As an entrepreneur, you already understand that time literally means money. That means one of the most productive things you can do is to make the best use of your time.

Being productive isn’t working 60+ hours a week or sacrificing your health, relationships, or hobbies just because you have a business. In fact, scientific research shows that if you work more than 40 hours a week, your productivity goes down by 50%.

Remember, more hours doesn’t mean your business will grow.

Here are 10 productivity tips that will get you to achieve more while working less:

1. Do Not Multitask

Contrary to popular belief, multitasking doesn’t save time. Instead, it disrupts your attention and causes you to waste time, experience more stress and make more mistakes.

2. Prioritize Your Most Critical Tasks

Instead of multitasking, focus on the task that moves the needle of your business. Figure out which is the crucial task you must do every day. Then do it every day as the first thing.

3. Focus on What You Do Best

Instead of being known as an all-purpose graphic designer, become known as the graphic designer who specializes in designing packaging for food products. Instead of being known as a general writer, market yourself as a writer for small socially-responsible businesses. Not only does specialization make your business easier to market, but it also makes your workload easier by allowing you to focus on the work you do best.

4. Delegate What Doesn’t Need Your Attention

While you’re figuring out which tasks are the most important for you to do, cross out the tasks you will say NO to. Delegate these tasks to your team and focus on supervising them.

5. Control Your Email Addict

Limit checking emails to 1-2 times a day. It will be even better if you fix the time for checking emails. For instance, check email once at 10 am and then at 4 pm on workdays.

6. Develop a Routine

Routines are sets of actions you perform with a certain frequency, almost automatically, without much effort. They are systems you can create to simplify your life. By developing routines to blog writing, social media posting, sending proposals, etc… you save time and become more productive, which you end up doing really well almost without thinking.

7. Capture Ideas Before they Disappear

Next time your brain creates an idea, write it down in a notebook or on your phone’s notes app. If you’re driving or walking the dog – dictate your ideas to your phone. And when you have fully-baked ideas (those keep waking me up at nights) use a mindmap to quickly catch up as many details as you can remember.

8. Eliminate Distractions

If you can’t completely eliminate emails, phone calls, text messages, social media, “got a minute” meetings, etc… simply designate “distraction time blocks” in your agenda, and on all other times… Disconnect.

9. Schedule Breaks in Your Agenda

By taking time off, or slow time, you give your brain time to be creative and innovative. Scheduling time off or slow thinking time by going for a walk, meditating or taking a power nap would do wonders to your creativity and productivity.

10. Keep Both a ‘To-Do’ And ‘Ta-Da’ Lists

You probably use ‘to-do’ lists to help organize your days. To-do lists have their place and are very beneficial – especially if you create it at night instead of in the morning and avoid adding to your to-do list throughout the day. A ‘Ta-Aa’ list is beneficial because it lets you see your accomplishments and is a fantastic motivational tool. 

Now It’s YOUR Turn

For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… what do YOU do to boost your productivity?