Work Smarter Challenge

Over 40 time-saving ideas from members of

Top TipS for bOOsting produCTiviTy

proudly supported by

introduction

Tapping into the wealth of knowledge in our community forums, we asked Flying Solo members to share their best business productivity tips as part of a six-week Work Smarter Challenge generously supported by our friends at intel.With typical gusto, the community responded with a brilliant and wide-ranging selection of ideas from time management and to-do lists to productivity tools and outsourcing.

We’ve done a little bit of editing here and there, but have generally left the thread of discussion intact showing each relevant ‘reply’ as it originally appeared in our forums.

We hope you find some gems for your business.

on behalf of soloists everywhere, a big ‘thank you’ to all the contributors.

Love your work!

the team at Flying solo

Run your own business? Join the FrEE Flying Solo community for support, exposure & how-to guides. visit www.flyingsolo.com.au

3

The tip list

tiME MAnAgEMEnt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Short-circuit distractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Adjust to your energy cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

if you’re an early riser, take advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

design your week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

tO-DO Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Learn how to write a to-do list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Allocate a ‘time budget’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Embrace the notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

or, type ideas into your computer notepad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Add context to your to-do list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Simplify your to-do list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

sMARtER PROCEssEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10don’t work without payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

pick up the phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Create instant access to information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Try a shared office for inspiration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Action things straight away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

don’t tidy up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Get moving and turn on music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Find the technology you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Leverage your actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Stop multi-tasking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Think laterally to re-evaluate tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

invest time to train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

invest time on your business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Stop chasing new customers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Shut down other applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ditch unnecessary internet time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Avoid the always available trap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Check email less often. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Work smarter, work offline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

4

The tip list

OUtsOURCing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19only do what is worth your time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Focus on what you’re good at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

delegate and outsource. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

PRODUCtiVitY tOOLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The pareto principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

producteev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Taglocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Google Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Livescribe – my magic pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Workflow Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

FinAL WORDs OF WisDOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Working solo is working smarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

productivity = Efficiency + Effectiveness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Self SWoT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Be honest with yourself! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Tips that work for me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

A productivity Haiku (almost) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

5

Time management

Short-circuit distractionssubmitted by: susani recently discovered a productivity tool called ‘The Pomodoro Technique’ that i’ve found really helpful. Actually, it goes beyond that - i love it.

Essentially, the pomodoro Technique is about breaking your tasks into 25 minute blocks of time, during which you focus on a single task. Each unit of time is a pomodoro. A pomodoro cannot be shortened or lengthened - it’s a fixed unit. At the end of each pomodoro, you take a five minute break, and then start another. After four consecutive pomodori, you take a longer break.

i’m sure it’s not for everyone, but it works for me. it doesn’t seem hugely demanding to focus for 25 minutes, but doing so on a single task makes it an intensely productive time. it has also made me much more aware of my own ‘internal’ interruptions (‘i’ll just quickly check my email’) and has helped to manage external ones (there is rarely anything that anyone needs that can’t wait 20 minutes or so).

reply – watch the clocksubmitted by: Leisa at Alexandra Design i allow myself a certain amount of time to complete admin tasks, such as archiving files, paying bills, emails, etc. and stick to it as though i’m on a timer. That way, i create more time for design work.

Adjust to your energy cyclessubmitted by: Divs Apparently psychologists tell us that the period 9 - 12 is the best for making decisions. i always block this time of the day out to write consulting papers, proposals and client meetings. After a short lunch, break for a 15-minute walk or exercise. Try and do something active (but work related) between 2 and 3 as this is “sleepy time”. it’s amazing, you will “fire up” from 3pm and accomplish all those B list to-do’s that often get pushed into the next day.

“

6

Time management

if you’re an early riser, take advantagesubmitted by: JengMy tip is for the morning people out there, those who just naturally wake early, and those who work from home. use those early hours from 4am to 7am to get the bulk of your work out of the way. The house is quiet, the world is quiet, the phone isn’t ringing and you are not being pestered by new emails arriving.

Make a coffee and sit down at your computer. Start on answering emails that have come in overnight, and then get on with processing the orders, or whatever else that’s come up overnight, or leftover from yesterday. The time zaps by and before you know it, the world is waking up and demanding your attention again, but you’ve wrapped up an awful lot of work, before most people have opened their eyes.

i get loads of work done in those early hours, in my pyjamas (my favourite business attire) when my mind is fresh and my brain alert. Try it!

design your week submitted by: LeeClarkTo stay focused and get all things that are needed to be done in my business i have created a weekly schedule that i stick to (most of the time). it’s flexible based on what is going on, but in general terms it ensures i never get behind and overwhelmed by tasks that are not so interesting.

For example:Monday – an in day of making appointments, following up clients, confirming meetings

tuesday – client meetings & proposals

Wednesday – accounts, paperwork, filing

thursday – client meetings & proposals

Friday – my day to do as i please

7

To-do lists

Learn how to write a to-do listsubmitted by: bbWhen it comes to working smarter, i find that it’s important to leave nothing to chance. Every day needs to have some direction for the tasks of running your business and achieving your goals.

people talk constantly about having a ‘to-do’ list. And they’re right – it’s important. But what they don’t tell you is how to make that list effective. i’ve run a to-do list for many years – it’s what keeps me on track and i religiously give some thought to the next day’s activity at the close of each business day.

But it was when i changed the format of my ‘to-do’ list that i began to really power through the tasks which in turn lead to better work/life balance.

1. Buy an A4 sized diary – one day to a page. (these can be purchased at the reject shop for less than $10)

2. use this diary as your daily to-do list. it’s also big enough to include your ‘to-call’ list

3. Fill in daily, weekly & monthly tasks/calls as appropriate

4. Write in absolutely everything that you have to do

5. you can allocate time-frames for the tasks if needed (to keep you on track)

6. Cross off each task as it is finished and What doesn’t get done today – must be allocated another day/time

the advantages of doing it this way?1. it’s the first thing you see each day, and because it’s in hard-copy your day can start

without any diversions from the computer

2. is better than scraps of paper & easier to find

3. Clearly shows which jobs/calls you hate and procrastinate with

4. is a fabulous record of achievement – at the end of each week/month you can actually see what you’ve done and who you’ve called.

5. doing it this way took away that feeling of ‘being busy but having nothing to show for it’. Now i can look back and see which days have been busier than others!

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To-do lists

Allocate a ‘time budget’submitted by: createdevelopin line with an aim to improve goal setting and planning in my business, i found one small “Mind-Hack” that helped improve my concentration and productivity. Basically it turbo-charged my to-do list.

The problem was that my to-do list was getting longer, as i was adding to the bottom, and getting through things too slowly to knock it all off in one go. So i decided that every action would have a time budget, and i would not run over time. My to-do list started to look like this:

1. Blog posting 6am – 7am

2. Write brief for designer 7am – 7:30am etc.

if a topic looked like it needed more work, i would still stick the time budget, but move unfinished actions to the bottom of the pile. This had two effects, one i worked harder to complete a task within an allotted time (rather than trying to do two things at once, or being less efficient). it also meant that i started to get through a lot more tasks, as small tasks were quickly knocked off and moved on from.

Embrace the notebook submitted by: Propamediai have just never been able to work with on screen lists, i use paper and pencil. All of my scrap paper, single sided printouts, mistakes, letters i receive all get recycled into simple A4 or A5 note/sketch pads. i write my to-do for the day and work my work through, crossing out as i go.

Anything that doesn’t get done gets rewritten the following day, at this point some may say that i’m actually creating more work for myself... true to a point but i find that the act of re writing my list can sometimes field a new idea. For me it’s much more organic to scribble an idea next to my ‘to-do’ list than to have to open a file, or organiser program. The note book sits next to me all day, easy referral and easy access should a seed of an idea start to form.

i have notebook next to the bed, and one in my bag, one on the coffee table. An idea’s man needs to be prepared.

or, type ideas into your computer notepadsubmitted by: JengA tip of mine: use your computer notepad. Whenever you think of something you really ought to do whether urgent or not, type it into your notepad. it sits there all day as a reminder of “things to do” that might get forgotten otherwise.

i write both business and personal jobs on my notepad and invariably, they all get done by the end of day. if for some reason some don’t, save it before shutdown, and make a habit of bringing it up again the next morning. Simple but effective.

9

Add context to your to-do listsubmitted by: chamtangMy productivity tip is “to-do” lists based on CoNTEXT.

E.g. Create a “Travelling to-do list”. E.g. i might schedule business or personal phone calls for when i’m walking down the street or driving my car.

Create a “Low Energy To do List”. This contains all the tasks you can do when you’re tired, but still want to get stuff done...like data entry, paying bills etc.

Simplify your to-do listsubmitted by: Dianei find the simple “to do” list in BiG CLEAr letters, in front of you, is a surefire way of getting the work done quickly and efficiently. No need to start with the first task on the list. Choose the one that needs to be done first, and then keep going. BE SurE to cross each task off the list when it’s done to give you a BooST to keep going. it’s not as sophisticated as some suggestions, but it WorKS!

To-do lists

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Smarter processes

don’t work without paymentsubmitted by: bullet Web studioFor: Soloists who work in, or request work from, the creative services industry. The creative services industry includes designers, photographers, illustrators, typographers, translators, writers and those in marketing, branding, advertising, and broadcast media.

problem: There’s a misconception that creative service providers should work without payment e.g. a client specifying that payment will be made on fulfilment of a brief, or more commonly, inviting creatives to ‘pitch’ creative work in response to a proposal, without compensation. This creates problems with effectiveness of work (no payment!) and efficiency (arguing over payment instead of making a quick transaction). it’s a productivity problem that carries negative consequences for the creative industry.

Why you shouldn’t engage in spec work: it establishes a negative business relationship and devalues the creative industry. designers risk no payment, client risks poor quality, and both parties risk legal issues. it robs creative professionals of income, and as spec work continues the creative industry outlook worsens. Are chefs expected to cook without payment? do builders pour a slab before signing a contract? No way. The creative services industry should be no different - no work without payment.

replysubmitted by: the internet blokeyes, that’s good advice Andy. i learnt it years ago when just starting out. i worked for days to develop and present a strategy, and then it was pretty much stolen and the work done by someone else.

instead of jumping up and down about it and going legal, i chose to view it as “tuition fees” which taught me a valuable lesson.

i’d suggest the practice of getting 50% up front, and the balance on completion of the finished work. or in the case of a website, payment of the balance before the site goes live.

Another trap is the people who want you to; “do it For Me real Cheap, And i’ll Get you Lots of Work From My Friends”

Be careful when agreeing to do work on this basis. in most cases, no additional work will eventuate so quote a price that will cover your costs and time. if you do get additional referrals, treat them as a bonus. And be aware that they will probably want the same deal as the original person!

“

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Smarter processes

pick up the phonesubmitted by: AlleD if there is one thing that i have learnt in both my life in corporate world and my slow crossover to soloist is that if i really want to get things done - pick up the phone.

don’t email - actually talk to a real person. i spend a lot of time researching via the web but if i find what i need and want to contact someone - i try to always use the phone. The amount of time i spend typing replies to inane questions or simple problems that could be solved with a 30 second phone call can simply get out of hand.

Sure, always follow-up with an email to confirm if necessary but you will find a 2 minute phone call can save hours of back and forth via email or iM.

probably old-fashioned (and i am NoT old!) but it works for me.

Create instant access to informationsubmitted by: King if you have information that you need to refer to often, it can be laborious, involving several click or more to go to a file or address book to locate it.

A very simple solution is to put information into a spreadsheet then take a screen shot of the table. you then paste and crop that image in any graphic program (even paint). Save the image, then go to your desktop, right click, select properties and desktop and browse to where you saved the image.

i use this desktop image to instantly access (one click on the desktop icon on my toolbar) retail prices for, in my case, caricatures (spread over 3 currencies) and percentage discounts for multiple orders.

Try a shared office for inspirationsubmitted by: Meii’d highly recommend trying out a shared office for a short period to see how this brings in new work and helps you make new connections and increases your productivity.

i’ve recently spoken with someone who tracks their time and he noted a 20% increase in productivity when working from a shared office.

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Smarter processes

Action things straight awaysubmitted by: Donkeyi think if there’s one important productivity tip to follow, would be to either action something straight away (under 5 minutes), file it as “someday” or put it on a “to do list”. your to do list software should contain only what you can do in the day (or what you set out to achieve).

you should work on the most difficult thing (or the thing you are most likely to procrastinate over) at beginning of the day. From there you should work on each subsequent task until the task is finished - don’t switch between tasks - it’s bad for your brain.

There’s a good site that subscribe to: http://www.timemanagement.com which has a mailing list which sends out great productivity tips every day. Some of it’s pretty basic, like only checking your email a few times a day, but overall the tips are pretty good.

As a soloist, nailing basic organisation is extremely important. it’s probably the most important part of running any business, especially when they are constant distractions at home.

replysubmitted by: Julie gA similar tip was given to me many years ago & is still valid, even in our email world. i practice it every day, and some days i really have to give myself a reminder, so i don’t fall back into old ways. procrastination can be a massive time waster.

When you open a letter or email, make a decision about what you are going to do - never leave it in your inbox or on your desk without an action. deal with it or bin it, but don’t do nothing.

“

13

don’t tidy upsubmitted by: ProCaptureBeing a photographer i have to be very strictly organised, but time spent deleting items is wasted time. instead i focus on ‘selects’. As for other images, i just let ‘em be (or don’t take them in the first place)

in the past i have spent an inordinate amount of time deleting images and tidying up when i could instead have been moving forward for the small cost of a bigger hard drive. i didn’t realise tidying to be a waste of time until search tools like Spotlight (oSX) made clutter inconsequential.

How does this apply to the rest of you?

iMAp, an email protocol we should all be using in this age of multiple devices, can be used to apply this philosophy to your inbox.

iMAp means that messages that i read on my iphone are marked as read in webmail and on my mac, pc and ipad. drafts that i create on my mac are available for further editing in webmail and on my iphone etc. before sending but more importantly, all emails i have ever received (and sent) are persistently available, regardless of how i choose to access them.

i do delete, ruthlessly, anything that holds no obvious value (spam, jokes etc.)

i also delete large emails periodically as space on my server gets used up and, like buying a bigger hard drive, i make available more server space as the need arises

However i spend zero time organising or culling that which remains and yet i can find an email at a moment’s notice among the 20,000+ emails in my inbox.

This philosophy has had no obvious impact on the performance of my email and has in fact given me more confidence in being able to access and find stuff, not to mention how easy it makes life when i wish to migrate my emails to a new device (entering password, email address and mail server are all that is required).

Get moving and turn on musicsubmitted by: DaisyGet up from your desk every 1.5 – 2 hours, breathe deeply and stretch! you’ll get oxygen into your bloodstream and prevent aches and pains from sitting too long.

Second tip: play some quiet, simple music. it will help keep your head clear and your mind focused. i’m a classical music nut, but my fave is Keith Jarrett’s ‘The Melody at Night with you’. very laid back and relaxing piano music, which i continuously play when i’m working.

Smarter processes

14

Smarter processes

Find the technology you needsubmitted by: AlliedWe should all spend a little time to research technology small or large that can reduce our workload on a regular basis.

in the last few weeks i have just upgraded 2 two things - my printer and my computer which were only a few years old. i now estimate that i can save at least 30 minutes a day with the new functions on my printer alone - using the more up to date faxing and the scanning functions. These functions are so simple to use now and require less of my attention which i can now put into others more pressing things i need to do.

i have also gained more desk room by combining the printer and the fax and no more need to buy fax rolls plus, i only have one paper supply to keep an eye on. Something so simple and inexpensive yet so surprisingly rewarding in a busy day!

My new computer will be here next week and Windows 7 and a larger screen is also going to also make some functions of my business easier, quicker and less frustrating to do.

i used to keep up to date with technology but i have been so busy with my business and i haven’t been paying attention. it took the printer to break down before i reluctantly went out to see what new technology was around.

Leverage your actionssubmitted by: MYObMy productivity tip would be to clearly think about what lies ahead and assess where leveraging your actions can benefit me. For example a client has a query which i respond to, i then will rewrite it in a generic fashion, and post it on my blog, which automatically sends out a tweet.

i have earnt money, satisfied a client, and demonstrated my skills and understanding to a wider audience, i have added to my websites SEo potential and attracted new clients back to my services. To take it further, if it does generate interest, i may write it up into an article for Flying Solo.

15

Stop multi-taskingsubmitted by: Able AssistWhy you shouldn’t multi-task

When you’re focusing on several projects at once in addition to dealing with emails and phone calls, you fail to focus 100% on a single task and therefore you are unable to produce the highest quality work you are capable of. Additionally, when you focus 100% on to any single task you will not only will your final product be a superior quality, but you will finish the individual task quicker.

How to not multi-task

Create a schedule at the start of your day by listing all the important tasks you need to complete and approximate time frames. Work through your list methodically, marking each item off as you complete it. While working through your tasks instead of reading and responding to emails as you receive them, allow yourself 15 minutes of each hour to focus on reading and responding or even check out Facebook, and then return your focus to your important tasks.

At first you may find it hard to pull yourself away from your emails, or other small menial activities, however once you’re completely settled into the healthy habit of not multi-tasking you will notice a difference in the quality of your projects, and the speed in which you complete them in!

Alternatively, if you’re unable to ignore emails enquiries and are constantly bombarded and disturbed by the phone, then perhaps you should consider outsourcing a virtual assistant with reception capabilities to keep you focus where it need to be.

Think laterally to re-evaluate taskssubmitted by: steve_Minshall if i wanted to change all the tyres on my car and fill up with fuel it would probably take me an hour of mucking about at the tyre shop while they remove the wheels, old tyres, balance the wheels etc. and refit them. Then i would go to the servo and spend another ten minutes filling up and paying for fuel.

Now this whole job is done by a Formula 1 pit crew in less than 10secs. How do they do this? Have lots of people, well trained with the right tool in the right place, parts ready to go, the vehicle designed to allow a quick job, even someone just stood there with a starting gun in case the driver screws up his take off.

So you have a job you need to do regularly that is time consuming. How could it be done in less than 10 seconds? ok less than a minute, less than 10 minutes. The idea is to think how a pit crew might take on the job. it is a lateral thinking exercise designed to show that phenomenal time savings can be made with the application of the right resources. Now the chances are you can think of ways to reduce the job to a fraction of the time but it is cost prohibitive. But what parts of the idea can be used. The idea is to start from the absolute optimum solution then economise from there rather than start where you are now and reduce time.

Smarter processes

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invest time to trainsubmitted by: RobertmozWhen trying to meet a deadline for a course, my wife offered to help and i was reluctant at first. She is the type to ask lots of questions so she can do the work. The problem here is if she’s asking questions, then i’m not doing my work which is ineffective.

My solution was getting her to write her questions and answer in blocks. i also realised if you invest some time in teaching people at the start, you will increase your productivity. it might take longer at the beginning but you will save time in the future.

invest time on your businesssubmitted by: Davidthomas i would suggest investing time in your business. As small operators, we have a tendency to ‘work in’ our business rather than ‘work on’ our business.

Although they are subtle differences, it’s very important to do both roles in a balanced manner. you have to service your clients and ‘work in’ your business, there is no denying it - and probably no money if you don’t do this.

At the same time, it’s also a key strategy to growing your business to actually work on growing it. review your current operations, advertising campaigns, costs etc. Spend time researching competitors, new advertising mediums, reading books on related topics - sometimes even a totally different topic can give you new perspective on your business.

Go to a networking seminar, or business meeting - Even if it’s during work hours. Spend money on developing yourself (as you would an employee). Force yourself to take time to focus on different parts of the business - rather than just taking calls and replying to emails (in my scenario). it’s amazing how things just work out when you start taking the steps.

Stop chasing new customerssubmitted by: Rhondalynn More customers and more sales do not necessarily mean your bottom line will be better off... profitable growth should be the goal of any business.

However, you cannot achieve profitable growth in your business without first establishing that you are in fact profitable. Attracting more leads or closing more sales may not be enough - the costs and efficiencies in your business change every day and this means that you must constantly monitor and measure where you are at and take appropriate action.

Focusing solely on customers and sales (by spending too much money and time on networking and marketing) is a bit like spending 100% of your time practicing your serve while neglecting to watch the scoreboard, analyze the strategy of your competitors and practice your returns.

Break-even is one of the most simple and powerful calculations that you can use each month to measure and enhance your profitability. A company is said to break-even for a period (usually a month) when its sales revenue catches up to its costs. Specifically, accountants talk about break-even as the point where fixed costs (rent, salaries, etc.) are matched by gross profit margin (sales revenue minus CoGS). Therefore, it follows that break-even with profit is the point in the month where you cover all of your fixed and variable costs and start making your desired profit target.

remember, if you are in business and you are not running a charity, the goal is profitable growth. in order to achieve profit, you in fact have to plan for and measure it.

Smarter processes

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Smarter processes

Shut down other applicationssubmitted by: saraHowardWhen i’m working on a writing project i close down every other application on my Mac i don’t need. Especially email and safari. Then i just focus on Getting it done. i’ll check email again in a few hours, but it stops the distractions.

Here’s a quote for the day: “Writing is 3% inspiration, and 97% avoiding the internet.”

ditch unnecessary internet timesubmitted by: ERPSpecialist The internet has slowly crept into our daily lives and has quietly become responsible for a MASSivE loss of production in most companies. This has become a well-documented fact, but seems too hard to deal with.

i am guilty of this problem myself. Sitting at the desk working away, i will just check the Flying Solo posts... or Facebook or whatever. it soon turns into 1 hour of wasted time. Even if it is 10 mins, it is not good enough. A smoker is not allowed to smoke at work anymore and needs to wait until afternoon tea to light up. The internet is the same thing.

if you are a manager or business owner i suggest you enforce a strict policy of No unnecessary internet use period. And that includes you.

part of my productivity Seminar now includes statistics on the negative impact this topic has on a company. Would you believe internet use can be responsible for as much as 75% lost productivity? isn’t that worth looking in to?

Avoid the always available trapsubmitted by: King in our busy world where communication seems paramount, we find ourselves increasingly interrupted from our work. one way to overcome this is to have time out from being instantly reachable.

i am not suggesting that we become totally contactable, but reduce the number of methods by which people can interrupt you.

This might be as simple as closing your office door so that work colleagues or in the case of SoHos, family know that when the door is closed, don’t disturb! it could also be shutting down your email client for 1-2 hour timeframes. or maybe turning your phone off for a period of time. i know several people who do this and return the calls, based on the requests made - when messages are left people are asked what they need. This allows the return call to be made fully informed.

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Check email less oftensubmitted by: Total micro i know of some companies that regularly have their employees away from email. Emails are set up with an auto responder, and it’s in their signature as well saying that they only check emails a few times a day, if it’s urgent, they should call. Takes the pressure off having to respond to emails immediately. very good idea!

Work smarter, work offlinesubmitted by: sunshinyday The biggest distraction in my day is e-intrusions – email, Tweets, Facebook, texts, blogs.

i run an online business, so social networks and e-communications are my lifeblood. But it’s been demonstrated that these kinds of distractions (indeed any sort of ‘multi-tasking’) can make you less productive as your train of thought is constantly interrupted.

i plan my time so that i do the ‘meat’ of my work in the morning with all e-comms switched off. i check in with them first thing and during my coffee breaks, then do a 1hr blitz on all the messages and media at the end of every day. That way i find i keep up with the e-sphere without getting lost in it and wasting precious time.

Smarter processes

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outsourcing

only do what is worth your timesubmitted by: lj As a small photography company of only two employees (my husband a photographer, me in admin) we have been looking for ways to work smarter and not harder to increase our capacity to take on more business, but still within the 24 hours a day we’ve been given!

The one gem that we have come up with that has completely revolutionised the way we do business is “only do what is worth your time”. This can apply to both what business you take on, as well as what parts of those roles we ourselves complete, and what parts we outsource.

Firstly, it is important to know your value. once you’ve worked out what hourly rate you are worth, you can decide which jobs are simply not worth your time, and which ones are.

outsourcing is an absolute revelation for us! More and more we are discovering companies both local and abroad who are willing to take over those tedious tasks for a fraction of the value of what the time for us to do them is worth. one good example of this is the sorting and culling of photos. professional photo processing companies now offer this service for as little as $150 per job, for what would have taken my husband sometimes a day to do! His earning capacity in a day for a wedding shoot is in the thousands, and therefore spending this time culling photos was not only boring him, but it was wasting potential money!

Beginning to outsource, and taking on less jobs at a higher return on investment rate has increased our earning capacity to no end.

Focus on what you’re good atsubmitted by: flower-child Mine is similar to lj’s above in that i think you should do what you’re good at and leave the rest to other people. When i first started, i tried to be everything and was quickly burning myself out.

i’m slowly starting to outsource, first with a vA and next is book keeping. i also hired a cleaner for home this week and my husband has said he’ll drop off his work uniform to the cleaners, so that reduces my ironing.

it all sounds expensive, but when you weigh it up, my vA is off shore and i can dictate how many hours i need each week, so if i have nothing for them, i don’t pay anything. Why should i spend my time at $X per hour, when i can pay someone who knows what they are doing a (hopefully) smaller amount to do it, and in probably a lot less of the time. The cleaner will do for $75, what would take me a whole day on the weekend. That day i can now spend with my family and not be the cranky pants that i am when cleaning - lol.

on top of freeing me up to do what i’m good at, it’s helping with my mental health as well, which can never be underestimated. you are your most important employee!

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outsourcing

delegate and outsourcesubmitted by: call your clientsHaving started up my own telemarketing company a few months ago i can’t say enough how important outsourcing your work is.

i make phone calls for various businesses and they all say at some point, why didn’t i do this sooner. Makes sense that if you are out there doing what you do best, and usually like the most or you probably wouldn’t have begun it in the first place, then you are making money and enjoying yourself into the bargain. So if someone can be making your appointments for you so you’re not sitting behind a desk dreading making the next call why not outsource it?

A businessman i was speaking to recently said, after we had a discussion about what we can outsource, that he believes he can save literally thousands of dollars per month on outsourcing - i was to do his appointment setting for his business calls (10-15 hrs per week), he was going to use a virtual Assistant for his admin (pays by the amount of work she performs to the minute), a MyoB specialist for his pay role and BAS and a phone answering service for his incoming calls when he’s with a client and his 1300 number. He then said that he wouldn’t need his office anymore which would save him over $2000 per month in rent alone and the office “manager” cost him over $850 per week. He would save $$$

An internet guru, SEo, key word optimiser type asked me to do her calling the other day of approx 10 hours per week. Now she charges $85 per hour for her services and is really quite busy so it makes absolute sense for her to outsource her calls to us who charge under $50 per hour. She saves herself more than $35 per hour by outsourcing her calls and obviously leaves herself open to working more on her specialty.

Most of us already outsource - accounting (tax and bookkeeping), mechanicals, legals, web design, logo making, virtual assistance work etc. - so look around and see what else you can outsource and save some money, stress less and free up time to do what you love doing!

replysubmitted by: bridiejSo many professionals waste precious time doing jobs that could be delegated or outsourced. My dad is a prime example, he’s in Health & Safety which involves writing huge reports about incidents etc. and, although he’s fairly quick with his two fingered typing, i keep trying to persuade him to outsource it so he can concentrate on more important tasks. He often works until 9pm at night typing stuff up, which is unnecessary - if he stopped typing reports up himself he could be finished hours earlier.

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productivity tools

The pareto principle submitted by: ERPSpecialist Firstly, we need to define what “Working Smarter” means. i would define it as “doing more work in less time and making more profit in the process”. The Big question is ‘How do we do this?’ because every sensible person would want to achieve that result.

There is a very interesting theory known as The Pareto Principle. Start by creating a Pareto Chart to track every “problem” that comes up, put these into categories so you can group them. once you can see all the problem issues that have some up that make you inefficient, you can focus on the top 20% of them. you will find these to be the recurring things that keep giving you grief. All the others will only be the one-offs that you may not be able to do much about. Solving this top 20% will cure 80% of all your business woes and will go a long way to having you work smarter, doing more work in less time ANd making more profit!

producteevsubmitted by: Availlive Virtual Assistant There is the famous GTd (Getting things done) method which i find incredibly useful and have implemented the method for 1 month. i have definitely increased my billable hours by 200%. it is a huge difference! The program that i use is producteev; it’s a great system because you can assign tasks on the website, through an email, an iM message and gadgets on Gmail and Chrome. Aside from assigning tasks, you can schedule a reminder for each task or even assign it to another member of the team. i love this program!

Taglocitysubmitted by: BruceM i thought i might share a tool i find quite useful to deal with email - Taglocity. There’s a free or paid version. The idea is you tag your emails rather than filing in various folders, which i found can get out of control if an email fits more than one folder. you can then create auto tags from various people or subject lines etc. and have various actions performed. For example i have a tag that creates a meeting in my calendar at the press of one of these tags. My inbox has never been in better shape! To check it out visit www.taglocity.com

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productivity tools

Google Appssubmitted by: David Jardine As far as tips for soloists or freelancers i can contribute one main one which i have done and which helps a lot. it’s Google Apps.

i setup my domain to work with Google Apps so now i have a custom GMAiL account on my domain and i use GMAiL for all my business email. it works with my domain so i have a professional domain email address but my email client is Gmail.

i also use Google docs (part of Apps) for all my quotes, client details, projects with tasks and reporting and more. i just make a copy of a template i have created, save it to the client folder, and share it with the client i am working on. They are able to make edits and provide updates and info i need as i work, and we collaborate in real-time once a week on the worksheet.

i also have my iphone (you can use whichever phone works for you) set to use Google apps as my default email, calendar and contacts so i have all my communication and details with me all the time. These are all current as everything is stored in Google, so updating a contact via my iphone instantly updates my Google contacts so all devices are always current.

i also use Google Calendar to create appointments and invite clients as attendees. When they ‘accept’ the invitation they also become a Contact so i get their email address if i need it.

So many more tips that come from this but you need to spend a bit of time getting setup. My entire workspace is now virtual (thanks to dropBox storing all my files) so i can literally work from anywhere within minutes just by logging in.

double Bonus points - if my computer ever crashes or gets infected by a virus al my files and systems are safe and secure. i can just go to an internet cafe and begin work as normal.

visit http://www.google.com/apps. oh, and it’s free :)

Livescribe – my magic pensubmitted by: the internet blokeyou are at an important meeting or lecture. And you’re jotting down notes to remind you of what is being said. Now imagine that three months later, the exact words that were said in one part of that meeting become crucially important.

So you just go back to the notes you made, touch your pen onto the notes you made, and you immediately hear the actual words that were being spoken while you were making the notes. Magic? – pretty much! But that’s one example of what you can do with the Livescribe “pulse” Smartpen. This tool is invaluable for doctors, lawyers, architects, students, etc.

you can also upload your notes to your computer, use the text recognition feature to turn your notes into a text document and upload your notes online, so that others can see what you wrote and hear what was going on as you wrote it.

This is one of the most useful gadgets i’ve ever seen, with countless uses. Just make sure you are aware of any privacy implications, and that you get people’s permission to record if applicable.

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productivity tools

Workflow Maxsubmitted by: saraHowardA new project management app i’m using is Workflow Max. it syncs up with Xero for bookkeeping, so it’s seamless from leads to quotes to jobs to invoicing. But best of all, it forces me to quickly clock in how much time i spent on each project in a day. And i soon realised how much time i actually spend on non-billable work. (Like posting things on forums like Flying Solo!)

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Final words of wisdom

Working solo is working smarter submitted by: burgo There are numerous book articles on “How to work Smarter” and i have yet to see one that includes...

• The Soloist really doesn’t need to work smarter, because they are already smarter.

• They’ve seen the truth about working for corporations large, medium or small.

• They’ve seen the way honest people become dishonest.

• The soloist works smarter because they’re the one calling the shots.

• They’re the one that has the financial burden of success or failure.

• They’re the one that makes sure failure doesn’t happen.

• They work smarter because they take time out.

• They work smarter because when they get too busy they either say No or pass the work on to another soloist they’ve met here on the forum.

• They work smarter because they are passionate about what they do and how they do it and care for their customers, their family and themselves.

productivity = Efficiency + Effectivenesssubmitted by: georgia Lush i like to keep things simple. i have a favourite quote at the moment:

productivity = Efficiency (doing the right things) plus Effectiveness (doing them right)

So the key is to identify the most important thing and do it well. i have a tool i use each day to help me: i list the three most important things that i need to achieve (today it is my newsletter format, reviewing my business plan and making clear goals for the year ahead).

And then i set a context for the day. This might look something like: ‘calm and focused’ or ‘just do it’. Today it is: Just Be. i find keeping it this simple makes me much more productive. i just have to do three things. The rest will take care of itself.

Self SWoTsubmitted by: Jo Hanlon Know thyself, i.e. do a study of your own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWoT) so you can choose what you need to do that maximises your skills rather than wasting time feeling a failure and trying out everyone else’s way ‘cause that has to be better than yours!! Be brave and back yourself!

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Final words of wisdom

Be honest with yourself!submitted by: Holly M All of us work in different ways and something that works for one person is not necessarily right for another. it is most important to be honest with yourself to ensure you are not procrastinating by thinking of “the best ways to save time”. once you sit down and truly assess which ways work for you, you can then increase your productivity!

Tips that work for mesubmitted by: AL25 • Create action/task lists and prioritise each task as high, medium or low.

• only check your emails at allocated times each day (once in the morning and once in the afternoon)

• Keep you working environment neat and tidy

• Have clear business objectives and work backwards from those

• outsource tasks wherever possible

• Know your strengths and weaknesses - if it’s not your strength outsource it

• don’t be a perfectionist

A productivity Haiku (almost)submitted by: sheryl a Here is my productivity haiku (almost). i keep this 11-word plastered on the wall above my desk, to remind me that, although fancy gadgets, intelligent systems and sneaky outsourcing can potentially save me bucket loads of time, it’s really up to me to put it all into action:

• one thing at a time.

• Most important thing first.

• Start now!

Nice way to finish. Now get into it.

Love your work!

the team at Flying solo

Run your own business? Join the FrEE Flying Solo community for support, exposure & how-to guides. visit www.flyingsolo.com.au