13 Ways Small Business Owners Can Reduce Busy Work and Be Truly Productive

Any small business owner can tell you that running a company requires a lot of time, effort and dedication. Some entrepreneurs make the mistake of piling too much “busy work” on their plates, which doesn’t leave them much time to focus on the tasks that only they can do. To find a solution, we asked the experts at Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:

“SMB owners have a lot of demands on their attention. What is one way for owners to stay productive, not just busy?”

How to Get Rid of Busy Work

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Focus on One Thing at a Time
“Multitasking results in staying busy. However, when you focus on one thing at a time and put everything into it, you get it done well and can move onto the next. This creates a higher level of productivity.” ~ Angela Ruth, Calendar

2. Write Out Your Weekly Action List
“Write out a weekly action list on Sunday evening so you can hit the ground running Monday morning. I always start my to-do lists with action words that provide additional motivation. For instance, ‘evaluate options to,’ ‘interview candidates for’ and even ‘go live with.’ ” ~ David Ciccarelli, Voices.com

3. Take a Distraction-Free ‘Time-Out’
“I have an hour or two of the day set aside for my most important tasks. I disable email, turn my phone to silent, and work somewhere no one will disturb me. I’ve never had anything happen during my time-outs that couldn’t wait an hour. Once I sit down in time-out, I grind out the task until it’s done or until my time’s up. I’m always surprised how much I accomplish with no distractions!” ~ Andrew Gipson, The Escape OKC

4. Tackle Your Biggest Challenge First
“It can be so easy to get distracted with to-dos while ignoring one or two big challenges. I try to start my day by tackling the biggest task on my plate — even if it means just doing a small fraction of it. This helps ensure that the most important things don’t fall through the cracks while I’m keeping up with more immediate demands on my time.” ~ Brittany Hodak, The Superfan Company

5. Focus on Objectives and Key Results
“I hate spinning my wheels and wasting time. I’ve found that by implementing a system like Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) not only helps me, but also the entire company understands what is the most important thing to be working on, ensures there is alignment across the business, and also sets clear and measurable milestones. Keeping focused on the right things is essential to success.” ~ Kasey Kaplan, Urban FT

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6. Slow Down and Refocus
“When you recognize that multitasking frenzy taking over your day, step away from your desk, focus on your breath and slow down for two to three minutes. We become more productive when we slow down and refocus.” ~ Stephen Beach, Craft Impact Marketing

7. Say No to Tasks That Aren’t Productive
“Get into the habit of quickly and effectively turning down or saying no to things that are not productive. The ability to identify and reject an ask that is counter to your productivity is just as important as working as hard as possible. Learn to say no to things that will take up a lot of your attention, but not yield positive outcomes.” ~ Shawn Schulze, HomeArea.com

8. Create a ‘Power List’
“I struggled with a massive to-do list that kept growing and ultimately unproductive. I heard a podcast where they advised coming up with a power list of five key things to get done that day. Each day you put it in writing and you write a ‘W’ if you won the day or an ‘L’ if you lost the day. This has helped me stay productive and feel like the goals were attainable because it’s not a huge list.” ~ Joel Mathew, Fortress Consulting Group

9. Use Visuals
“I couldn’t stay productive without my whiteboard and sticky note wall.  The whiteboard is for daily items, while my sticky note wall prioritizes weekly, monthly and quarterly initiatives. Not only does this method help organize the many items that keep me busy, but it also helps me delegate items that are not as important, so I’m only tackling the most impactful items for the business.” ~ Amber Lowry, Syssero

10. Be Accountable to Someone Else
“One way to make sure you’re staying productive is to let someone else evaluate your productivity. This could be your partner, mentor or coach. Ask them to call your bluff. Have them ask you about action and accomplishments, not just the busywork. By knowing you’re accountable to someone to explain your day, you’ll do a better job staying productive and won’t be satisfied by simply being busy.” ~ Robby Scott Berthume, Bull & Beard

11. Determine Which Tasks Are the Highest and Best Priority
“Ask yourself, ‘What is the highest and best use of my time today?’ It can be tempting to just do work and check it off the list, but that work is often not getting you closer to the goals and outcomes you’re seeking to create. Make a list of one to three things you must accomplish today and do those first.” ~ Darrah Brustein, darrah.co

12. Delegate
“To be an effective small business owner, you must absolutely learn to delegate effectively. Your time is best spent supporting others on smaller projects and tasks to leave you available for the big picture of accomplishing your company’s objective and vision.” ~ Rachel Beider, Massage Greenpoint, Massage Williamsburg, Massage Outpost

13. Cut Meeting Times in Half Whenever Possible
“Meetings get in the way of real work, but are necessary when you lead any organization. When a request for a meeting comes, let your first instinct be to cut the time requested in half. Meetings do not need to take 60 minutes or even 30 minutes to have the same impact and outcomes. By compressing the time, the attendees come prepared and focused, and you benefit with more time for real work.” ~ Eric Mathews, Start Co.




Source: https://smallbiztrends.com
Image Credit: Shutterstock



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7 Real-Life Business Lessons You Can Learn From Billionaires

The “three-comma club” consists of those in industry, art and commerce who have achieved the exclusive honor of reaching a net worth of more than one billion dollars. From Rockefeller to Gates, members of the club include people who have truly altered the world. To achieve this level of success requires hard work, dedication and a little bit of luck.

Fortunately for the rest of us, these men and women have shared some of the techniques that helped them achieve membership in the exclusive billionaires’ club.

Whether your goal is to make a billion dollars or bring clean water to a billion people, the techniques of how to envision and achieve goals can be used by anyone. Here are 7 of those techniques, straight from the mouths of billionaires.

1. Look failure in the eyes.

Failure is not something that you expect the most successful entrepreneurs to have experienced much of. However, all billionaires have experienced failure, sometimes catastrophically. The difference between those who thrive and those who don’t is that those who thrive failed better. As Bill Gates said, “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

Gates is a prime example of why learning from failure is key. While at his first company, Traf-O-Data, Gates, the future richest man in the world, saw his life’s work fail completely. When Traf-O-Data went out of business in the late 1970s, Gates watched his dream of success start to crumble. However, according to him and his co-founder and fellow billionaire Paul Allen, the lesson they learned from the failure of Traf-O-Data helped Microsoft succeed.

Many ambitious people, when faced with failure, want to forget it quickly and move on. However, something that is key for success is being able to face failures and understand the lessons they offer. The most successful people recognize that failures can be stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks.

2. Insist on excellence.

Excellence for the most successful among us is a habit. Take the words of advice from Mohammad Dewji, CEO of the METL Group and Africa’s youngest billionaire at 42. He says, “Always strive for excellence in life and never make room for mediocrity. Set your standards high and your efforts shall be rewarded.”

Long-term goals can seem daunting or abstract. However, waking up every day and being consistent with one’s standards is key. A billion dollars starts with a million, which starts with a thousand, which starts with one … and that first dollar is only earned by demanding one’s best.

The most successful entrepreneurs create the right goals and achieve them daily. With time, these become the right habits. And finally, these become the right accomplishments. Insist on excellence, and maybe you could end up in the three-comma club.

3. Vision is key.

The other aspect of becoming a billionaire is setting the right goals. Coming up with those ideas that are worth pursuing means thinking outside the box and seeing value where others do not. The ideas that created billionaires have been those that pushed the boundaries. This means pursuing one’s idea and having faith in a vision when others are skeptical or even hostile.

For example, when billionaire Richard Branson started Virgin Airlines to compete with air-travel giants like TWA and American Airlines, he was mocked. Others scoffed at him for even attempting to challenge the existing airline companies. However, Branson saw there was a need for a cheaper airline, and one with customer service in mind.

He had faith in his vision, and even though Virgin Airlines struggled in its first few years, it eventually took off for Branson. When Branson sold his 31 percent stake of Virgin America to KLM-France in 2017 for $286 million dollars, his vision was vindicated.

Branson knew that others were skeptical of his idea, but he trusted his judgment and pursued a vision that few others had the will to follow. Billionaires constantly seek to see what others don’t. The fact that others don’t share the vision means only one thing: it’s a great idea.

4. Health is important.

No billion-dollar effort gets off the ground without a healthy and willing personality behind it. As fitness expert and personal trainer to billionaires Samir Becic says, “I truly believe that in the 21st century, in order to excel in the world, you have to be fit and healthy.” Billionaires from the founder of Under Armour to 86-year-old George Soros all emphasize how important personal health is to them.

Your idea won’t get off the ground if you feel sluggish and unfit. You won’t have the energy to do all the things on your list. Stress-reduction strategies, a healthy diet and consistent exercise will do wonders for your motivation and mental capacity. Remember that even in pursuing your dreams, health is key to keeping you in tip-top shape.

5. Opportunity plus preparation equals luck.

You may be surprised that luck is embraced by these hard-working, motivated people; however, it absolutely plays a factor in becoming a member of the billionaires’ club. As Mark Cuban, who sold his company Broadcast.com for $5.7 billion in the 1990s, openly admits, “Being a billionaire requires a lot of luck, a lot of great timing.”

Now, it’s obviously foolish to depend on luck for success. However, the ability to quickly and correctly recognize opportunity when it is presented to you, the flexibility to change course if required and the preparation to rise to the occasion all are vital in taking advantage of what would be considered “luck.”

Learning to take the appropriate chances and having faith in yourself are keys to finding the opportunities that can help you along the way.

6. Keep your priorities in order.

Health, happiness and financial security, in that order, were the three top priorities of millionaires, according to a 2015 US Trust Survey of 640 high-net-worth individuals with at least $3 million in investable assets.

While the financial and professional goals we set for ourselves are crucial to success, it is also important to remember why we are pursuing them. A billion dollars will achieve financial security, and possibly fame, but you should remember the other things in life that money can’t buy.

Warren Buffet often discusses the importance of his children growing up with “normal” childhoods that would teach them self-sufficiency and family values. Even when working hard and making sacrifices in pursuing financial success, remember to think about what you’ll do what you get there, and what you’ll need to have in order to truly be happy.

7. Work, work, work.

The Chairman of Nissan-Renault flies more than 150,000 miles a year. Serena and Venus Williams began hitting tennis balls at 6:00 a.m. when they were 8-years old. Marissa Mayer worked brutal 130-hour weeks while at Google. These stories of grit and work ethic define the journey to becoming a billionaire.

No matter the weather, day or time, for billionaires the only thing on their mind is the task at hand. It is this willingness to work that sets those in the three-comma club apart and defines those who can achieve their dreams, no matter what it is. Luckily, with the right work ethic, all the other steps become easy. As Mark Cuban says,“Companies don’t fail for a lack of cash or attitude. Companies fail for a lack … of effort.”


Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com

Image Credit: Lou Rocco | Getty Images



ABOUT WNFP
Westchester Networking for Professionals (WNFP) is a business organization focused on providing our members and guests with an extraordinary networking experience, bringing business professionals together for the sole purpose of generating new relationships and developing new business opportunities. Not a member, learn how you can become a member and join this awesome group of professionals to connect and grow your business.

Stay Connected with WNFP!

Why is Fall the Perfect Season for Small Businesses

Fall season is a great time for new beginnings. Kick starting new business ideas and turned them into reality and announcing new products or services for emerging businesses. Whether your targeted audience is B2B or B2C, most people are returning from Summer vacation.

And now is the perfect time to get a head start on planning, creating  and executing effective strategies to getting “Back to Business” this Fall for success.

Here’s some things to consider to help get you in the groove of getting “Back to Business" while summer is winding down:

Facilitate Growth Goals:

CUSTOMERS: Evaluate how you currently manage your customer service and find ways to improve satisfaction and customer retention.

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT: Social media is the means to building relationships and new business opportunities.  Get in touch with your social connections whom you find a mutual benefit to conducting business.

Also, get more involved with your local business organizations, they can offer many ways for you to grow and develop your business.

Westchester Networking for Professionals provides affordable, valuable ways for small business to develop, market and promote their business.

GENERATE INCOME: Spend time designing a new advertising campaigns about your products or services and create an effective marketing plan with short-term goals (daily, weekly & monthly goals) that you can accomplish before the end of the year.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful towards preparing a successful Fall season.

Learn how Westchester Networking for Professionals can help develop & grow your business.

ABOUT WNFP
Westchester Networking for Professionals (WNFP) is a business networking association dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs develop, expand and grow. We offer affordable opportunities to help create a positive impact and advancement in your business interests and personal quality of life to take you to the next level.
Stay Connected with WNFP!