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Productivity is not just a popular buzzword among entrepreneurs, but it’s also a way of life.
As the founder of a business, your workers and colleagues may believe that you have everything under control and that you have the solution to every problem while, in reality, you may be drowning in a sea of poor habits.
There are a lot of company owners who have so much on their plates that it is difficult for them to overlook whatever critical work is in front of them. Starting today, figure out how to create a routine and be more productive so that you can accomplish more in less time. To begin with, you need to prepare a calendar for yourself.
Here are a few productivity tips for CEOs who are running start-ups.
Best Productivity Hacks for Tech Startup Founders
1. Start With the Most Difficult Task
I’m constantly debating whether it’s better to go to the gym in the evening or first thing in the morning. As it turns out, there isn’t a universally applicable response. Consider the following question: what is the most challenging task you have to complete during the day? Begin with that, then work your way up from there. That is all there is to it. As soon as the hard lifting is through, the remainder of the day will seem like a stroll around the park.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “Eat the frog, first thing in the morning”? By frog, it means you have to complete the most challenging task, no matter how unpleasing or contesting it may seem. Make this a habit, and see yourself improving day by day.
2. Create a to-do List for Yourself
One of the essential things in planning and increasing productivity is to create to-do lists. Make a to-do list of 25 to 30 things you believe must be completed in a year, a week, or even a single day. Then choose 3-5 things that are important to you. By performing the 3-5 most essential things, you will consider the day or the year to have been the most fruitful of your life.
The ability to create an extensive list of things that need to be done is a trap, and simply looking at it will cause you to feel exhausted. Making and tracking to-do lists may be done with the help of programmes such as Google Tasks, Evernote, Microsoft To-Do, and many others. After completing work, you may review the completed task and keep track of the pending charges.
3. Master the Pomodoro Technique
It’s possible that you employed this strategy when in high school or while attending college. This well-known tool is commonly utilised for successful studying, and the below is the reason why:
Our maximal attention span spans from 20 to 45 minutes before it begins to deteriorate and we become distracted. After that, we merely need to take a brief break to clear our heads and return to work feeling rejuvenated. So if you ever feel like not doing anything or exhausted just by looking at a complex task, just break it down to 20 to 45 minutes and set a timer.
4. Select Your Employees Carefully & Strategically
As a CEO, you are only as good as your workers in performance. So hire top notch employees with care. Select personnel that share your aims and aspirations to achieve success. Using this method, you may collaborate to develop strategies and generate ideas to elevate your implementation and productivity to a higher level of performance.
This is a vital productivity strategy to adopt, so make sure you surround yourself with colleagues who will push you to work even more.
5. Minimise the Number of Meetings
Suppose you have many meetings; attempt to schedule them all on the same day. All of my sessions are scheduled for Monday. They can sometimes spill over into Tuesday, but cutting back on the number of daily meetings helps me manage the remainder of my week. I’m also a big advocate of one-on-one sessions that take place outside.
When opposed to discussing in a conference room, taking a stroll while meeting might help you build a better bond. I’ve also discovered that it creates a more conducive setting for difficult conversations.
6. Improve Your Ability to Say “No”
The more successful you become, the more options you will have for initiatives, investments, travel, and meeting new people will present themselves to you as a result. Warren Buffett, one of the world’s wealthiest men, has made it a point to emphasise that successful individuals say no to practically everything they are offered.
The ability to prioritise tasks and determine what you want to do with your time is critical to keeping productive.
7. Automate the Management Process
Time management skill is something you have to acquire, but even with it, you could find yourself in a hectic schedule. So, to save up your time, you’ll need to automate your business process management. By automating management, you can ensure that your team members know precisely what is expected of them and when they are expected to complete the duties allocated to them.
You may get on with your life and focus on other activities during which time. Fortunately, there are many automation solutions available today that can assist with management automation.
8. Appoint Delegates
We understand that if you want things done well, you have to do them yourself, which is understandable. Although it appears to be straightforward to delegate work to subordinates, one of the most typical mistakes is to attempt to micromanage every single action taken by your team. Relax and transfer specific responsibilities to your associates.
Keep in mind that you are all part of a team and rowing in the same direction. You will have more time to spend on pursuits that only you can do.
Your subordinates will recognise their value in the team; there will be someone who can fill in for you if you are unable to do so, you will promote collaboration, and, above all, you will all improve as a result of your efforts.
9. Listen to Podcasts During Your Commute
Once again, time is of the essence. If you’re already squandering valuable time in traffic jams or on your commute to work, it will behove you to make the most of it by learning something new while you’re at it. Listening to podcasts on your commute is a terrific way to use your time better and pass the time more quickly.
No matter if it’s a general business podcast or something that mainly tackles an issue you’re facing in your own business, listening to a podcast is far preferable to repeating the same music over and over again at the end of the day.
10. Maintain a Healthy Diet
Even though this is a no-brainer, many individuals disregard it or just ignore it.
“You are what you eat,” I’m not going to say, nor will I get into the entire “food is fuel, and you are a Ferrari” line of thinking. Is it necessary for me to bring these issues up with you? However, they are partially correct in that you will not perform at your best if you eat poorly.
Maintaining a well-balanced diet is essential, regardless of what type of diet you follow. Consult with your dietitian, drink lots of water, and avoid soda and fast food as much as possible.
11. Establish a Strict Routine
According to popular belief, having a routine is not problematic; instead, having a lousy performance is challenging. Starting your day with a good morning routine that sets the tone for the rest of the day is something that will undoubtedly provide you with a competitive advantage over your competition.
Maintain your healthy habits not just in the morning but throughout the day to stay on top of your game and stay competitive. Maintain proper hydration, sleep properly, eat well, and engage in physical activity. Consider it the same way you would take care of an automobile. If you do not adequately care for it, it will ultimately cease to function.
Conclusion
Being in good health is quite essential. Not all CEOs or founders work the equivalent of 14-16 hours every day. You must understand how to delegate work to others rather than concentrate on your projects all day. Also, outsourcing your development requirements to an agency or a company you trust is another part of the advanced delegation.
Feel free to say NO to tasks and meetings that can be completed without your participation regularly. Rather than delegating the effort of building your product to inexperienced team members, allocate the task of producing your product to experienced team members as a tech professional. You will have more time to focus on other projects in other divisions of your startup due to this.
Utilise some productivity tricks, strive to improve yourself, and achieve your objectives daily to yearly. Cheers!
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