7 Productivity Hacks For Entrepreneurs

The life of an entrepreneur is not an easy one. There are a lot of highs and lows. There are days when nothing seems to go your way, and days when you feel unstoppable.

I became an entrepreneur at the age of 26 when I felt that I’d never get anywhere at my company. I had a choice: work up the ranks over the years to a managerial position or strike off on my own. In the end, I did neither. Instead, I decided to go the franchise route. I quit my job out of anger and hadn’t really thought things out. As a result, the first year was rough. I’ve always loved how Bill Courtney put it:

“The true measure of a person’s character is how one handles one’s failures, not successes.”

Let me tell you, every entrepreneur is tested. I certainly was and I’m grateful for it. If not for failing, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Failure forced me to look for answers. Facebook didn’t exist. YouTube was full of cats and I didn’t have any mentors so I turned to books and I’ve never looked back.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad got me started, but I soon found my way reading through all the best personal development classics: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins, David Schwartz’s The Magic of Thinking Big and many, many more. What I learned is that there is a better way of doing things.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Famous entrepreneurs, CEOs and thought leaders have written down their ideas in books. All we have to do is read them and apply the ideas we come across.

Here are seven productivity hacks for entrepreneurs that will transform their lives today:

1. Feed your mind. Garbage in, garbage out. We’ve all heard the expression. In order to set yourself up for success each day, start by feeding your mind positive material. Inspirational stories and personal development are my go-to books, but whatever gets you pumped is what you want to read first thing.
2. Exercise. Entrepreneurs today tend to sit for many hours each day. It’s unhealthy and it will affect your productivity. It’s amazing how effective a short 15-minute workout can be in helping you get things done.
3. Chunk. My personal favorite. Do two tasks at the same time that do not detract from one another. I personally do yoga while watching TV. Or read a book while eating lunch. We have a limited amount of hours in the day, make the most of them.
4. Eat that Frog. Do your least desirable task first. This is the whole concept of Brian Tracy’s best-selling productivity book of the same name. Get them off your to-do list as quickly as possible. If not, your productivity will suffer as it will disturb your focus. If not taken care of, those tasks will be constantly at the back of your mind. Get them done and you’ll feel as if a weight has been lifted.
5. Meetings. As companies grow, so do the number of meetings, exponentially so. Meetings have to be the greatest time waster of our generation. We have so many forms of communication today, it’s no longer necessary to have big meetings regularly. Entrepreneurs should always ask themselves, “Do I need to have this meeting?”
6. Emails. After meetings, emails take up the most amount of time in most entrepreneurs’ lives.
7. Technology. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and other social media platforms are a company’s best friend. Use them, don’t avoid them. They are the fastest way to network and share your company’s message with the world. Embrace it because social media is here to stay.

As my mentor, Jim Rohn, used to say:

“What’s easy to do is easy not to do.”

Hacking your productivity isn’t hard, but it will take discipline and effort. Good luck.