Time is the most valuable commodity we living beings have. We all have the same amount of time everyday; 24 hours. Whether we are healthy or ill, tired or strong, rich or poor, young or old, we all have the same amount of hours each day, and none of us can buy time back. What we do with our time is what makes the difference in our lives. Since we can’t go back in time to make amends or do things right, we have to make sure we are maximising the most of our time every day regardless of our situation.
For us online entrepreneurs, managing our time and being as productive as possible is so important. Especially as most of us work alone and we are our own bosses.
Many people wonder how I get “the time” to do all I do – juggling my twin toddlers pretty much by myself all day, and running my online projects. When I wrote my book – How to Cash In as a Blogger, many asked how I found the time for that. I found it so weird that I kept getting asking the same question over and over again. Well, when there is a will, there is a way, and there is always enough time to get done all that needs to be done.
Here are 3 productivity hacks that have worked for me in the past 5 years, you may work for you as well:
Guard your time
Now this is the first productivity hack I am mentioning for a reason, and that is because without having the time, you can’t get anything done. So you need to ensure you guard your time jealously.
In 24 hours, I need to sleep at least 7 hours so I don’t get grumpy, I need to eat my meals, I need to feed my family, I need to get my kids to pre school and get them back home in time, I need to write, I need to get blog work done, I need to attend to my freelance clients, and so on. So with all the various tasks that need to be done, I can’t afford to speak on the phone for hours, to be on Whatsapp chatting endlessly, watch all the series on TV or lie in bed all day. I need to guard my time.
Once you guard your time, you will find that you have more time than you thought you did.
Set a routine
Once your time has been guarded, then you need to set a clear routine so you know what needs to be done daily and in what order, leaving a bit of room for flexibility. Having a to-do list helps massively as well. I tend to be on top of my day when I stick to my to-do list.
The beauty of having a routine and to-do list is that you don’t need to think of what needs to be done because you know that already. It helps you become more efficient.
Work hard
Many people say it is work smart and not hard. I tend to disagree with this many times depending on the situation. In order to be productive, you have to be hard-working. Yes you will need to work smart too but you will have to work hard first for your work smart to work for you.
Imagine if Beyoncé was “working smart” from her days in Destiny’s Child? Do you think she would be where she is today? No I don’t think so. For you to relax on your hustle, you have to put in the work in the foundation days.
Do you have a productivity hack to share? Please drop it in the comment box below.
Thanks for reading.
Great tips, I find having a routine I stick to is important for me!
Thanks Lianne.
I agree with all of these tips. Planning and your time and sticking to your schedule is vital!
Yes so vital.
Great post and yes working hard is key! Sometimes even when you’re having to juggle more than one job and other tasks, it pays off…in the end!
Thanks Jennifer.
Great tips here! It is too easy to work inefficiently when you’re at home blogging so schedules and planning are vital.
Thanks Kate.
Great post… Thanks so much for sharing <3
Thanks for reading.
I need to be more organised with my time. I tend to grab minutes here and there and it isn’t very productive. x
Yea it isn’t Charlotte.
I agree it is important to work hard and I tell myself that it will all be worth it one day. I know that one day I will be rewarded x
Yea it is important. Thanks Ana x
I’m trying to start every day with a to-do list so I make sure I get enough done!
Well smart Laura.
Love all these tips, I find a routine of getting up early and starting work by 9am works best for me x
Thanks Emma.
Time management is so important. It’s hard for my mummy to balance work and blogging in her free time sometimes x
Yes it is.
I would definitely need to set myself a routine. I’d just have the TV on otherwise
Same here..
Routines are so important, they’re an essential in my opinion.
Yea they are.
Great tips! Definitely need to be more vigilant with my productivity
Thanks Aileen.
Excellent tips. I also have to make sure my to do lists are written and that I can be as organised as possible. Especially as I home school too, time batching is essential x
Thanks Jayne.
Great tips, I sometimes find very difficult to actually work at home, because I always associate home as my comfort zone not a work place. I definitely need some of your advice . x
Glad you like the tips Anna x
Great post x
Thanks.
These are great tips. I’d never heard of guarding your time but it makes sense. Everything is a bit up in the air at the moment for me as we are about to move country but as soon as we do I plan on getting to-do lists in order and a routine nailed.
Thanks. Glad you like the tips.
Having routine and making to do lists are essential for me to keep up with my tasks. Also helps when you have a strong motivation.
Yea it does. Thanks Evelina.
Routine routine routine. Get that right and running smooth anything can be achieved.
True that.
I m doing some research on productivity, and you are totally right about the guarding time. There is so much to do, and just not enough to do too much mindless things. Great post!
I’m making a virtual desk where all memos can be placed on,Please check it out if you have time!
I will. Thank you.
This is a great post! Couldn’t agree more with all the points you made. I try to make everything as automated as possible to make sure I have enough time for everything else.
Thanks. Glad you like the post.
I mentioned you on my Favourite Blog Posts of the Week! Take a read
Oh thanks. I will.
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Guarding your time is a great point – it’s so easy to get distracted online. One visit to Wikipedia and I find myself sucked down a rabbit hole of obscure factoids, emerging from it 2 hours later not know where I’ve been.
Thanks for the post!
Thank you for reading.
Great post- loved the Beyonce example 🙂
Thanks for reading. Glad you did.
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This is fantastic! Thank you x
Thank you for reading. Glad you found it helpful.
Love the list! Routine is massive. I try to be better at this every day.
Oh good Tim.
Thanks 😀
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Thank you for sharing. I agree. Work ethic is so crucial. I’ve ALWAYS hired work ethic over smarts and it’s always proven to be the right decision. And also, routine = freedom. Sounds paradoxical, but it’s true.
I can understand why you would hire work ethics over smarts. That is a smart decision.
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I find it so hard to set a routine! But a routine definitely frees up more time… things to work on… Great article! sharing it with my business partner
Thank you.
Guarding my time is an extremely hard task. I work a full time job, In college part time and trying to promote my book while contributing to a partial ownership in a friends business. Sometimes I feel like I have a ton on my plate. When a friend wants to catch up for hours or my wife wants to just watch a movie I sometimes get standoffish. How do you deal with others that you want to keep a strong relationship with?
I find it really hard to stay in touch because I am always busy but I do try to make out time to catch up with loved ones as much as I can. I make a conscious effort to catch up by pencilling it down in my daily journal.
This is really interesting and useful. Thank you so much!
Glad you find it interesting and useful. Thanks for stopping by..
I absolutley needed to see this! Do you mind if I share on my blog?
Oh good. Yes you can reshare. Thanks.
I actually meant you can reblog (via the button below) and not share the entire content. Kindly amend.
No problem!
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