Productivity Tips for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

I am so glad you're here because this is the time of the year, the time of the quarter, when the goals that you set at the beginning start to be at risk of getting put to the side because of distractions, competing priorities, other urgent things that pop up in your business and in your life. So today we're going to talk through those strategies to help keep you on track, keep you focused on with all of the other things that are coming up so that you can maintain your levels of productivity. And by that, I do not mean getting more done, necessarily. A side effect might be that you actually do get more done because you have focus and you have momentum and you have clarity. But my intention is that we get the right things done to move your business forward because you might be in action. I like to think of this like a rocking chair. The rocking chair is very much in motion, but where is it going? When you are sitting at that rocking chair, rocking, where are you going? You're sitting right there in the same place, maybe just shimmying an inch or two if that rocking chair moves a bit. But generally speaking, you are not moving closer to your destination at a pace that would make anyone happy. So it's understandable if you feel like, hey, I'm doing a lot, I am getting a lot of things done, but I am not feeling like I'm getting closer to my goal. Because it doesn't matter how many hours you are spending, it doesn't matter if you are not getting the results that you want. Whether you're working 20 hours a week, you're working 40 hours a week, you're working 60 or 80 hours a week, it's not worth it. You're not getting the results that you want. And those results could be in the form of bringing revenue or profitability into your business. But it could also be other things, like spending more time in your life activities, being more efficient in the business so that you can enjoy this incredible life that you are building. Let's walk through eight strategies to help you maintain momentum and keep the focus on those most important things that are actually going to get you to where you want to be going instead of just wheels. To me, strategy number one is you have not yet built your action plan. This is essential. So I want you to back it on up and take a minute to build out a plan that identifies what are the steps I need to take or that someone on my team needs to take, or that we as a team need to take to get us to the destination that we have set. Typically, These are broken down into 30 seconds, six week or 90 day plans. And I want you to have an action plan. Because without an action lab, like, oh, this is where I want to be going, this is where I need to be going, what do I do to get there? What do I do? With an action plan, you're going to identify those things in advance, thereby saving yourself time, energy, effort when it comes time to implement. In fact, research supports that when you take the time to plan, you, you're going to spend less time implementing. Voila. This is what we need and this is what we want in our life. So you're going to take the time to plan. It's not going to take you a ton of time, I promise. Right? And then you're going to know every time you sit down to work, what's the next thing I need to do to make sure I stay focused on getting to my destination. I'm not just sitting there in a rocking chair, nice and relaxed, in lots of motion, but not going where I want to be going. Number one, get your action plan in place. When you break big goals down into actionable, manageable steps, you're going to start to get traction and you're going to start to see results. Because that clarity brings confidence. That clarity brings momentum. Strategy number two, to make sure you maintain that momentum is ask yourself every single day and sometimes more, what is the most important thing that I need to do today to make sure I stay on track with my goals? These are what we call the $100 bills. I don't want you focused on $1 bills in your business. I don't want you focused on $5 bills in your business. I want to make sure your time, energy, attention is spent on those most important things every day. Day, the $100 bills. So you've got a goal, you've got your action plan. And then each week and each day we're asking ourselves, what do I need to make sure I accomplish to make sure I stay on track with my goals? What is that $100 bill that's going to keep me out of the rocking chair and keep me moving to the place I want to be going? And we have to ask ourselves this regularly. Once a day, once a week, sometimes more, because distractions pop up and try and pull our ourselves away. So we've got to self coach ourselves and ask, wait, is this the $100 bill or is this the $100 bill? And keep your focus on the honeys. Strategy number three is we want to be mindful of where your time and your energy are going for everyone, for the people on your team, for you, for humans. When we manage our time well, we're not going to be overstepping our calendars and we're going to be able to give attention to the things that need it. And in addition, I want you to be able to have the energy to fuel the things you need to be doing and that you want to be doing. So two things here, because we want to keep your time and your energy focused on the right things, is we work with our clients inside the modern CEO to complete a time budget. How much time is available? Where are we spending that time and are we spending in a way that keeps us out of the rocking chair and in action on the most important things? However, I also want you to manage your energy, to track and identify. Is this an activity that sucks my energy and takes me away from that hundred dollar bill activity? Or let's say that hundred dollar bill activity is something you're avoiding, something you're procrastinating, something that drains your energy as well. But it's $100 bill. I have to do this and I'm not going to lie sitting down to be here with you. As I record this now, it takes a little bit of energy. It takes a little bit of extra momentum for me to, okay, I enjoy it, I even enjoy it. But the build up, the anticipation that drains my energy. So I have to trick myself to get into the space. What do I do to keep my energy up when I have carved out the time in my time budget to do this thing on a regular basis? Well, I've got a few things and some of these may work for you and it may be something else for you, but I'm going to share these now. So one of the things that I do is I keep the energy good throughout the house, throughout the space, all day long leading up to the event. So I don't even have space or time to let my energy drop. For example, it really helps me when I have jazz music or some sort of background music on in the background in the living room. So when I'm getting ready, when I say goodbye to the girls, when I'm having breakfast, before I sit down to record, there's that energy in the background that isn't silent, but it's a lovely, calming sound. It's just enough of a distraction. Now you say, wow, this environment is just lovely. The other thing I might do is light candles. I always try to keep a candle nearby. So that mood in addition to the sound. I've got a scent and I've got an atmosphere that's being created that is very joyful. So I don't have time to drop or if I am dropping, it's being offset by some of these other energy lifting surroundings. Also today I have not done this before, but this might become a thing. My hair has been bugging me a little bit. You know, I live in Abidjan, Cote d' Ivoire and the humidity is off the charts here. So I haven't quite figured out my hair here. I can keep it straight and that doesn't get frizzy. But if I want to blow it out and just have some waves or if I just want to. If I want you curl, if I want to do anything except straight, it gets so frizzy. Except when I go get my hair done at shave 4oz. I so what did I do today? Actually, yesterday I messaged Haraz and I said, hey, can I cup it for a blowout tomorrow at 10:30? Which meant my blowout would be after pilates and before I came home to record and connected with you. And he said, of course. So I went from pilates to a friend's house to pick something up that she needed to be dropped off for. Farads Epshe Faraz I our my hair salon. Then I picked that up, I made my way over. I'm glad I left early because there was some traffic, I was feeling good. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm glad I had that over early because I would have been late right on time. But I don't like being infringing on other someone else's schedule. And I got there, y'. All. This blowout took no time at all. It honestly, if I skip my workout tomorrow and I do not sweat, this blowout will give me days of hair. So well worth it. And it brought my energy way, way, way up. And I stepped into this a little bit more confident, a little bit calmer, feeling a little bit more ready. And honestly, it was one of the easier filming days. My mic wasn't working, so I had to have a backup plan on the mic. But hey, we can move through those things. Because I set up in an environment where I'm offsetting drains in energy with things that that lift me up. Strategy number four to helping you increase productivity and keep your focus on the most important things is to eliminate chaos and distractions. This is challenging for me. This is something I practice every season, every time we move, every time I step into a new role on A project I have to remind myself to eliminate chaos and distractions. Now, you're setting yourself well, because to eliminate chaos and distractions, we have to know what is a distraction and what is our goal and what is our priority. So you set your goals. You have a vision for where you want to be going, and you have a plan. You have a time budget. You know how much time is available. So you're tracking, you're monitoring your energy, and still things can pop up that can create chaos and distract you from your $100 bills. And you start to shift and spec your time and attention on $1 bills. So what can we do to make sure the chaos and the distractions don't creep in? Because they're naturally going to come up. Someone's going to need you to drop something off or pick something up unexpectedly, and it will either fit or it won't fit in. Your schedule for the day to dos are going to come up. Your partner, your spouse is going to message and say, hey, can you do this today? And sometimes, yes. A great example of this that I go to over and over in my head when this comes up is the idea that a busy person like you gets things done. And this occurred to me when I actually. I mean, I felt like that my entire life. But I read this in a Financial Times article ages ago. We'll have to see if we could dig this up. And I think the headline was actually like, a busy person gets things done. Here's the research. Do what people ask you to do something when something comes up in your life. Well, I can do that. Heck, yeah, you can. They know it, I know it, you know it. You can handle a lot. You can do a lot. But it doesn't mean it's serving your higher good, your greatest goals, your $100 bills. And I realized. And I was connecting all of these dots, honestly, my dad. My dad would ask me to do things. I was like, yes, of course. This is a great idea. I'd love to help you with this. He'd have business ideas, he'd have projects, he'd have people he want. We what we want to call about something family members. We want Amber, you should try the Amber, could you do this? Amber, have you ever thought about, da da da da da. And I take that on. Think about, whoa. And oh, my gosh, then I read that Financial Times article, a busy person gets things done. And. And it flipped my script in my thinking, and it empowered me, and it inspired me to say to my dad, dad, I can totally get this done for you, but it doesn't fit in my plan and in my schedule until this date or time. Does that work for you now? Sometimes it realistically never will fit in my schedule or it's something that I know will be such an energy drain for me. It is not even something I should entertain. And he can find someone who could do that better, faster, and it would actually bring them joy and him joy, and it would be a win win. So it is not even always in our interest to say, hey, I can't get to that today, but I can get to that in a week or three or, or seven or 12. Sometimes that's not even the right answer. Sometimes the right answer is just, no, thank you and that's it. In fact, I was in a volunteer meeting once and something was being asked of the group to do that needed to be done. And they came on over to me and said, hey, Amber, you can do this, right? Oh, no, thank you. The shock on the faces in the room because that was it. And one person actually turned to me and said, no, no, thank you. That's it. You're not going to add anything like, oh, no, no, thank you. That's all I got. That's all I got. I could have went on and explained, but it really wasn't going to benefit the conversation in the room and it was totally unnecessary. So I left it as, oh, no, thank you. I'm good, I'm good. You could say, I recommend you find someone else. And this doesn't fit my schedule. It doesn't fit my goal. I'm sorry, I've got so much other things on my plate if it makes sense otherwise, no, thank you is a beautiful answer. The other thing I regularly do is I'll write all those things down. If I don't write it down, it is likely out of my brain or I'll remember part of it, but at the other part and then it gets all jumbled. So I will oftentimes say to people, hey, that's really important. Yes, I'd like to hollow up on that. Let me write that down. In fact, I have a running list in my reminders app on my phone of things I need to remember to do at some point. That does not actually become an active working to do list because that will create chaos for me. It's not prioritized. And if I got a list of 10 things that have popped up throughout the week, when are they going to get done? Who, what needs to come first? So what I do with that list to Ensure it does not result in chaos is I will take that list and I will work into my plans for the next week or beyond. I sit down, as you may know, every Monday and Friday in my Monday and Friday CEO time. And that's when I look at the to do's, the action items, the priorities, the $100 bills, and I reconcile on Friday what needs my attention next week for me to stay on track with our six week 90 day plan, our annual goals, and what do I need to wrap up today or what do I need to ask someone for help with because it's not my thing, but I want to ensure it gets done. For example, I've got a pile of artwork that I need to take to the art room at school and they're going to take those canvases and paint over them. I have not dropped them off yet, so that's likely something I need to ask for some help with. Whether it's the girls popping them in the car for me or reminding me to put them in the car the next time I go to school for an activity or something else, having them picked up and dropped off, et cetera. Lots of options if I'm not going to be able to execute on that to do. But I'm not thinking about that all of the time. I mean, let's be real. I might think about it when I walk by and see them there, but otherwise it's on my list and I need to work that into my plan. That helps eliminate the chaos, it helps take the pressure off and it helps make sure I'm not dropping the most important things at any given moment. Because this random thing popped up in my head that isn't actually the priority. So eliminate the chaos, eliminate the distractions, and give yourself a system for tracking those to do's that pop up and then anchor your weeks so you come back to them and give them a place and a home so they don't get forgotten. Eliminating chaos isn't just about organization and productivity as we move through the year. I mean, let's face it, I was three weeks into this new year, I was like, oh my gosh, it got very, very busy because there are things I want to do and there are things other people want to do that we're collaborating on. The momentum was just building and it was beautiful. But I want to make sure that it doesn't spin and that I maintain ownership of my day. So this is my next strategy for you. Step number five to making sure we stay productive and focused on the most important things. Is to take ownership of your day. What does that mean? That means have a routine in place that you generally stick to following. That gives you control, that gives you structure. So so that you maintain a sense of routine and you know what needs to go where. For example, this means starting your day in a way that works for you. I am not a 5 or 4am Waker upper to journal. I tried that over the years. Depending on where I am living, I am able to wake up earlier. But it gets dark early here in Aubidjan and it is dark a little later in the morning because of where our distance to the equator. So it is not my natural flow to wake up easily when it is so super dark out. When I lived in California in those summer months and the sun was rising early and I don't know why, there's just something about California that pulls me right up out of bed early in the morning and I can start the day there. So depending on where I live, I operate a little bit differently. It's dark early here. I go to bed earlier too, is what it is. But whatever it is, I want to make sure that you are taking ownership of it. And it's a decision you make. This is how I'm going to start my day. This is how I'm going to bookend my day and wrap up my day. Because knowing that you have that control and that it aligns with how you want to operate your day and how you best move through your day, that is going to give you so much momentum. So for getting these most important things done. So I do not wake up extra early. I wake up just in time to pack the girls lunches, get them out to school, get myself ready to go to a movement session, be it a HIIT class, be it our Pilates class, whatever it is, I am getting out and getting movement in the morning after the kids get off to school. That works so well for me. If I move that movement session later in the day, the chances of it happening go down, down, down, down, down. I know this about myself so I'm taking that ownership and I'm blocking that space and time. In fact, someone may come up to me and say, hey, are you free for whatever, whatever, whatever meeting, 8:00am on Tuesday? Oh, actually have an appointment at that time. Let me see. How about, how about Monday? I'm free on Monday at 10am wow. Or in free Tuesday, not at 8am But a pretend. Would that work for you? Right. Because I have an appointment. I have made a commitment to myself and I used to feel guilt about that. But when I released that guilt and I allowed myself to embrace those things that were going to set me up for success day in and day out, not only was that meeting better, that I moved to a time that actually worked better for me. It worked fine for the other person I was able to serve and show up for them in a much better way as well. So take control. Take control, take ownership of your day. Something else that I do when I am hesitant to step into One of those $100 bill tasks is that I will set a timer for 15 minutes and that is the amount of time I commit to spending on the thing that needs to be done at the end of that 15 minutes. Oftentimes I cleared the block that was keeping me from wanting to step into action on that activity or I have clarity and I purpose that I have momentum and I move so fast and it was actually an easier thing to do than I thought it was going to be. So it's done, taken care of, and it's off the list. But I use a 15 minute timer to keep myself in flow. It's one of those hacks, one of those tricks like you're just going to spend 15 minutes on this. You got it. In addition, block distractions, right? If music playing is going to get your energy up so that you can get in flow, do it. But maybe close the door, maybe turn off notifications, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So those are our focus dedicated it 15 minutes. We use this around the house when we're cleaning as well. I'll ask the kids, I'll ask my partner. Hey, can you just give me 15 minutes? I think if we each send 15 minutes, by the way, that's an hour combined time. I think we'll have the house cleaned up and then we can go on about our day and everybody will feel better. 15 minutes, let's go. And at the end of 15 minutes, everything's fine, I feel better, nobody's complaining. So it was only 15 minutes. We're good to go. Next up. I already mentioned it, but think about the focus sessions that you can have and the distractions that you can eliminate. Two things that I do on this spread. Number one, my social media and news sites are limited to only 15 minutes a day of reading or scrolling or engaging and connecting on my phone, which is where I do most of my newsree and most of my social media connection now on the iPhone. You can easily skip that. Remind me later. Give me another 15 minutes. Forget this limit for the day. However, it brings attention and awareness to what I'm doing. So I'm not just mindlessly scrolling randomly throughout the day setting time on a 1, a 5, a $10 bill. But it reminds me, hey, are you going to do that $10 bill? Oh, yeah, let me get back to that and then I can go scroll a little bit more later if I want. All right, so this is my final invitation and call to you to get up on out of that rocking chair or at least be mindful of when you are in motion, but you are not actually going where you want to go. And take time, take just 5 minutes to build that action lens. You have clarity on where you want to be going and implement some of these strategies, some of these tips so you can take that control and ownership back to get the results that you want to get and not be distracted by all of the other things that this world is trying to pull your attention into that are not aligned and not in sync with where you want to be going. Remember, you are right on time and this is the moment to step into action on your $100 bills.