The 5 habits of highly productive entrepreneurs

A lot has been written about how employees can attain the optimum level of productivity at their workplaces. But comparatively, there isn’t much that addresses employer productivity. As an entrepreneur, how do you quantify your productivity at the workplace? Are there any measures that can elaborate the amount of work you do or the efforts you put into building an organisation on a day-to-day basis? Is there any productivity tracker that can judge your annual performance?

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There have been many cases in the past where investors have taken a call on non-performing organisation founders. While this predicament in a company’s organisational structure is often disguised as a ’strategic decision’, we all know the reality and often prefer not speaking about it.

Let’s face it, at the end of the day, we are human beings, and we do need our fair share of ‘meandering’ time. As an entrepreneur, you may have worked hard to establish an organisation that bagged a huge amount of funds, and you are now capable of hiring the best talents in the industry. Now, you may be willing to take a backseat and just observe. But would this aid your vision of making it big in the long run? Is hiring a competent team enough for your company to grow and excel in the industry? You are the foundation of the business, and there will always be a few tasks and responsibilities that cannot be done by anyone else but you. Of course, you deserve to take some time off and enjoy a good vacation, but once you are at work, it better be about delivering with your best efforts.

Coming back to the point, if you have been accused of not performing well or if you yourself have felt the lack of enthusiasm in you to achieve your targets, these 5 productivity tips will help you get back on your feet in no time.

Work in batches

Multitasking can often leave you distracted and can hamper your productivity. It is advised to divide your day into 30-minute blocks, so you can focus on one task at a time. Create a weekly timetable and follow it sincerely. At the end of the week, you’ll be able to track your performance and accountability.

In the words of Nido Qubein, a businessman, motivational speaker, and the president of High Point University since 2005, "Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets."

Be accurate with deliverables

Over-promising yourself will not lead you anywhere. Rather, it will create an atmosphere of stress leading to procrastination in many situations. Always consider both existing and unforeseen circumstances and be accurate with deadlines.

Set clear goals

While doing your share of work, you also need to keep a track of what your employees are doing. If you have assigned them tasks that directly impact your deliveries, make sure to put a reminder so that both the parties are on the same page. Sticky notes can be your friend here.

Tackle easy tasks first

This is just the opposite of prioritising. There are always some small, non-important and easy tasks that often take a backseat for days, and sometimes, get totally forgotten. Always wrap up these tasks as soon as they are assigned to you and check them out of your list first.

Cut back on meetings

Being a founder doesn’t mean that you need to be a part of every meeting that happens in your company. Let managers take charge of team meetings. The idea here is to avoid wasting time on meetings that do not add any value to your profile. As an entrepreneur, your task is to maximise profits and bring more business to the company. As for internal meetings, you are already paying a chunk of your revenue to business managers whose job it is to manage your company’s day-to-day operations.

Perhaps it is important for a founder or a co-founder to work as much as their employees do and deliver results that are expected of them. If your company has been funded, the need to show results with your performance increases manifold. You have it in you, and your flourishing business is proof enough that you have potential. So focus on what you can do and the rest will follow.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)