Owning and running a business is a difficult job and not something that everyone is able to do. However, if you do choose to do it, then it pays to be as productive as possible – the more productive you are at work, the quicker you’ll get things done, and that means you can achieve that wonderful work-life balance you’ve been looking for. If you feel you need to be more productive, take a look at these helpful tips and try to put some of them into action.

Reduce Your To Do List

A long to do list might be accurate, but it’s also scary and counter-productive. Just reading through it, even when ticking items off and seeing how much is left, can make people feel as though they’re never going to get it all done. This, in turn, means that they might just give up on it altogether, or not try as hard to complete everything because there seems to be no point.

Make a smaller to do list with only the most essential items on it. It should be a list that is able to be completed during the standard work day. If you have any time left over then this is where your second list can come into play; this is the list of all the non-urgent tasks. Work through the shorter yet more important list first, then move onto the longer less important one. You’ll find you get a lot more done and you’ll feel great about it.

Take Breaks

Trudging through all the items that need doing in a constant stream might seem like the most productive way of going about things, but it’s actually the most counter-productive thing you can do. Stepping away from work for a while, whether that’s to read a book, go to the theater, try out an Escape Room Washington DC, or binging on a Netflix marathon, is much better for you-you’ll be able to relax and then when you do go back to work you’ll be re-energized and raring to go.

Follow The 80/20 Rule

There is a rule in business that states 20 percent of what you do each day should give you 80 percent of all your results. If you’re working harder than that, you will need to look at the things you’re doing and work out whether they’re helpful to your business or not. It might be that you can eliminate a number of them, or delegate them to someone else if need be so that you can focus on the 20 percent that is growing your business.

Tackle The Most Challenging Tasks First

If there are things on your list that you aren’t looking forward to or that bore you in some way, get them done first. Once they’re out of the way, you’ll feel better and be able to work on the other, more enjoyable tasks without the looming presence of those horrible jobs overshadowing everything. You’ll find you get a lot more done because you’re not worrying so much and you’ll finish the day on a positive note which will make going into the office the next morning a lot easier.