Ah, the lengths we go to for more productivity. You’ve got a drawer full of abandoned planners and bullet journals, half-a-dozen productivity apps you never log into – maybe even a closet of black turtlenecks you bought in pursuit of that whole “Steve Jobs wore the same thing every day” hack.
And you still feel like your business is running you.
Relax - it’s not your wardrobe. (Photo credit: Apple)
Most small-business owners are high achievers. We’ve adopted a truckload of coping mechanisms to manage our tight schedules and monster to-do lists, but sometimes those habits backfire. If you’re spinning your wheels trying to figure out why none of the productivity hacks you’ve tried work for you, stop and think about this: it might be because they weren’t made for you. 🤯
“Probably 95 percent of the productivity content out there is written by the same personality type,” says Joe Arrigo. Joe offers coaching based on personality type and is the author of “Marble and Sculptor: A Personality Type Manifesto.” “That advice like, ‘set a goal, make a plan, and go do it’ works really well for that one specific personality type who’s naturally organized. Unfortunately, those personalities are the ones writing all the books and blogs.”
So, if you don’t share a personality type with Tony Robbins or Tim Ferriss, their productivity hacks probably aren’t going to work for you. Don’t despair; there’s more than one path to Productivity City. Try one of the methods we rounded up below instead.
Productivity hacks for people who avoid conflict
YOUR STRENGTHS
You get along with everyone – you’re diplomatic, inclusive, empathetic and an excellent listener. 🥰
YOUR WEAKNESSES
You’ll do anything to avoid conflict, including putting off tasks that might make people feel bad or create an uncomfortable situation. It seems like your work never gets done because you’re constantly setting it aside to help other people with their jobs (or just doing tasks for them). Not only does this eat up your time, it doesn’t give your team a chance to grow and learn to problem-solve for themselves.
PRODUCTIVITY HACKS
You’re not good at putting yourself first, so you need an accountability partner who makes sure you put on your own oxygen mask before helping the people around you.
Break big goals into smaller goals. Instead of deciding what to “do” next, decide what to “finish” next. That helps you avoid flitting around between projects.
Another way to stay on task is to appoint a gatekeeper to manage your calendar and to-do list. Instead of telling people, “Sure, I can help you with that,” you can say, “Schedule some time with my EA so we can talk about that.” Your EA will guard your time so your priorities are handled first (and you don’t have to be the bad guy).
Start each day with a list of what “must” get done, what “should” get done and what you “want” to get done. Prioritise the “musts” and “shoulds” before getting sidetracked.
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS FOR YOU
A Kanban board so you have a visual representation of everything currently on your plate
Productivity hacks for overachievers
YOUR STRENGTHS
You’re a productivity machine! You’re organized, confident and high-energy – most of the productivity advice out there is made for people like you. You have lots of ideas and you love the feeling of checking things off a list.
YOUR WEAKNESSES
You have a tendency to launch headfirst into a task without getting input from others and formulating a plan. You’re really action-oriented, so you try to do everything yourself even when it makes more sense to delegate. Projects bore you when they drag on too long, leaving you anxious to move on to the next new thing.
PRODUCTIVITY HACKS
Lean into your natural leadership ability and delegate tasks rather than trying to do everything yourself. This moves projects along faster and lets you concentrate your energy on the priorities you find most interesting.
You tend to make hasty decisions in the moment. Take time to plan out paths to long-term goals and keep short-sighted decisions from turning into expensive mistakes.
Schedule weekly planning sessions with an accountability partner to keep you focused on your priorities.
Don’t neglect your work-life balance. Block time in your schedule to relax, exercise and unwind. Working with a rested and refreshed mind will make you even more productive during working hours. 😮💨
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS FOR YOU
Gantt charts to map out the dependencies of your projects so small details don’t fall through the cracks
Eisenhower matrix to focus productive energy in the right places
Productivity hacks for perfectionists
YOUR STRENGTHS
You’re practical, collaborative and strategic. You’re a great problem solver with high standards and amazing attention to detail.
YOUR WEAKNESSES
You’re productive as long as you’re confident, but you’re constantly battling Impostor Syndrome. You hate the idea of putting any work out into the world if it’s less than perfect. You’re a careful planner, and last-minute changes tend to throw you off balance.
PRODUCTIVITY HACKS
Structure and routine are your friends; use them to stay on track when you doubt yourself.
Enlist the help of an accountability partner to keep you balanced when things don’t go according to plan and to remind you of past successes when you’re feeling overly critical.
Set hard deadlines to finish projects and practice the mantra “done is better than perfect.” Make a promise to yourself that any project at 90 percent by the deadline is good enough to launch.
Focus on one task at a time. Once it’s finished, let it go and move on to the next. Don’t allow yourself to keep going back to old tasks and obsessing over ways to make them better.
Manage your anxiety with self-care. Learn some deep breathing, focus and relaxation techniques for when you’re overwhelmed. Schedule time for exercise, meditation or whatever else clears your mind. 😮💨
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS FOR YOU
To keep from getting overwhelmed, use a timer to practice the Pomodoro technique. Set the timer for 20 minutes, work until it goes off, then take a five-minute break. Repeat this three times; after the fourth 20-minute block take a longer break of 10-15 minutes.
Use a planner to track deadlines and check off to-dos. Once a to-do is checked off, don’t go back to it. Keep moving forward.
Productivity hacks for the obsessively focused
YOUR STRENGTHS
You’re thoughtful, analytical, objective and systematic. You are a master of logic and your ability to stick to a task until it’s finished is the envy of those with shorter attention spans.
YOUR WEAKNESSES
You can get so deeply focused on a single task or project you lose track of everything else. You might have a hard time seeing the big picture while you’re obsessing over its individual parts. You never seem to have time for passion projects because there’s always work to be done.
PRODUCTIVITY HACKS
Time block your days. Reserve some time for focused work and some time for action items – and set an alarm to remind you when it’s time to switch. ⏲️
Plan the individual pieces of larger projects. Delegate those that don’t interest you or aren’t in your wheelhouse so they don’t fall through the cracks.
Give yourself hard deadlines and assign an accountability partner to hold you to them.
Start each day with a list of what must get done, a list of what should get done and a list of what you want to get done. Strive to complete the “musts” and to do at least one item from the “should” and “want” lists.
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS FOR YOU
A time tracker
A daily calendar with time blocks
Productivity hacks for the master procrastinator
YOUR STRENGTHS
You’re creative, you have a growth mindset and you love to learn.
YOUR WEAKNESSES
You’re easily distracted, especially when the task at hand is boring or unpleasant. You tend to suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome – once the novelty of your new project or productivity tool wears off you get bored and start looking for a new one.
PRODUCTIVITY HACKS
If you get your best ideas when you’re supposed to be relaxing but you’re uninspired during the work day, try looking for your Biological Prime Time. Each day for three weeks, track what time of day you feel most energized and when your energy dips. After three weeks, look for patterns and start structuring your day so your most intense work periods are during the time you have the most energy.
To keep from getting bored, use a timer to practice the Pomodoro technique. Set the timer for 20 minutes, work until it goes off, then take a five-minute break. Repeat this three times; after the fourth 20-minute block take a longer break of 10-15 minutes.
Eat the frog – start your day with the hardest, most boring or most dreaded task and get it over with. 🐸
Collaborate with an accountability partner to prioritise your most important tasks and make sure they get done.
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS FOR YOU
To-do lists organised by priority. Go through your tasks with three different colored highlighters - one for high priorities, one for medium and one for low. If you choose yellow for high-priority tasks, orange for medium priority and pink for low priority, make sure all your yellows are finished before you move on to orange and all your oranges are done before you start the pinks.
Task batching helps you stay in a zone and get more done. Batch related tasks together (like doing all your email or all your bookkeeping together in one block of time).
Remember to keep it real
Many entrepreneurs share a “visionary” personality trait, Joe says. People with that trait may be so committed to their vision they have unrealistic expectations about how it manifests in the real world.
“They take on too much because they have this vision that they cannot let themselves fail,” he explains. “That just leads to burning out, sleep issues, panic attacks and all those unpleasant things.”
There are limits to your time and your mental energy and once you’ve hit them, no hack in the world is going to squeeze any more productivity from your efforts. Nobody can do it all. Every personality type needs to keep expectations real, plan for the long term and do what you can – fabulously.
Want to know more about your personality type?
There’s a cartload of personality tests out there. If you want to understand a little more about your personality and what drives you, here are five popular assessments you can try:
