How much time do you truly spend focused, and working? Productivity is a huge problem for small businesses, as they have more than one thing at any time that needs their attention.

You are always going to be busy. The question is, are you a busy fool? This is an industry term used to describe someone who is doing a lot of things, but not owning their time, or growing their business. It wasn’t until I started working with my mentor back in 2008, I really started to implement time management techniques that helped me stay focused and achieve what I wanted to achieve in business.

Some of my time management tips are in my book; Think #Digital First but one in particular stands out and that’s what I am going to be talking about today.

We have all been in a position where we have said “yes” to things we wished we had said “no” to, I know I have! I’m sure you are aware of the “to-do list” but let’s take it a step in the opposite direction and talk about a new kind of list you should be making; the “to -don’t list”.

I found this a great and innovate productivity trick! We all have things we should be doing during the day, so write them down, and avoid them for the rest of your day. This idea was developed by Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, and reminds you of what is actually important and a conscious reminder of what’s not.

How to Create a  To Don t  List  A Productivity Trick for Focusing On What Really Matters  Infographic

HubSpot have created a great infographic which explains in more depth how to create your to-don’t list, and the questions you should ask yourself. Here is a breakdown of some of the important things you need to consider;

Questions to ask yourself

  • What are your priorities in your business?
  • What do you want to achieve in your business? Think about the future
  • What is stopping you from achieving your business goals?
  • Are you spending time on certain tasks that are not helping your business grow?
  • When are you least productive?
  • What is your biggest distraction?
  • What are the hardest tasks for you to complete?

Spend some time focusing on what’s important in your business, and what is not. It’s not just about your day to day tasks. Think about your eating habits, when you drink coffee and what time you go to bed. All of these things have a deciding factor as to whether you complete everything you need to complete.

To see the full infographic created by HubSpot click here.

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