Proven Time Management & Productivity Techniques for Entrepreneurs

My friends are always amazed at how much I accomplish and frequently ask "How do you get so much done?". I normally just shrug it off, but the question has been coming so much lately that I decided to share my top productivity techniques.

1. Use lists.

I am a huge proponent of lists -- it's actually pretty compulsive. :-)

I make daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly and annual lists. 90 percent of my lists come straight from my marketing plan -- I find that having a detailed marketing plan allows me to plan for all aspects of my business. I can gauge my income, expenses, projects, etc. all from this one plan.

My monthly, quarterly and annual "lists" are in the form of a 2' x 3' wall calendar. It's simple to avoid doublebooking something or overcommiting myself when I can easily glance up and see what I've got going on -- it's also a great way to stay focused!

If you simply "show up" and see what happens day by day, you are dealing with "stuff" that happens rather than the strategic items that push your business forward. "Stuff" happens and I have time each day when I deal with it, but 99% of the time it doesn't throw me off schedule since I've allotted some time for things that come up.

I create my weekly list each Sunday and my daily lists are written at the end of each day for the following day. This allows my subconscious to "process" while I'm making dinner, reading or relaxing in the evenings. Making these lists is such a part of my "scripting" process that I no longer even think about it. I just do it. And, while I've given substantial sums of money to Franklin Covey over the years, I've found that a yellow pad or simple notebook serves me best and that's what I currently use.

2. Visualize and script your days.

I've advocated the book PsychoCybernetics by Maxwell Maltz before and will do so again. It's not the easiest or funnest book you'll ever read, but if you apply his visualization and scripting techniques, you'll be amazed at the difference in your productivity.

Research studies have been done with Olympic athletes where they close their eyes and visualize performing in their event -- from the start of the gun to crossing the finish line. The results? The athletes who visualized winning over and over in their minds' eyes often won in reality. Our subconscious doesn't know the difference between real and imagined. While they were visualizing performing, their muscles and heart rate were firing as if they were actually in the event.

Scripting your days also tells your subconscious to work on "x" before you've even had a chance to consciously think about it. I can tell you what I'm working on during any time of the day. For example, I write every morning. It's not a matter of "I don't feel like it today" or "I don't know what to write". I sit down and I write. Period. This is scripted into my day such that it's become a routine and my mind knows that this is what it's doing at a certain time each day. As a result, the words come.

The benefit?

Creating lists allows you to cross things off. It's such a great feeling to look at your list and see all the checkmarks next to what you've done. If I do something that wasn't originally planned for, I write it on the list. This keeps me in check with what I take on during the day in relation to my original plans.

The act of scripting your day forces you to visualize what you will be working on. This does two things: 1/ creates a sense of deja vu when you are actually doing the work as your mind has thought about it previously; remember, the mind can not differentiate between actual and imagined and 2/ allows your mind to work in the background on a certain project or task as you focus on something else.

Now's your chance. You can think "This won't work for me" or "I can't do this in my business" -- this works in *any* business and will work for *anyone*. To think otherwise is just another excuse.

Techniques 3, 4 and 5 will come next week. Until then, remember that it takes 21 days to create a routine. Stick with it and watch your productivity skyrocket.

Online Business Manager & Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini teaches small business owners how to create more success in their business while maintaining their sanity and having fun. Sandra's coaching programs are available via teleconferencing, emails and telephone calls. For more information and to receive the FREE special report, "7 Wealth-Building Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs", go to www.Online-Biz-Coach.com. Are you a virtual assistant or consultant who's working day and night in your business and still wondering where the money is? If so, check out www.VAGuideToMoney.com today.

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