all day but not getting much done by the end of it.

Use the technique of calendar blocking – block out chunks of time for specific tasks. Keep 5 -10 minutes free in between tasks in case of spillovers. And don’t forget to add some break time! You can use these buffers to catch up on your emails and return calls. Any calendar app would do to keep track of these blocks.

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Use technology to make your life easier

There are days when it feels like 24 hours aren’t enough to get the work done, let alone having time to learn new tools. But think of this as an investment. You will have to put in some precious time upfront but later can reap the benefits. For example, scheduling apps like Calendly eliminate the constant back and forth while setting up calls and meetings. Another time save would be optimising your accounting software to auto-email invoices and receipts.

Create templates for repetitive tasks

Whether it’s a response to queries, a thank you for registration or emailing a receipt for payments received, there are some tasks that have to be done time and again. While there may be a few things that need to be changed, these communications can be standardised. By creating set templates for the tasks you do repeatedly, you will save time and be able to work faster.

Create a bank of social media posts 

It’s vital to be present on social media and post fresh content as regularly as possible. Figuring out what to post on the fly can end up being a daunting task. Rather than spending way too much time on a daily basis scrambling for ideas, create a reserve of posts. Allocate some time every week or every month to plan and create your content bank.

Trying to figure out everything all at once will only lead to nothing getting done. Slow down, take things one step at a time, and slowly but surely you will make progress. 

Photo by Meruyert Gonullu from Pexels

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