7 Life-Changing Productivity Habits for Business Owners and Freelancers
The goal of productivity is not to do more work. It’s to have more freedom.
It was only when I transitioned from corporate employee to business owner that I learned the key difference between “busy” and “productive”.
Up until that point, I had spent a lot of time as the former. I was a yes-woman, throwing myself into every task and ask that came my way.
But when my core measure of success as a business owner became revenue, not a full calendar, I quickly learned the difference.
Productive is not the same as busy. Far from it. Busy is about getting as much done as possible, while productivity is about getting the most important things done.
Productivity is about adopting a CEO-mindset rather than an employee mindset, in saying yes to the things that matter, and a polite no to things that, however loud they cry for your attention, will not move the needle in your life or business.
So without further ado, here are my life-changing productivity habits for business owners and freelancers.
Some I’ve borrowed from others, and some I’ve discovered on my own. I don’t use the word life-changing lightly — these are not hacks to gain a handful of minutes back in your day. They are simple yet powerful rules I’ve embedded into my life to guide my irrational and inconsistent behaviour.
And since they’ve profoundly changed how I plan and lead my life, I want to share them with you too.
7 Life-Changing Productivity Habits You Can Implement Today
1. I plan my days and weeks in advance.
Every Sunday evening, I take 15 minutes to lay out all my deadlines and tasks and then work backwards to plan chunks of time when I’m going to work on each thing. Rather than working from a to-do list or any kind of list, everything that needs my attention has a day and a time attached to it.
This means that when I get to my desk each morning, I don’t waste a moment wondering what to do first, and inevitably reach for the least important, easy thing. Having an overview of my whole week at a glance also helps me make better decisions about guarding my time when people come to me with asks. If you don’t guard your time, people will steal it from you.
And through advanced planning, I give myself just enough structure to find flow and be able to embrace spontaneity in the moments that matter.
2. I work with, not against, my circadian rhythms.
Although we all kind of knew it from personal experience, science is starting to show us that all time is not created equal. Each of us has optimum times in the day to take on specific tasks based on our natural circadian rhythms. There are certain activities I only do first thing in the morning when I know I’ll have a natural advantage.
Author Daniel Pink has written extensively on the science behind productivity and circadian rhythms. This article gives more insight into how to identify your own peak, trough and recovery times and plan your days accordingly.
3. I track my time religiously.
I use a time-tracking app called Harvest to track where all my time at work goes. It might sound laborious, but it’s such a habit now that I do it unconsciously. Tracking not only helps me to make sure I’m working towards my own goals as well as my clients’, but it makes me more focused too.
When tracking my time, what I call “work” is truly focused work. Not scrolling-through-Instagram, grabbing-a-snack, replying-to-WhatsApp kind of work. Every time I allow myself to be distracted, I have to turn off the timer.
I used to welcome any kind of interruption willingly when working on something deep or difficult; now I only allow myself a break if I have 45 minutes on my timer. The result? I get important stuff done so much faster.
4. I do one thing at a time.
Not so long ago, “good multi-tasker” appeared frequently on job ads as an essential skill. But more and more research is finally proving that multitasking is absolute BS. In fact, it’s so bad for performance that in a research study, participants who were given heavy doses of marijuana considerably outperformed those trying to multitask.
When my Harvest timer is on, I put my phone on aeroplane mode. Yes, I only check email and messages in my “breaks” — 10–15 minutes out of every hour. Scary as this sounds, the world is yet to crash and burn around me.
5. I’m always taking notes.
I note everything down — an idea, a name, a to-do. I keep my phone close to hand to download all the thoughts I get in the shower and after meditating. Once it’s noted, I don’t need to spend any more mental energy on that thing until it’s time to use it, and can remain present for whatever’s happening.
When I do sit down to approach a big task, a lot of the thinking has been done already and it’s all in my notes. A funny thing has started happening, too. The more I take notes and action those moments of inspiration, the more ideas come and my creative process gets easier and easier.
6. I understand that big work takes big energy.
The most productive thing you can do is take care of your health, so when I’m planning my weeks ahead, the first commitments I make are to my fitness classes and morning routines. All other work gets slotted around that.
Daily meditation has made me more productive because it allows me to get off the rollercoaster ride and collect my bearings. The more I meditate, the more I find myself giving less and less attention to negative emotions and thoughts that would have otherwise derailed my hour or day.
7. Purpose > Productivity
I love this visual from The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.
Productivity is just the tip of the iceberg — it’s a means to an end. Sometimes, we can lose sight of that, and forget why we want to become more productive and just do it for its own sake.
The best way to increase your productivity is to have a vision, live with purpose and make priorities accordingly. Purpose-driven productivity can help you win at both work and life if you’re intentional about how you design your days and weeks. Purpose-driven productivity keeps you grounded to what’s truly important, and protects you from constantly chasing new, shiny objects.
Here’s where some of us, including myself, can get lost at times.
The goal of productivity is not to do more work. It’s to have more freedom.
A productive life is a meaningful life, full of play, spontaneity and joy as well as achievements.
I’m Imogen, and I help small business owners with big visions overcome marketing confusion to attract more customers and grow their company.
I’m also committed to empowering my fellow entrepreneurial spirits to achieve meaningful success on their own terms. Sign up for my Success Strategy newsletter or follow me on Instagram for more updates.
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