Be More Productive! Make More Money!

Productive. Productively. Productivity. Productivistic? Any other versions of this word I'm leaving out? I think I've covered them all and made up a pretty good one — and now you get where I'm going with this week's blog. It's kind of a fave topic of mine. So much so that I wrote a book that includes the phrase "Stop Being Busy and Start Creating Cash" in the title! What I meant by that is that often we get so busy tending to the small, insignificant stuff that we don't focus on the more important things that make us money. And that's hardly productive, is it? So this week, I'm revisiting the topic of making good use of our time and passing along some productivity tips that we can all benefit from, in business and in life.

Productivity Tips That Can Really Help!

So what productivity tips do I have to pass along? I think one of the most important changes I made in the way I work was to accurately account for how my staff and I spent our time. First, I set up a system for tracking every task, assigned it to a job or client, and reviewed that timesheet weekly. Then, I did the same for all spending, tracking where every dollar went. It was pretty enlightening at first! Shocking might be more accurate. But after getting over the initial shock of realizing things were not going as smoothly and successfully as I thought, I came to see this information as invaluable. It enabled me to adjust my approach, and change the allocation of my time.

None of this happened over night. I had to develop the system, then train myself and everyone else to be diligent about using it. Old habits die hard, so it wasn't easy. But it was totally worth it! Ultimately, paying constant attention to how I spent my time led me to be more productive — if for no other reason than I didn't want to be forced to "put in writing," so to speak, how much time I'd wasted on color coding my office supplies. (Not that I ever did that. Though I do enjoy seeing my post-it notes all color coded. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?)

Be Oh So Quotable This Week!

I always say running a business means the work never ends! Ain't that the truth? I bet your to-do list is a mile long! Make sure that the items at the top of your list are the things that relate to being more profitable. Everyone is so proud of being so "busy"...But Are You Making Any Money? Don't be too busy to focus!

Check out the summary of last week's business tips and motivational quotes from my Instagram page which you hopefully got to see in real time! If not, let's make sure we're following each other on Instagram!! So...here is this week's roundup of Instagram images of My Top Business Tips and Motivational Quotes.

Productivity Tips – Tip #1:

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"Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves." – Dale Carnegie

Productivity Tips – Tip #2:

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"Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." – Oprah Winfrey

Productivity Tips – Tip #3:

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"Focus on being productive instead of busy." – Tim Ferriss

Productivity Tips – Tip #4:

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"If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves." – David Allen

Productivity Tips – Tip #5:

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"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done." – Bruce Lee

Let's talk! I'd love to hear some of your favorite productivity tips!

Do you have any productivity tips you'd like to pass along? Tell us! What advice would you share with your fellow business owners? Which tips above did you find helpful? I would LOVE to hear from you!

Anyhoo...I publish these business tips and motivational quotes to get you fired up for your work week! And, if you want more business tips, get my book, But Are You Making Any Money? or contact me to really take your business to the next level!

xoxo M

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