People often complain that there are not enough hours in a day. While everyone can certainly benefit from a few more hours a day, it simply won’t happen. Therefore, it is important to weed out unproductive activities. Essentially, doing so will give you the extra time you need to be productive. If you want to make the most of your day, there are a few changes you could make in your daily routine that will improve your work efficiency and possibly even your business.
Most people work better when they can justify their actions or see tangible results. One way you can do this is by creating daily to-do lists and goals. These goals don’t have to be earth shattering, but they should cover everything you want to get done that day, and even for the week. Instead of going around your day aimlessly, your goals will serve to motivate you and keep you focused. You can even give yourself a small reward for accomplishing each task on your list. It is no surprise that when most employees know they need to finish their work to go to happy hour they regularly do so in time. If you make and follow your goals every day, you will get much more accomplished every week.
In order to get the most out of your day, you need to be awake for the duration of it. This may mean changing your schedule to get started early in the morning. Even if you are a night person, there is plenty of business done before you wake up. By starting the day early, you can get a jump on your goals and get in touch with people you normally may not have. As an investor, you are not bound to a cubicle or by the clock. Just because you can work on your own schedule doesn’t mean you can ignore half the day. If you are having trouble getting things done or getting in touch with your network, you should change the time you contact them. This could take some adjusting, but it can have a great impact on your business.
If you are wondering where all of your day goes, write down everything you do every day for a week. What you will find is that there are plenty of hours a day that are essentially wasted. Between getting caught up on Facebook, Twitter or any other of your favorite websites, you can end up wasting 30 minutes a few times a day. If you do this every day, you are throwing away close to ten hours a week. If you just cut that time in half, you could tackle a project you have been putting off or get out on the road and meet new people. There is nothing wrong with using social media to attract new business, but there should be a limit on your usage. Dedicate a few times a day for a limited amount of time and stick to it. The Internet can be useful, but it can also be a time wasting trap if you let it.
It is also quite important to watch what you eat and exercise regularly. What you eat will give you the energy to tackle any projects you may have and the pep to get out and go. If you eat poorly and lack exercise, you will be tired after big meals and procrastinate and put off things you need to do. Looking good is one thing, but feeling good is much more important. Start by simply walking for 20 minutes a few times a week. Not only will this slowly improve your health, but it can give you some time to think about what you need to get done in your business.
If you really want to get the most out of your day, you will stop putting off what you can do until tomorrow. If there is someone you want to reach out to, do it today. Monday quickly turns into Thursday, which can quickly turn into something you do next week. Most of your success in business has to do with simply staying in contact. Little things like phone calls, emails or even just a quick text can have a huge impact on whether or not someone wants to work with you. If you are constantly putting this off, sooner or later your contacts will start to forget about you and move on to someone else.
Before you go to bed every night, you should have a good idea of what you need to accomplish the next day. It is a good idea to make your list for tomorrow before you go to sleep the previous night. This will further reduce any wasted time in the morning and get you on the right foot as soon as you wake up. There are only so many hours in a day. You can choose to use them wisely or wonder where your time goes.
