Use Client Management or Project Management Tools (absolute must)

Make sure you have adequate client, sales and project management tools in your business as the go-to place for tasks, reminders, notes and updates on clients and projects. It will help you better manage your time, the business and your staff by keeping everything in one place and accessible.

We use a CRM for our sales team and our own cloud-based project management tool for our development and delivery teams. Both are automated and linked together, allowing us to achieve high levels of continuous planning and maximum productivity.

Openly Explore The Distractions In Your Business

We can spend up to two hours a day being distracted in some shape or form. As a team, discuss your business-wide and personal distractions and set some accountability to help reduce distractions in the office. Whether its one-minute-meetings, Facebook or excessive coffee breaks. Create awareness and be mindful of your distractions.

Avoid Excessive Multi-Tasking

We're all guilty of trying to do everything at the same time. Unfortunately, it tends to reduce focus and motivation and within a period of time you'll be caught out by a distraction.

Plan your day in blocks that are laser focused on the required tasks. Choose 1-5 tasks to complete each day and schedule breaks and other tasks such as emails and phone calls when you have completed each main task. This will create a sense of achievement throughout the day when tasks are completed and releases Dopamine in the brain which will heighten your motivation and focus for the next task. Try It.

Avoid Afternoon Meetings & Appointments

By scheduling your meetings early in the day they will not distract you for the remainder of the day. An afternoon meeting will take your focus away in the morning, reducing your productivity. Furthermore, if your afternoon meeting ends early your motivation to get stuck into another task for the rest of the day will be greatly reduced (chances are you'll even finish early).

Be Aware of Your Mental Blocks In Productivity

A mental block occurs when we are unsure of an outcome and can lead to a lack of clarity, reducing focus and productivity. This is particularly relevant to business owners and business leaders. Levels of uncertainty when undertaking a task creates anxiety sub-consciously (even if you're not consciously aware of it). An example of this might be completing that proposal for a client that you don't know if they will accept or trying out a new task for the first time. Our reaction to this is usually to put the task off (or a distraction). By putting a task off it occupies some of our mental capacity (like a niggle in the back of the mind) and will reduce your overall attention, focus and motivation for others task - reducing productivity.

To overcome this, first ask yourself if this is mental block - be mindful if there is an uncertain outcome and take a few moments to discuss how you plan to complete the task with a friend or colleague. This will create automatic accountability and will help you drive through the mental block.