Trying to start a business requires a lot of your time. If you’re not careful, it will take over your entire life.
A major part of the problem is that you don’t have enough time in the day to accomplish everything that you want. When this happens, people make the mistake of finding ways to cut corners with their business or look for easy solutions.
There are no shortcuts that result in long-term success. It requires a lot of work. So, a better solution is to try to find ways to devote more time to your business.
That’s correct. Instead of trying to the perfect work/life balance, you should be trying to find ways to put more time into your business – these 9 simple life hacks will help.
#1 – Streamline Your Wardrobe
This first hack comes straight from the minds of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Streamline your wardrobe. As you’ve probably seen, Steve Jobs tended to wear the same thing during appearances – a black turtleneck. Mark Zuckerberg does this with this hoodie.
The idea is that you’ll save time by not having to worry about what you’re going to wear each day. All the clothes in your wardrobe are the same. At the same time, you don’t have to devote any of your brainpower to your clothing decision.
You don’t necessarily need to go as far as Jobs or Zuckerberg. But, getting rid of old clothes and limiting your wardrobe can save a few minutes of your crucial morning time.
#2 – Plan During Your Commute
A commute doesn’t have to be an annoying daily chore. You can use this time to plan your day or even get started on your work. Though, this depends on the transportation that you use.
If you’re taking a cab, a bus, a train, or a sub, you could use a laptop or tablet to get real work done. But, if you’re driving yourself, you’ll need both hands for driving. So, use the trip to start thinking about what needs to get accomplished.
Choose one big goal that needs to get done by the end of the day. When you arrive at the office, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.
#3 – Get Rid of Your Social Media
Social media is one of the biggest distractions. Managers regularly complain that this is the major cause of productivity issues in the workplace. 34 percent of workers use social media to take breaks from their work.
You don’t need this distraction. So, get rid of it.
You can always check your Facebook page when you get done with your work for the day. Unless social media is crucial to your business, you don’t need to check it throughout the day.
Remove social media apps from your phone and don’t visit social media sites from your work computer.
#4 – Eliminate All Distractions
Along with social media, you need to get rid of any other distractions that you come across. This could include anything from music playing in the office to games on your phone.
If you work from home part of the time, you should turn off the television while you work. If you decide to play music, you should only play music without vocals. Vocals can cause a distraction, whether or not you choose to sing along.
#5 – Take Regular Breaks
If you work nonstop, your productivity will drop. In fact, one study found that working over 55 hours will make you practically useless. While you may need to occasionally work 55 hours or more during the week, regular breaks can help keep your mind fresh.
Every two hours, you should take at least a 5-minute break. During this time, you should grab a healthy snack, drink some water, go for a jog, or get some fresh air. Get away from your work setting for a few minutes or just stretch your legs.
This short break will help you stay on track so that you can make the best use of your available time.
#6 – Don’t Try to Multitask
Multitasking is a shortcut that doesn’t really work. It doesn’t save you time or help you accomplish anything any quicker. It requires additional brainpower and offers no real advantage.
Focus on one task at a time. If you’ve chosen one main goal for the day, then other tasks are simply distractions. Focus on your goals and if you have time for more – great. But, otherwise, stick to your plans and avoid multitasking.
#7 – Spend Less Time on Menial Jobs
While you should focus on one big task at the start of the day, other tasks will come up. You can push these to the side to focus on your main goals. But, this isn’t always possible.
Sometimes a quick task or project will come that takes precedent over the other tasks. You can rush some of these smaller tasks if it will help you get back on track and resume work on your main goals.
#8 – Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
A little assistance can really help free up your time. Let others handle some of the work. You can focus on your main goals. If you’re doing everything on your own and always feel like you’re rushing to get things done, then it’s time to start hiring employees.
#9 – Set a Regular Bedtime
You’re not too old to have a bedtime. In fact, everyone should have a set time that they go to bed. This helps improve the quality of your sleep, which is necessary for being able to devote as much time as possible to your business.
You’re going to be making important decisions, so you need your rest. Get regular sleep, set a bedtime, and then get up at the same time every day.
Some may not like the idea of finding ways to do more work. That’s not necessarily the purpose of these life hacks. You’re not trying to free up all your time so that you can spend 90 hours or more with your business.
Instead, you’re trying to free up time so that you can accomplish your goals and reach the point where you can have a good work/life balance. This isn’t something that comes naturally.
It’s one of the struggles of being an entrepreneur in a modern society. Otherwise, everyone would have their own business.
You need to be willing to devote yourself to your goals and if this means streamlining your life to have more time for your business – you’ll just have to deal with it.
