How to Achieve More by Doing Less

Running any business can be hard work. And running an interior design firm is no exception. I’m often asked how I manage to accomplish so much in a day and what tricks I use to manage my time. 

The answer is simple but layered. 

There isn’t one thing you can do to be more productive!!

But there are MANY things you can do to improve efficiencies and the daily tasks waiting on your to do list that will help make you more productive.

Here are the top 3 areas that I have focused on and seen major results:

1. Surround yourself with other like-minded entrepreneurs.

   This will help you learn what others are doing and hopefully you can learn from other peoples mistakes! I love my Business of Design Community and the designers I’ve met as a result. Attending events like my Designer Meet-Ups so you can meet in person and talk about issues can be a game changer. Learning how others run their business will save you hours of searching how to do things on the internet!

2. Hire to your weaknesses.

   If you can afford to hire someone to help you - DO IT! It doesn’t have to be a full time employee - even just a few hours a month if that’s all you can afford - like a bookkeeper - that’s a good start. But whether you’re hiring part time or a full-time employee, make sure you aren’t just hiring “mini me”. Find someone who is skilled in the areas where you are weak. This will free you up to do the tasks that you excel at.

3. Time block your calendar.

   This is something I wish I had done so many years ago! It has been a total game changer for me. Set aside chunks of time (minimum 4 hours) to focus on one project or task at a time. NO room for multitasking here! As it turns out - studies have shown that multitasking is actually NOT productive. I set aside Mondays and Fridays for office-only tasks. I don’t meet clients or travel to site on these days so I can catch up on any tasks I need to do IN office. 

So there you have it. By no means is this an exhaustive list of everything I do but it’s a good bite sized take-away to get your brain thinking and scheming how to improve your work life to get more done on the daily. 

If you like these tips and want to delve a little deeper you can watch this weeks YOUTUBE video. Comment below if you’ve tried any of these things and if they worked… or is there something even better that you’d recommend?

And of course I hope I can meet you soon at our very first Designer Meetup in Toronto. Click here to find out more details.

xo,

Rebecca