In the business world, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the constant demands of work, meetings, and deadlines, not to mention the other facets of life and family responsibilities. Before long, balancing all these worlds at once begins to feel more like a juggling act than a life. If you’re a business owner, you know that in order to keep your company moving in the industry, falling behind is not an option. Ensuring that goals are met and tasks are accomplished is number one on your priority list. You’re one person with massive to-do list. How in the world is it all supposed to get done?

No matter where you place yourself on the productivity scale, know you’re not alone. Like most people, at some point in your career, you will experience burnout, lack motivation, or feel overwhelmed. Instead of worrying about it, discover the real secret to accomplishing more in your day. Here’s the simple truth: productivity is not about quantity of tasks we’ve accomplished, it’s about the quality of the work we’ve done and the life we’ve lived.

Contrary to popular believe, being productive doesn’t happen when we stuff our schedules with as many tasks and activities as possible, and then magically check all the items off the list. That may make us feel like we are achieving more, but it also leaves us tired and burned out. Quality productivity arrives when we make time in our day to prepare, plan, and play. Today, I will discuss the first segment: prepare.

Prepare – Set yourself up for success

Overestimate your time: To set yourself up for success, be realistic about the time each task will take.
One mistake I’ve made many times is underestimating the amount of time it would take me to finish a project. Prevent this from happening by adding extra time for each task in your schedule. If you think writing an email will take you about an hour, schedule in an extra 30 minutes. Then if it takes you longer, it hasn’t disrupted the rest of your schedule, and if it takes you less time, you’ll get a head start on the next task. No losses, only wins!

Remove distractions: Prepare yourself to tackle your to-do list with a focused mind by cutting back on distractions.
If you have a large chunk of work to hash out, prevent distraction by closing your office door (or leaving the office entirely and going to a place where people won’t interrupt you). Control social media. Set a specific time to deal with it, stick to your time limit, and then turn it off. Put your phone on silent.

Learn to say NO: If it doesn’t benefit your main goal for the day, no is the only acceptable answer.
If you’re a “yes” person this may be hard to do, but in order to get things done, and do them well, you’ll simply have to say no to some things. This might mean you cut back to only two meetings a day, give up a lunch outing with friends so you can have some personal recharge time, or become stricter about the length of your phone conversations. Take it from someone who has learned it the hard way: you’ll do yourself a huge favor by saying no and guarding both your work and personal time.

Learning to accurately estimate your time, protect it from distractions, and guard it by implementing the word “No” will prepare the way for a productive day. Now, it’s time to learn to plan and to play – yes, I did say play. Return to our ASJ blog next week. We will finish our discussion on the secret path to increase your productivity. Meanwhile, contact ASJ Partners. We are here to lighten your load by assisting with all your marketing needs.