It is easy to get distracted. There are dozens of tasks that call for our attention right now. Buy gifts? Mail gifts? Follow the news? Send holiday cards?
What about your business? Use these productivity tips for your LNC business to support your determination and dedication. Some LNCs tell me they struggle to be productive. Discipline and accountability are the cornerstones of having a solid foundation to grow your business.
Regarding productivity, you should focus on the most important things that must be done. Make a firm appointment with yourself on your calendar to make sure you are actively putting time into building your business. A successful LNC will always be looking for opportunities to handle the next goal.
Yes, you can use certain strategies and tools to help leverage your time better, however, if you aren’t mapping out what you will spend your scheduled time doing, you won’t get far. Most likely you will end up feeling frustrated and just spinning your wheels.
Productivity Tip #1 Avoid Distractions
You may not realize that you are being distracted until you begin looking at what is getting your attention.
I get it that the news may be like an addictive drug. I know I sucked into the news starting with the pandemic, and accelerating with the turmoil of the U.S. presidential election. I’ll vow to read one story and then get pulled into the 50 worst designs for a house.
But there are other distractions: YouTube and email can pull your attention away from your LNC business.
When you are focused on your business, do you silence your phone or send callers to your voice mail? Another common distraction is your notifications you have set up for email, social media, or other devices and popups.
To truly be productive, turn them off during the time you are building your business.
Another distraction is checking your email constantly throughout the day. You can handle your inbox more productively by choosing to check your email a couple of times a day.
Have you ever received an email that threw off your entire day? Set up your boundaries and become more productive with your daily work activities to feel like you are getting more things done.
There are legitimate distractions. When I ran my LNC business, I told my new hires that one phone call could entirely change the priorities for the day. That report you thought was due in 2 weeks is now due tomorrow.
Productivity Tip #2 Keep the Productivity Flow
Listening to music can be a popular and easy way to get into your productivity groove. This productivity tip involves finding a CD you like, preferably without lyrics (so that won’t distract you), and listen to it on ‘loop’.
Why? The fact that you keep listening to it means that your brain will eventually desensitize and ‘tune it out’. This works much like when your brain stops listening to the ticks of the clock.
By doing this, you can effectively simulate a type of ‘sensory deprivation’ for your hearing which will keep you more focused on what you’re doing and less distracted by outside sounds (like the neighbor’s dog barking).
Listen to white noise. Or, perhaps a more pleasant atmosphere. You can find plenty of natural sounds online. Find something like rainstorms, the ocean, or anything that you can have in the background as you work. Search for ‘ambient sounds’ and take your pick. This technique boosts productivity.
Productivity Tip #3 Have a Hot Chocolate
Recent research shows that having a hot chocolate first thing in the morning boosts productivity more than having coffee alone. This is because the drink provides an ideal combination of caffeine and cocoa.
Caffeine is a stimulant and will elevate the heart rate and increase focus while waking up. Unfortunately, this can also have the unwanted effect of making you wired and potentially make you feel stressed. Mocha counteracts this issue because the release of serotonin from the chocolate can ‘take the edge off’.
What’s more, cocoa contains epicatechin which drives more oxygen to the brain via vasodilation and thereby actually boosts cognition even further! Who knew?
A similar alternative is caffeine + l-theanine and you can get this combination by drinking yerba tea.
Productivity Tip #4 Leave Something Unfinished
Do you want to have a more productive tomorrow and get started with your work right away? Consider leaving something unfinished until tomorrow. This may sound counterintuitive, however, it is a great way to ensure you start work quickly when the day begins.
The reason? The human brain hates unfinished business. So, if you leave a task incomplete, then it is human nature to want to try and complete that task right away. This means that you can skip the usual procrastination and dive straight into your work first thing.
These productivity tips will help you realize that no matter how little time you think you have to build your business, there are little things you can do to be more productive.
Boost your LNC business and your productivity to joining Barbara Levin and me for the March 2021 3rd virtual LNC conference. We’ll highlight a business tool that will take your productivity to a new level. Get all the details at this link.
Pat Iyer is president of The Pat Iyer Group, which develops resources to assist LNCs obtain more clients, make more money and achieve their business goals and dreams.
Pat’s related websites include the LNC business coaching services she offers, the continuing education provided on LNCEU.com, the podcasts broadcast at podcast.legalnursebusiness.com, and writing tips supplied at patiyer.com.
Get all of Pat’s content in one place by downloading the mobile app, Expert Edu at www.legalnursebusiness.com/expertedu. Watch videos, listen to podcasts, read blogs, watch online courses and training, and more.