151 | 10 Ways to 10x Your Productivity and Unlock your Potential as an Entrepreneur
By implementing these 10 strategies, you can supercharge your productivity as an entrepreneur and unlock your full potential.
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In this episode, Danielle shares some of the best strategies she has learned over her 11+ Years of Entrepreneurship when it comes to productivity and truly unlocking your full potential as a business owner.
There are so many things as Women in business that take up our time, attention and energy. Some things are truly important - like our kids, relationships, and other commitments that we have like volunteering or involvement in communities that are important to us. As business owners, we need to get SERIOUS about how we are spending our time. We also need to be honest with ourselves and sometimes give ourselves some tough love and realize that much of the time that has been put aside to work on our businesses is wasted.
Our hope for this episode is that you can take even one or two things from this episode to have exponentially more productive and efficient days when it comes to your business!
Prioritize Profitable Tasks
Not all tasks in your business hold the same importance. Categorize your activities based on their contribution to the bottom line. Focus most of your time on money-making tasks that directly or indirectly generate revenue, such as building your email list, sales calls, collaborations, and strategic partnerships.
Break Projects into Small Tasks
Instead of overwhelming yourself with large projects, break them down into smaller, manageable tasks. By doing this, you can maintain focus, avoid feeling overwhelmed, and complete each task within 10 minutes or less. This approach helps you stay on track and boosts productivity.
Turn Off Notifications
Minimize distractions by turning off all notifications on your phone and computer. Even the light or vibration can interrupt your workflow. Consider placing your phone in another room or out of reach to eliminate the temptation of checking it frequently.
Set Timers
Set timers for tasks to improve time management and maintain accountability. Estimate the time needed for each task, and when the timer goes off, either take a break or reset it to continue working. This technique ensures you stay on track, complete tasks promptly, and avoid wasting time.
Delegate Tasks
Identify tasks that can be delegated to others, whether to a virtual assistant or team members. Focus on your core competencies and delegate tasks that can be efficiently handled by others. Delegation allows you to allocate more time to revenue-generating activities and strategic growth.
Utilize Tools and Apps
Explore various productivity tools, apps, and artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline your business operations. These tools can help with organization, time management, and task automation. Find the ones that best suit your needs and gradually incorporate them into your routine.
Implement Time Blocking
Use time blocking to schedule specific blocks of time for different activities and tasks. This technique helps create structure and ensures you allocate dedicated time for important activities, such as client meetings, content creation, and strategic planning.
Practice the Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique involves working in focused intervals, typically 25 minutes, followed by short breaks. Set a timer for each interval and focus solely on the task at hand. After completing one interval, take a short break before starting the next. This method enhances concentration and productivity.
Optimize Your Workspace
Create an environment that supports productivity. Keep your workspace clean, organized, and free from distractions. Personalize it with elements that inspire and motivate you. An optimized workspace can significantly impact your focus and efficiency.
Take Care of Yourself
Lastly, prioritize self-care to maintain productivity and unlock your potential. Get enough sleep, exercise regularly, eat well, and practice mindfulness or meditation. Taking care of your physical and mental well-being allows you to show up as your best self in your business.
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transcript
[00:00:00] Danielle: Hello, friend. Welcome back to the podcast. Today I wanna share with you some of the best strategies I have learned over my 11 plus years of entrepreneurship when it comes to productivity and unlocking your full potential as a business owner. So as a woman in business, there is so much that takes up our time and attention and energy, and some of those things are truly super.
[00:00:29] Danielle: I. Our kids, our relationships, other commitments. Maybe we volunteer for organizations or maybe really, we're really involved in communities like our church and different things, and all of those things are super important. But as business owners, we need to get super serious about how we are spending our time and we need.
[00:00:51] Danielle: Honest with ourselves and sometimes give ourselves a little bit of tough love and recognize that some of the time [00:01:00] that we are supposed to be putting aside to work on our businesses is totally wasted. And I'm not saying that to shame anyone. I'm not. Saying that to, for you to be down on yourself, because quite honestly, I deal with the exact same problems and the exact same issues.
[00:01:18] Danielle: However, I have learned things from the, like I said, 11 plus years of me being in the entrepreneurial space, working from home, working remotely. That has really helped. Come up to seasons of my business, which it does happen. I am human just like all of you, where I'm feeling less productive or I'm feeling less motivated, or I'm feeling less like I'm getting what I need to get done in my business.
[00:01:45] Danielle: And so my hope for you for this, Episode is that you can even take one or two of the things that I'm gonna be sharing with you to exponentially create more productivity and more efficiency in your days when it comes to your [00:02:00] business. So let's go ahead and dive into 10 tips to 10 X your productivity and grow your business.
[00:02:08] Danielle: Welcome to the Business Babes Collective podcast. I'm your host, Danielle. We, in this podcast, you'll learn tangible business tips and strategies on how to grow successfully and sustainably. We'll also interview seasoned entrepreneurs so you can listen in on their stories and see behind the scenes of what it took to grow and scale their businesses.
[00:02:29] Danielle: Let's dive in as we discuss the wild, exciting, crazy challenging, rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship. All right. Tip number one is to prioritize your important money making tasks. So what I wanna say on this is that not all tasks in your business are created equal. So I want you to write down a list of everything that you do in your day, and I.
[00:02:59] Danielle: [00:03:00] Categorize it based on its priority, and I want you to ask yourself for each and every task that you are doing inside of your business, ask yourself, how is this task contributing to the bottom line of my business? If it is a task that is directly or indirectly tied to the money that you're making in your business, the revenue growth, then that is a priority number.
[00:03:27] Danielle: As the ceo, as the business. The majority of your time needs to be spent on money making activities. I don't care if you are just getting started and you are a solo entrepreneur, and I don't care if you have a team of 10 to 20 people. Your job as the CEO is to be bringing in revenue and income into the business because without that, we all.
[00:03:53] Danielle: We don't have a business. So we talk about this actually in detail inside of our Action Takers Club [00:04:00] program, and I talk about this a lot as well, just with my clients and mastermind members about prioritizing the profitable tasks in your business. And I see all the time this comes up with my clients, that they are focused on tasks.
[00:04:14] Danielle: They feel super overwhelmed. They see, feel super busy within their businesses. However, they're focused on tasks that are actually not moving the needle and not growing their business. And so I think it's important to really figure out, okay, what are the actual profitable tasks that are going to move my business forward?
[00:04:34] Danielle: So for example, building your email list, pitching, following up with potential. Sales calls, collaborations, hosting events, both virtual and in person. Um, partnering with other business owners in order to get more exposure for your brand. Affiliate partnerships. There's so many things that are money making activities.
[00:04:57] Danielle: Inside of your business, and if you're currently feeling [00:05:00] lost on that, this is one of my favorite things to strategize, strategize on with my clients. So let's book a one-on-one session and just get clarity on what you should be focused on. What your profitable tasks are so that you can bring in more revenue in your in your business, because I can promise you things get so much less stressful when you actually have cash flow in your business.
[00:05:27] Danielle: When you're not desperate for that money inside of your business, things just flow so much easier and you're able to actually. On the business and think of the big picture strategy rather than just focusing on, uh, tasks within the business. Okay, so that's tip number one. Tip number two is breaking your projects down.
[00:05:49] Danielle: So often what I see as well is when people have quote unquote, To-do lists. It's like they have these big, huge projects and things that they [00:06:00] have on their to-do list, right? And what ends up happening is that they look at that project and they get super overwhelmed because there's so much that has to be done within that project.
[00:06:11] Danielle: And so what I always encourage all of my clients and our. To do is break those projects down into super small, achievable tasks that are gonna take you less than 10 minutes to accomplish. This is what is gonna help you stay super focused on the next task at hand, and it's also gonna help you. Feel way less overwhelmed when it comes to sitting down to actually work on a project is cuz when it is broken down into those small steps, you can just focus on that one small thing that you have to do within that 10 minutes.
[00:06:48] Danielle: It also really helps you get more done because if you think about it, let's say for example you have a time limit of, okay, I have 20 more minutes, or [00:07:00] I have 15 more. Until I have to go and pick up my daughter from daycare, whatever that looks like, right? So if you know, you only have 15 to 20 minutes, if you have a big project on your list, you're probably gonna think, oh, okay.
[00:07:15] Danielle: I can't really get anything done within this timeframe, so I'm just gonna kind of like, look at my phone, scroll, social media, you know, waste time, check my inbox. All those things that, again, are not profitable tasks. But if we. Small tasks on our list that we know are only only gonna take us about 10 to 15 minutes to complete, then we can actually get at least one thing checked off that list when we only have a small timeframe remaining.
[00:07:45] Danielle: So can you see how that will actually help you get more done and be more productive in the time that you have? Cuz you're not gonna waste time because you have those big projects. You're gonna be. Tick those things off one by one [00:08:00] when you break it down into smaller pieces. Okay, number three. Tip number three I have for you is turn off.
[00:08:07] Danielle: All your notifications on your phone, on your computer, don't have anything that is going to ding you or send you a notification or even like even notifications on your phone. Even if your sound is turned off, just the light that comes up, if you have your phone right there, it can be so incredibly distracting.
[00:08:30] Danielle: And I know, for example, when I work and I have my. Right beside me, I am way less productive than when I put my phone either in another room or if I put it out of reach, I get so much more done. So if that's how you need to do it, whether it's. Taking all your notifications off your phone, which I did years ago.
[00:08:52] Danielle: I don't get notifications for anything on my phone anymore. Um, if you, that I think is just step number one. But even [00:09:00] further than that, I would either put your phone where it's completely out of reach or have it in a completely different room so that you can focus on your work distraction. Okay, tip number four is setting a timer.
[00:09:14] Danielle: Um, so again, if you ha if you don't have your phone near you, then you can set a timer if you have like, um, uh, Google or Alexa or whatever, or you can set a timer on your computer. So setting a timer. For the amount of time that you think it's going to take you to complete a task is super helpful, and it's kind of a way to keep yourself accountable.
[00:09:36] Danielle: So, for example, when that timer goes off, if the task is done, awesome, take a quick break and then move on to the next task. If the task is not done yet, then you can reset the timer and keep going. Um, and then when that, um, when that timer goes off, then again take a break if the task is complete, it also helps you keep on track.
[00:09:58] Danielle: So, for example, if you find the [00:10:00] timer goes off and you find yourself, oh, you're scrolling social media, or like, oh, you're in your inbox, you know, looking at your inbox for 10 minutes and you actually didn't complete the task. It helps you to redirect your attention to the task at hand so that you don't get distracted with.
[00:10:18] Danielle: Okay, number five. Tip number five I have for you is to delegate. So what tasks can you start to delegate? So if you already have a virtual assistant or if you have someone on your team that's helping you, what are some things that you're currently doing in in your business that you actually need to delegate more to your team?
[00:10:40] Danielle: I know for me, there are things that I am currently doing that I actually need to delegate, and I have not delegated those things before. And again, I'm being transparent with you guys. I am human just like you guys, and I have so much room to grow still in my business. And so. I need [00:11:00] to delegate actually more to my team.
[00:11:02] Danielle: I need to actually do less so that I can focus all of my time and all of my attention on money making activities, on partnerships, on collaborations, on growing the podcast. All of those things that I know are really driving the business forward, those are the things that I need to be hyper focused on, and I need to stay within my genius zone.
[00:11:26] Danielle: And because of some of those tasks that I have not yet delegated to the team that is holding me back from that next level of success inside of my business, and I know. I know that that is the reason why we are not getting to that next level that I know I have a vision for. And so that is something that is a priority for me to actually delegate more, do less, and focus on the genius, my genius zone, and do more of what only I can do within the business.
[00:11:59] Danielle: So [00:12:00] hopefully that makes. Delegation. Super, super key and super important. Number six is use tools, apps, and ai. So artificial intelligence to help you become more productive. So there are so many tools and apps that we can use inside of our business to keep ourselves organized, to help us manage our time, to automate tasks that maybe.
[00:12:26] Danielle: Maybe tasks that you're doing on a consistent basis, there's some of those tasks that you can completely automate. There are tools out there that will actually automate those tasks for you. Um, we did an entire episode actually on tools that help you save time and money in your business. That was actually a.
[00:12:45] Danielle: Back in 2021. So it was episode 24. If you wanna go back and listen to that, it is still extremely relevant. All of the tools that I talk about within that episode, I am still using today, and they still save us [00:13:00] so much time. So I will link that episode in the show notes of this episode so that you can go directly there and you can listen to that episode just to help save you some time so you don't have to scroll through a bunch of episodes in order to find.
[00:13:14] Danielle: What I want you to do though with these tools is find the ones that work best for you. Figure out what you need as far as tools to help you be more productive and incorporate them into your routine. And so if you're currently not really using any apps or any tools, then start with one and build upon it over time.
[00:13:36] Danielle: So we didn't start to use all of these tools all at once. That would've been really overwhelming, but we've. We've built these tools into our processes and systems as we've. And it's really helped us to streamline a lot of our workflows and really helped us stay organized and productive. Another thing that I want to [00:14:00] talk about, and oh my gosh, I feel like I need to do an entire episode on this, so I definitely will at some point, but using ai, so using artificial intelligence to help you be more productive in your business, especially when it comes to creating content, especially when it comes to brainstorming ideas for your business.
[00:14:19] Danielle: Like when it comes to coming up with strategies or um, outlines for things. Oh my goodness. You guys chat. G p t is incredible for some of this. And so I know that some people are a little bit, uh, wary of AI and they're like, oh, it's just like, I don't know if I wanna use it and all these things. But listen, you guys, we have been using artificial intelligence for years and years and years and years.
[00:14:48] Danielle: Um, think about just the iPhone. In general, like there is so much of AI that's already just so integrated into our daily lives that we just need to embrace it [00:15:00] cuz this is coming, it's not going anywhere and it's only gonna get more and more prevalent in our world. And so I want you guys to be on the cutting edge of that.
[00:15:09] Danielle: And that's the reason why I have been really studying ai. I've been studying artificial intelligence. I've been studying how to use chat, G P T and other programs, other artificial intelligence programs in order to support. And help you be more productive with the time that you have. And I've actually already used it in one of our brand new programs, breakthrough Growth Accelerator, which I think you guys heard about in previous episodes.
[00:15:39] Danielle: But right now we're going through this. Program. And one of the things that I walked our students through is creating their titles and their taglines for the virtual events that they're hosting within chat g p t and how to get a really incredible, uh, basically like a, a juicy title [00:16:00] tagline, as well as some takeaways that is directly catered to their ideal client and customer.
[00:16:08] Danielle: And it's just a great way to brainstorm so that from there you can tweak it and you can work with it to create really great results as far as your marketing materials. So I highly recommend play around with it. Um, get comfortable with it. Figure out how to actually prompt it. Because the big thing about AI is it's only as good as the prompt that you give it.
[00:16:34] Danielle: So the better that you can prompt these, um, softwares in order to support you in your business, um, the easier it's gonna be to use and the better results you're gonna have from it. I am really enjoying learn learning more about it, and it's really incredible. I think, how it's not only helping you save time, but also brain power to come up with content ideas, marketing [00:17:00] materials, all those things.
[00:17:00] Danielle: So again, I'll probably do an entire episode. On just ai, um, in the future weeks. So if you're interested in that, if you're interested in that topic, feel free to send me a DM at Danny Living Life. I would love to hear from you. What questions do you have? What kind of things do you want to, um, know about ai?
[00:17:20] Danielle: I am definitely not the expert in this. However, I am learning a lot about it and how we can use it to fuel our. Okay, so number seven is getting organized. So clutter and a disorganization can be super distracting, and it can also lead to decreases in your pro productivity. So this is specifically for your workspace, like your actual physical workspace.
[00:17:48] Danielle: I highly recommend keeping that clean, keeping it organiz. And then also when it comes to online as well, keeping your online digital files organized [00:18:00] too. This is something that I'm really, really working on. I have so many files, uh, that need to be properly sorted and organized, and I know it's something that often takes up more time than necessary and slows me down in my workday.
[00:18:16] Danielle: And so this is something that I'm really hyper focused. Getting organized so that I can have a clear mind when I go to work and I know where everything is. Okay, number eight is switching up your environment. So this is somewhat related to the last one, but where are you most productive? Is it at home? Is it at a coffee shop?
[00:18:36] Danielle: Is it at a co-working space And trying new and different workspaces until you find something that works for you. So I, I personally love doing at least three days a week. I go to a co coworking space and that helps me stay super product. Now, this is going to change soon when I have baby number two, as I'll need to be working from home a lot [00:19:00] more frequently.
[00:19:01] Danielle: But I would just really recommend always reevaluating what is working for you at your stage of life and business, and where are you able to be the most productive? Okay, number nine is taking care of yourself and your health. Now, this might seem like an obvious one, but getting enough. Staying hydrated, fueling your body with healthy foods.
[00:19:27] Danielle: I'm really working on this again myself as well. I'm getting better at this because I totally notice when I take pro proper care of my health, my business starts to flourish, and there's often a direct correlation between when my energy is low and I'm not feeling inspired. All of those things I know it's because I haven't really been taking care of.
[00:19:53] Danielle: Uh, properly. And when I start to make more healthy choices and I get enough sleep and I'm drinking enough [00:20:00] water, that often will actually help me feel more creative, more inspired, and more productive overall. So that's a really, really important one and I think one that often gets missed, unfortunately as entre entrepreneurs, cuz because we put it on the back burner, so, Number 10 is get accountability or get a coach or get connected with other entrepreneurs.
[00:20:25] Danielle: I am always so much more productive when I have accountability for my goals. That's why I'm. Always investing in different programs in coaching, in Masterminds and being a part of other communities because for me, being surrounded by other people who have similar, if not way larger goals than I do, keeps me on track when I'm feeling unmotivated or when I have an unproductive day.
[00:20:55] Danielle: So, So, so key. If you do not have that accountability or if you don't [00:21:00] have a community to connect with, then I highly recommend getting plugged in, whether that be with our community or another community. It's just a no-brainer because if you're trying to do everything by yourself and you're feeling isolated, you are just really, um, prolonging the amount of time that it's gonna take you to hit your goals within your business if you're just trying to do it all on your own.
[00:21:28] Danielle: Okay. Now a bonus tip that I have is to learn how to set boundaries and how to say yes to the right opportunities and no to the wrong opportunities. This one sometimes takes some time just to learn, but the more you can get clarity on your vision and where you're going and what your goals are, the easier.
[00:21:50] Danielle: Will become, it will become a no-brainer. When you have an opportunity that comes to you in your inbox, whatever that looks like, it'll be a [00:22:00] no-brainer. Is this aligned with my vision? Is this gonna bring me closer to where I wanna be a year from now, five years from now, 10 years from now? And you'll be able to really quickly pick that up and either decide, okay, it's a yes, or this is no a no for me, um, in this season.
[00:22:18] Danielle: Okay, so that is it. Your 10 tips plus a bonus tip on 10 Xing your productivity. I really hope you enjoyed this episode. Send me a DM on Danny Living Life. Let me know which of these 10 plus tips you are most excited to implement, and let me know how it helps you become more. Before you go, I just wanted to share that I've gotten a lot of people sending me dms, just asking how they can be a part of our community, how they can potentially work with me.
[00:22:51] Danielle: And so I wanted to share just a few ways that we can work together, whether that be one-on-one or a part of one of our programs. So [00:23:00] right now, there are three ways that we can work together. Number one is if you join our Action Takers Club, which is our s. Business program. This is a self-paced course that actually helps you scale a profitable business without working around the clock.
[00:23:16] Danielle: So we talk a lot about systems. We talk about goal setting, figuring out who your ideal client is. Sales. We talk about pricing, collaborations. There's so much juice. In that course. Oh my goodness, there's so much value in there, but it's self-paced, so you can do it at your own pace. And the beautiful thing about this course is that it also comes with a community, and so you will immediately get access to group coaching calls every single month.
[00:23:43] Danielle: With me where you can ask your questions, no question is off the table. You come, you get your questions answered. You connect with a broader community of other entrepreneurs. And then we also have our monthly virtual networking. And that is just so cool because it [00:24:00] just helps you to connect and network with other entrepreneurs that are working towards similar goals that.
[00:24:07] Danielle: That's also the most accessible and affordable way to get access to me and my coaching. So you can find all those details@businessbabescollective.com slash Action Takers Club. And then the second way that we can work together is one-on-one coaching. I'm taking a very, very limited amount of one-on-one clients between now and April as baby is on the way.
[00:24:29] Danielle: So if you're feeling stuck and you're needing a strategy call, you're needing to get clarity on what direction to take in the growth of your business, or you wanna monetize your idea, you're not sure what your profitable tasks are, then let's absolutely book a call together. You can apply for coaching@businessbabescollective.com slash.
[00:24:50] Danielle: And then our mastermind is the last way that we can work together. And this is for you. If your business is a little bit further along, you're in a place where you're [00:25:00] actually ready to scale. You are making money, but you know that you have so much more potential within your business to really ex. BLO and scale it.
[00:25:10] Danielle: And so if you would love to have a group of other entrepreneurs and more intimate access to me where you can actually brainstorm, get feedback, get intimate connection, where you can actually be in an incubator of other women who are going for big things so that you can achieve your goals that.
[00:25:29] Danielle: Honestly, you probably never thought possible. We have women in our group who are just making huge, big things happen and it's so exciting to see. So if you're interested in being a part of that intimate group, you can go to business vapes collective.com/mastermind to apply. It's by application only. And you guys, this is a perfect time to take advantage of these offers because.
[00:25:54] Danielle: I've mentioned this in previous episodes, but the prices for our programs are gonna be going up [00:26:00] very soon, as well as pricing for my one-on-one clients, just because I'm not gonna be able to take on as much after baby. So it's been a long time coming. We've been talking about raising the price for some of these things for a very long time, and so if you've been on the fence of whether it be joining one of our programs or getting coaching now, is the.
[00:26:23] Danielle: Jump in, connect with us because this is the time where you can get that support within your business. And I would absolutely love and be so, so honored to work with you and support you as you create your next level of success. So thank you so much for listening. I am. So excited to see you in the next episode.
[00:26:43] Danielle: Until then, have an incredible rest of your day.
[00:26:49] Danielle: If you love this episode, make sure you screenshot, post and tag us on Instagram at business babes co. Want to know when the next episode goes live? Subscribe on your podcast [00:27:00] app and while you're there, gave us a review. Until next time, keep dreaming big, setting goals and taking action.