How to Be a Productivity Rockstar for Entrepreneurs
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Transcript of How to Be a Productivity Rockstar for Entrepreneurs
8swellstrategies
Secrets From a Productivity Rockstar
Presented By:Virginia Ginsburg
President & Chief Consultant Swell Strategies
www.swellstrategies.com
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“I have too much time on my hands!”
-Said by No Businessperson EVER
Nope, Nobody Says That …
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What is Productivity, Anyway?
• Productivity is the ability to get stuff done.
• The ability for an entrepreneurs to get stuff done is directly correlated to his success in business.
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Productivity is Hard for Entrepreneurs
For entrepreneurs, productivity is in direct competition with:
• Customer demands
• Employee needs
• New ideas
• Constant distraction
Sometimes everybody seems to need the same thing at the same time
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Is Productivity Possible?
Productivity is possible for entrepreneurs, but they have to be aware of its importance and aware of how to achieve productivity in a hectic work environment.
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Productivity Secrets for Entrepreneurs
1. Plan It Out2. Ruthlessly Prioritize3. Delegate4. Let It Go5. Move + Sleep
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1. Plan It Out
• Something will always be competing for your attention
• You need to be flexible, but you also need control over your to-do list
• The only way to make sure you are productive is to make a plan
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1. Plan It Out
First, create an Annual Plan to guide your work through the year.
This should focus on big-picture goals and objectives. It should say WHAT you want to accomplish, but it shouldn’t have a lot of detail about HOW you will accomplish what you need to do.
Annual Plan
Goals for 2015
Product Goals:
• Finish development on fork
• Begin development of knife
• Refine spoon – what do we
need to do to make it better?
Sales Goals:
• Exceed $10K in monthly
wholesale sales
• Exceed $5K in monthly Internet
sales• Maintain 20% profitability
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1. Plan It Out
Next, on the first day of each month, create a Monthly Plan to keep yourself on-track.
This is still big-picture, but it should get a little bit more detailed – what are you going to do this month to promote the goals you set for the year?
Monthly Plan
Goals for January 2015
Product:
• Review progress on fork. This
month the team needs to
settle on the tine structure.
• Post job, find & interview 5
knife designers.
• Think about how to manage
spoon improvement project.
Marketing/Sales
• Hire new sales person to focus
on wholesale.
• Review Internet Marketing
team performance.
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1. Plan It Out
Finally, either at the beginning of the week or at the beginning of each day, create a Daily Plan.
This should specifically lay out what you want to accomplish in the day.
8 Make sure you leave time in your plan to accommodate distraction – just assume something will “come up.”
Daily Plan
Product:
• Meet with Joe re: fork tines
• Write job description for knife
designer
• Talk to Mary about the spoon –
what does she think?
Marketing/Sales
• Review job descriptions for
wholesale sales person
• Review last week’s Internet
stats
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2. Ruthlessly Prioritize
Know this: • Someone will always
“need you for just a minute”
If you stop what you are doing for every “just a minute,” you will never get anything done.
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2. Ruthlessly Prioritize
You need to be flexible as an entrepreneur, but don’t be so flexible that you break your businesses back because you never get stuff done.
Looks Painful!
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2. Ruthlessly Prioritize
Ruthlessly evaluate every interruption, and decide whether it is actually critical, or if it can wait for when you have time allocated for managing day-to-day issues.
8 Set time aside each day for managing employee, customer and other issues that come up.
Not every fire is an emergency
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2. Delegate
Entrepreneurs really want to do everything themselves.
That’s why they started their own business!
I Can Do It!
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2. Delegate
Doing everything yourself works when you first start a company, but it doesn’t work when you want to grow your company, because companies don’t grow without other people being involved.
What should we do?
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2. Delegate
Managing other people can feel more overwhelming than doing it yourself, but delegating work is a skill you have to build.
Just like anything, entrepreneurs need to train their “delegation muscles” to get stronger.
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2. Delegate
How start delegating: • Start with small tasks• Start by delegating only
to people you really trust
• Train the person so they know what is expected
• Provide immediate feedback and correction
• Repeat
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2. Delegate
Advanced Delegation: • Hold weekly team or
individual meetings to discuss tasks and priorities
• Have the team or individual provide a recap of tasks to be completed
• Review the task list at each weekly meeting to monitor progress and update with new tasks
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3. Let It Go
Entrepreneurs tend to want things done well.
This can lead to perfection problems.
8 Perfection is in direct competition with productivity.
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3. Let It Go
Entrepreneurs, more than anyone else, must learn to let go of:
• Perfectionism• Fear• Failure• Money
…and everything else that will hold you back from your dreams.
Don’t Hold Yourself Prisoner
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4. Move + Sleep
Many entrepreneurs fill their days to the brim with work, work, and more work.
But when the future of your company rests on your shoulders, you simply have to take care of yourself.
Your Cup Overfloweth
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4. Move + Sleep
Myth: entrepreneurs work all the time and never sleep.
That is a recipe for: • Severe mental illness• Physical and emotional
breakdowns• Serious health issues
like heart attack, stroke, etc.
8 I don’t think you want any of those things to happen.
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4. Move + Sleep
While you might be extra productive working through lunch or staying late one day, over time, your productivity will decrease dramatically.
8 You cannot focus unless you give your body rest and movement.
Not Glamorous!
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4. Move + Sleep
To be productive, you need to take time to:
• Move your body every day
• Get 7+ hours of sleep
Your Business’ Health is in Direct Relationship to Your Body’s Health
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Good Luck!Virginia Ginsburg
President & Chief Consultant Swell Strategies
www.swellstrategies.com