7 Unconventional Productivity Hacks for Entrepreneurs: A Roadmap
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Hey there!
I’m Coach Tiffany Taylor and I’m excited to share this 7-step productivity roadmap with you!
If we haven’t officially met, hi! Consider me your Productivity Cheerleader.
Not only have I personally overcome my own productivity challenges having ADHD and severe anxiety, I’ve also helped dozens of entrepreneurs add more than 2 productive hours to their day using my signature systems and processes.
I’m thrilled that you have your hands on this guide because I’m going to walk you through some simple, non-traditional steps you can take right now to boost your productivity.
I wrote this article specifically for entrepreneurs, solo-preneurs, & dedicated side-hustlers who want to find their sweet spot between effectiveness and efficiency so they can lead a priority-driven life and business.
This guide has 7 easy steps you can follow that will transform your productivity baseline over the next 60 days.
This is the exact step-by-step strategy I have refined through trial and error to build a holistic productivity system and that my clients have used successfully too to add 2–5 focused hours to their days, so they can scale their business, and not their stress and frustration.
And, if you’d like more support around exactly HOW to do each step, feel free to shoot over a DM asking a question.
I hope this complete roadmap inspires you to take action and upgrade your productivity and lifestyle.
~ Tiffany
P.S. If you’d like additional support, you can get a head start with the free resources and training I offer inside my free Facebook group. Come meet like minded entrepreneurs like yourself and say “Hi!” in the Productivity Hacking for Entrepreneurs community. See you inside!
STEP 1: Prepare your Mindset for Success
Every successful, productive entrepreneur uses MINDSET PRACTICES to go from overwhelmed to thriving. You too can master your own inner game so you can move through fears, self-doubt, limiting beliefs, indecision, procrastination, and other barriers to having a fully productive practice.
Develop a regular practice to remove any productivity blocks so you can create new growth opportunities in your business. Prepare for your day with a mindset practice so you’ll feel lasting confidence and energy throughout the day.
Manage your energy so you’ll be your best self full of passion and enthusiasm every day. With a powerful, revenue-generating mindset, you can start creating the cash flow and success you desire.
Recommendation links:
Mindset Spotify Playlist (FREE)
Book Recommendation: Think & Grow Rich (<$10)
Unlimited Audiobook Subscription ($8/ Mo)
STEP 2: Create Space by Letting Go
Have you ever heard the saying that you have to “let go of the things that no longer serve you?”
I’m sure you have.
Unfortunately, too many people perceive this as letting go of anything toxic in their life and not seeing it as it’s said. Don’t wait for something to turn toxic before letting go of it. Develop a practice of asking how different components in your life are serving you.
One of my clients recently made the decision not to have a personal instagram anymore.
Here’s the thing about this though. Instagram wasn’t taking all of her time. It wasn’t a toxic force for her. It didn’t overwhelm her or cause any anxiety. She didn’t have a driving reason to push her to make that decision.
She just came to the realization that it wasn’t serving her. It didn’t have a negative effect on her, but also didn’t have a positive one. She values her attention even more than her time now and she recognized that her personal Instagram didn’t benefit her in any way.
Ask yourself today, what do I put my attention towards regularly that isn’t serving me?
Is it TV? Mindless scrolling? Texting too much? Having a drink to “switch off” at the end of the day? When looking at your life, look with a minimalist’s eyes and think critically about what could be let go of to create space for something greater.
Create a list of habits you will let go of and add how much time you will gain back. Write briefly, why are you choosing to let go of that habit?
STEP 3: Build a Routine that Drives You to Your Goals on Autopilot
If you didn’t have your goals structured the way you have them now, would you still reach them anyways with your current habits, routine and schedule?
If you’ve been following me for a while now, you know that I talk about utilizing subconscious energy to become more productive. For those of you that are new to Productivity, here’s the break-down. There are two parts of your mind, conscious and subconscious (commonly called unconscious).
The subconscious mind’s role is to regulate body temperature, breathing, and take on any repetitive tasks to save your conscious mind’s energy. Read, this part controls habits and routines once instilled. The subconscious mind is a POWERFUL force and it simply runs in the background as it controls your perception of the world around you.
The conscious mind on the other hand is everything you’re using your attention and energy on day to day. It’s your thoughts, actions and anything that uses direct and focused energy to do. Naturally, the conscious mind is everything you’re currently aware of. Due to limited bandwidth, this part of your mind can be easily overwhelmed and will be supported by the subconscious mind for protection and anxiety management.
If you’ve ever felt like your mind is working against you sometimes, it might actually be true. The good news is, you can program both sides of the mind to act in alignment with the most successful version of yourself. Start by creating habits and routines that support your growth.
STEP 4: Identify and Cancel Out any Productivity Killers
Facing some mental blocks? I hear ya. As an entrepreneur, there’s SO MUCH that can get in your way of living a priority-driven, productive lifestyle. A crucial step in becoming more productive is identifying anything in your mind that can potentially stand in the way. Here are some of the top Productivity Killers my clients experience and how to know if this affects you.
Procrastination:
Delaying starting a task or pushing it off closer to a deadline.
Self-Sabotage:
Not starting on a task or finding other things to do instead of starting that task.
Perfectionism:
Completing a task and revising it multiple times, never feeling like it’s “perfect enough”
Imposter Syndrome:
Having intrusive thoughts asking you, “who are you to be striving towards that goal, “ or, “why would anyone listen to you?”
Negative Self-Talk:
Feeling like you have this inner critic voice in your head that constantly points out your flaws, mistakes or downfalls.
Self-Doubt:
Not feeling capable of actually achieving your goals; doubting your abilities
So how do you cancel out these negative forces in your mind that are working against you? Strategically.
The key to recognize here is that all of these Productivity Killers are actually symptoms of something much deeper. Instead of forcing your behavior to change or forcing yourself to execute your “discipline,” identify the root cause and work to resolve that.
Most entrepreneurs spend their energy trying to solve symptoms instead of problems.
If you want to get forward faster and with less resistance, attacking these problems at the root is the shortest route forward. Working with a coach can be a great way to fast-track the identification, understanding and release of these productivity killers.
I happen to know a great one ;)
So, what are some of the most common root causes you might be wondering?
Usually, it’s fear and perceived lack.
Here’s a quick list:
Fear of Success
Fear of Failure
Fear of the unknown
Fear of rejection
Fear of judgement
Fear of being seen
Lack of confidence
Feeling unworthy
Lack of self-efficacy
Lack of self-esteem
Lack of motivation/discipline
Step 5: Evolve your Task Management System
In my practice, I walk my clients through a process of evolving their task management system and upgrading their tools. What they have in common is that many of them focus on their tools being effective, without questioning if they’re efficient.
And I don’t necessarily blame them, because I understand the mentality. They’re already busy — how would they find time to weigh options for different systems that will be more efficient if what they’re doing already works. If that’s where you are, I can take a guess that that’s not working for you anymore and you know it’s time to level up!
Here’s how the evolution usually goes. Say you’re using a to-do list. We work together with that to-do list by adding how much time tasks will take and dividing the list into categorized lists that make more sense.
From there, we shift to an evolved to-do list. One that’s easy to look at and quick to create. From here we can shift to scheduling tasks on a digital calendar so that we don’t waste daily energy deciding which task to do next.
What if you use a planner? If you use a planner, then you might be like my client Charlotte who found a whopping SIX available hours in her day by shifting from a written planner to a digital calendar. I’ll never forget walking her through this step. She was both a student and a teacher working to make ends meet while building her photography business. She swore she had no time left in her day to apply the marketing strategies I taught her, so I walked her through this process and found the time she thought she lost. It was such an impactful session that she was able to rapidly execute and continued to double, triple and 10x her monthly bookings!
Here’s a link to the exact worksheet I used with Charlotte to begin prioritizing her tasks (It’s in the Facebook Group Units Section)
Step 6: Choose the Right Tools
Task Management Tools:
Trello
Asana
Clickup (ADHD preferred)
Notion
Scheduling Tools
Google Calendar
Any.Do (App)
Instagram Engagement
Dollar Eighty App
Distraction Defense
Self-Control App
Freedom.to
Serene
RescueTime
Step 7: Build your Time Management System Around your Values
The #1 cause of burnout I’ve seen as a Productivity Coach is lack of life balance and there’s a way to prevent it that’s so easy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself.
Oftentimes I see entrepreneurs creating a to-do list and then proceeding to cram as much as possible into their schedule in order to feel productive. I recommend reverse engineering this process, twice. First -start with what your goals are and break those down to milestone markers so you can effectively break-down what the to-dos are.
Second, break down how many hours you have in the week and make a decision on what percentages you want to allocate to which goals. If you want to spend 20% of your free time with family and 40% of your work hours on sales, how many hours does that drum up to ?
By playing with these numbers and doing the math, you’ll start being more intentional with how you’re allocating your time and you’ll be more effective at planning reasonable deadlines based on the balance you commit to for yourself.
It was by doing this math that my client Lisa was able to recognize that some of her goals were actually more of a priority than others, which allowed her to reorganize her task list to an order that drove her results much faster — while taking all that overwhelm and anxiety away from her.
What could that math look like for you? If you plan to work 40 hours per week and want to spend 40% of your time on revenue-generating activities like sales? That gives you 16 hours per week on sales. Once you allocate that properly, you can see how much time is left to work with so you can prioritize your tasks.
I hope you found this Roadmap helpful and that you have gained insights that inspire you to take action and get started on your own journey to being more productive!
I’ve shared a lot with you today, but to be honest, this is just the “appetizer.” The main course is my signature program.
It’s designed specifically for entrepreneurs who want to add 2–3 productive, focused hours to their day so they can scale their business and build their dream life.
So if you’d like support around exactly HOW to structure your time and tasks in a way that’s simple and low-stress, this program could be perfect for you! — DM for more details
It’s time to take action and go for it! Time to apply everything you learned and execute on it. Don’t forget to join the Productivity Hacking for Entrepreneurs Facebook Group for added support on your journey. I can’t wait to empower you to become the most Productive version of yourself.
Sincerely,
Tiffany
facebook.com/group/coachtiffanytaylor
www.linkedin.com/in/coachtiffanytaylor
tiffany@coachtiffanytaylor.com
