In the blink of an eye, it's 5 pm and you don't feel like you got anything done. Or maybe your day felt like a week, but you still don't feel like you put a dent in your To Do list. You're not alone. Crossing tasks off of your list can be a stretch sometimes, especially during this pandemic. However, as a virtual assistant and social media manager, I don't get to be unproductive (and I don't like to be). My clients need me, just like your business needs you. Here are my favorite and effective time management and productivity tips.
Task Blocking... like time blocking, but per task. Choose a task, gather all of the supplies, open all of the necessary tabs, and get crackin. Finish the task and then move on to the next. Also called "single tasking".
Steal Minutes. Waiting on a response from someone? Staring at the oven while your lunch cooks? Use those spare minutes to do something productive that doesn't need too much concentration. Respond to a text, check your Instagram account, make a quick phone call. It can be things that are unrelated to work as well. For example, if you feel like you never have time to get exercise, do some jumping jacks while you rest your eyes from your laptop. My favorite way to steal minutes is to walk on the treadmill while I do my clients' Instagram engagement from my phone!
Plan Your Week. On Sunday night or first thing Monday morning, fill in your planner for the week. If you don't use a calendar or planner of some kind, YOU NEED ONE. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". Don't downplay that!
Prioritize Your Day. Once you've mapped out what you need to get done, do the most pressing and most important tasks first. That way if you do end up running out of time, at least the most important things are done.
Outsource. As always, outsourcing is on the list. It's an effective way to increase productivity while keeping costs low.
Now go be productive!! Reach out with questions or comments!
xoxo
Hannah