While our life does not need to be measured on how productive we are, as business owners, it helps. Completing tasks as effectively as possible reduces working hours and allows us time for passions outside of work. Many of these techniques overlap with each other.

Keep in mind that if any of these techniques steal the joy you find in doing work, they aren’t the right ones for you. Take what works for you and your business and leave the rest.

Time Block

Time blocking is a two-prong approach to completing work. First, it helps ensure you have time dedicated to the work and it allows full focus on the task.

The first step is to begin tracking your time. You won't be able to time block effectively if you have no idea how long a task will take. We wildly underestimate how long it will take to complete tasks so tracking is important. Toggl and Clockify are two free tools I recommend to track your time. By integrating these with your project management tool and utilizing the browser extensions.

Once you have a better idea of how long certain types of tasks take, begin blocking off chunks of time in your calendar to work the task. Treat these blocks like meetings: no other distractions, only the specified work. Be specific about what you'll accomplish within the time block. Block no more than 90 min chunks at a time before factoring in a 15+ minute break.

Be realistic. Don't over-schedule your day. Leave buffers and margins to account for interruptions and context switching. You need breaks to eat, walk, etc. Don't make them small believing it will help you get more done.

Attempt to group meetings in to specific days of the weeks. Meetings already force a break in whatever work you're focused on. Use these meeting days to time block in small, lower priority work - like responding to emails, scheduling social posts and other administrative type activities. Leave your deep creative work to the days that don't include calls so you can have back to back time blocks for creative work.

Review and adjust. No schedule is perfect. Review your time blocking weekly and adjust block timing/tasks as needed. The key is designing your ideal week in your calendar first, rather than just reactively scheduling events. With consistency, time blocking leads to greater focus and productivity.

Break your Tasks down

Large tasks can feel overwhelming and you may find yourself procrastinating even starting it because of how daunting it feels. If you know a task will take more than 1 hour, break it into 2 steps. Then re-evaluate, continuing to break down the task until you feel confident each part can be done in less than 1 hour.

These tasks fit into your time blocks and feel "do-able" rather than feeling like you need to wait until you have a full day to focus on them.

Tracking your time will help you begin to easily identify where that line is. It is better to have five 30-minute tasks than one task that might take 3 hours.

Identify 2-minute Tasks

If a task will take less than 2 minutes, do it immediately instead of procrastinating, but not at the expense of your time blocks. I recommend grouping these 2-minute type tasks - either work through this list on meeting days or time block a 15-minute section at the beginning or end of each day for these items.

The concept of using brief time periods productively is rooted in principles of time management and overcoming procrastination. However, the specific "2 minute rule" phrasing is more recent.

One of the earliest mentions of this technique can be found in David Allen's influential book "Getting Things Done" published in 2001. Allen recommended immediately completing any task that can be done in 2 minutes or less rather than putting it off.

Productivity blogger Steve Pavlina is credited with coining and popularizing the term "2 minute rule" in a 2005 blog post. He advocated using the rule to prevent mental clutter by quickly dispatching small tasks.

The rule gained wider recognition after being recommended by authors like James Clear in his book "Atomic Habits" in 2018. Clear presented it as a strategy to create consumer habits.

Use a Timer

The Pomodoro technique (working for 25 mins, then taking a 5-min break) can be used with Time BLocking or on it's own if time blocking doesn't seem to work for you. Set a 25-minute timer and then work undistracted. When the time goes off, take a 5 minute break. Use this time to stretch, get a snack/water. After completing 4 pomodors (~2 hours of work), take a longer break (15-30minutes), giving your mind an extended rest and re-set.

The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time management method developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. It is designed to help people work with focused intensity while building in regular breaks to promote productivity and sustainability.

The key steps are:

1. Decide on the task to be done

2. Set the pomodoro timer to 25 mins

3. Work solely on the task until the timer rings

4. Take a 5 min break

5. Repeat this cycle four times

6. Then take a longer 15-30 min break

Benefits of the technique include better focus, increased productivity with built-in breaks, managing distractions, and cultivating a healthy work rhythm. It's easy to implement and highly customizable for different tasks and work styles. This style of working can help train your brain to focus and stay present on one thing for small periods of time. This might be helpful for someone who has difficulties focusing on tasks, especially for prolonged periods. It is also helpful when you need to complete a task that you aren't very excited about as you can convince your brain that you only need to do it for 25 minutes.

Eliminate Distractions

Distractions can make a 15-minute task into 30. You might not even realize you’re being distracted. I found I have the habit of picking up my phone when I need to think through a situation while working. This obviously isn’t helpful but yet, that’s my body’s reaction to the pause. I make sure to have my phone on silent, face down, out of reach while working. Here are some ideas on how to remove distractions:

• Close or minimize unnecessary browsers

• Turn off pop up notifications on your computer

• Turn your smartwatch on a Do not disturb mode.

• Music without lyrics can help drown out distracting conversations. Brown or pink noise might be helpful

• Reduce clutter on your desk or in your workspace. I often find it harder to concentrate if I can see a mess.

• Disable Slack notifications for specific periods of time that need to be deep-focus

• Implement meditation techniques to help refocus your mind when it starts to wander

• Take helpful breaks: going for a walk, stretching, healthy snacks

Schedule Breaks

We’ve mentioned breaks many times already but it is important to call out. The brain can only focus for so long before becoming fatigued. Studies show that after about 90 minutes of concentrated work, the brain starts losing focus and productivity drops. Taking short breaks allows the brain to rest and replenish glucose levels, helping to maintain focus.

Prolonged work without breaks leads to a buildup of stress hormones like cortisol. This can impair cognitive function, mood, and decision-making abilities. Breaks provide an opportunity for the body to reset its stress response.

With that in mind, build in short breaks every hour (or every 25 minutes if you’re using pomodoro) to help you recharge and refocus. During breaks, the brain can better solidify and consolidate memories and information learned during the work period into long-term storage. This process helps reinforce learning and retention.

Constant focus on a task causes cognitive rigidity. Breaks create psychological distance and allow the brain to make new neural connections, fostering creativity, insight, and innovative thinking when you return to work.

Staring at screens for long periods strains the eyes. Breaks reduce eye fatigue and the risk of computer vision syndrome symptoms like headaches and blurred vision.

Getting up and moving during breaks improves blood circulation, relieves muscle tension built up from prolonged sitting/standing, and lowers the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

Breaks provide emotional refreshment that renews motivation, making workers feel more energized and engaged when they resume tasks after a restorative pause.

Prioritize Tasks

It’s best to make sure the work you’re doing is the most important to your clients and to your business goals. Spending a day on to-dos that don’t “move the needle” isn’t going to make you feel good at the end of the week when it seems like you didn’t get anything done.

Use a priority matrix to identify the priority of the tasks on your list for the week. It provides a structured way to determine priority instead of arbitrarily assigning a rank.

The Impact vs. Effort matrix is a simple and intuitive to try it out.

1. Draw a grid with two axes - Impact on the vertical axis and Effort on the horizontal axis.

2. Define what constitutes High, Medium, and Low effort (time required).

3. List out all the potential projects, tasks, features etc. as boxes or sticky notes.

4. Place each item into one of the nine boxes of the matrix based on your assessment of its impact and effort.

The Top Left Box will give you the biggest bang for the buck while the bottom right should be removed from your to-do list entirely if possible.

The Top Right might make a big impact but these will be the tasks that require consistently chipping away at to reach them.

Other matrixes you can look into are

• Cost vs Benefit Matrix

• Risk vs Value Matrix

• Importance vs Urgency Matrix

This process brings data-driven rationale to prioritization decisions. It can visually help you decide where you want to spend your time.

Top 3

Review your to do list for the week. Break down the list so you have 15 Tasks that will make the biggest impact on the week (for you and your clients). (or 12 if you only work a 4 day week) Space these 15 out so you have 3 each day to knock out.

Once you’ve completed the top 3 for the day, you can move on to other tasks that aren’t as high on the list (like emails). At the end of the week if the 15 items are done, you will feel accomplished! Every thing else can wait.  

Reward Yourself

Build in small rewards after completing tasks (or a series of tasks) to stay motivated. Once you identify a top 3 for the month, identify rewards if you complete them. If you complete 1 of the 3 you’ll get X,  if you complete 2 of 3, Y, and if you complete all three you get rewards 1 and 2 as well as Z.

For daily motivation, small rewards might help on days that you don’t have high motivation.

• A piece of chocolate, a favorite snack or beverage

• Reading for pleasure for 30 minutes

• Watching an episode of your favorite show

• Listening to a podcast episode

• Doing a face mask

For larger rewards consider:

• Getting a manicure/pedicure

• Getting a massage

• Ordering dinner rather than cooking

• Going to a show

The key is choosing rewards that motivate you personally and that you truly feel are earned treats. Mix up experiences and tangible rewards. Be specific about what qualifies for each reward to avoid overindulgence. Celebrate small wins along the way.

Accountability Partner

Having someone to check in with can help you stay on track. Another business owner is a great partner to have! You don’t need to understand the work or share similar work to have a partner in accountability. Set a short meeting with them every other week or once a month to check-in.

Here are some useful prompts to use when checking in with an accountability partner:

• What progress have you made on the goals/tasks we discussed last time?

• What specific actions did you take to work towards your goals?

• What challenges or roadblocks did you face? How can I help?

• Based on your progress, do any of your goals need to be adjusted or reprioritized?

• What are your biggest wins since we last spoke?

• What do you feel could have gone better? How can you improve next time?

• What are your main goals/tasks for the upcoming week/month?

• How can I best support you and keep you accountable moving forward?

• Is there any other way I can help motivate or encourage you?

• How are you feeling about your goal progress overall?

The key is asking open-ended questions that require your partner to reflect on their goals, share progress updates, identify obstacles, and recommit to next steps. Make sure to also celebrate wins and adjust goals as needed through the check-in process.

Be Flexible

Don't get discouraged if you veer off course. Simply refocus and adjust as needed. These are techniques to try but may not work for you! Try one out for a week or two and then adjust based on how it goes.

Summary

There are many techniques you can use to complete work in a way that feels good! If any of these help you stop procrastinating, focus on high-impact work, or allow you more time away from work, it did its job.