The One Productivity Question That Changed My Business
As a creative entrepreneur, the start of a new year always feels like the perfect time to reset and strategize. Like many of you, I've been mapping out my vision for upcoming shoots, content creation, marketing campaigns, and educational resources. But here's the real question that keeps coming up: How can we optimize our productivity to actually accomplish everything on our plates?
The Solo Entrepreneur's Productivity Challenge
If you're running a one-person show like me, you know the struggle. Between wearing multiple hats and juggling an endless to-do list, staying focused can feel impossible. And let's be honest – prioritizing the tasks that truly move the needle in your business? That's a whole other challenge.
I'll admit it: I've been there. I've bought every fancy planner on the market. I've tried countless productivity apps and AI tools. I've fallen into the trap of what I call "busy productivity" – creating endless lists, getting lost in brainstorming sessions, and yes, falling down the Instagram rabbit hole when I meant to just check one thing (we've all been there!).
The Simple Yet Powerful Solution
Over the years, I came to realize that time is our most valuable resource and it’s nonrenewable so you can’t get it back. It’s best not to waste it! While I love systems and frameworks (they're essential!), I've found that meaningful progress comes down to one crucial question:
"What are the top one or two actions I can take today to better serve my clients and support my business growth?"
This simple question, when asked consistently before diving into work each day, has transformed my productivity approach. Here's why it works:
It cuts through the noise and focuses on impact
It prevents overwhelm by limiting priorities
It keeps client service at the heart of business growth
The 80/20 Principle for Creative Business Success
Two powerful business principles guide my productivity approach:
Revenue Focus: Spend 80% of your time nurturing the activities that generate most of your business, and 20% on everything else
Success Formula: Remember that 80% of your success comes from mindset, while 20% comes from strategy
My Proven Productivity Toolkit
After years of experimentation, here are the tools and techniques that have made the biggest impact in my creative business:
1. Focus Music
I use specific Spotify playlists like "Deep Focus Music" and "ADHD Focus Music" to create the perfect work environment for deep concentration.
2. Intentional Break Patterns
I alternate between the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of work, 5-minute breaks) and longer focus sessions with scenery changes to maintain creative energy and prevent burnout. I might take a 10 minute walk around the block or stretch or just go look out the window. I don’t scroll on my phone. That will just distract me.
3. Capture Ideas
I've found my perfect combination using the Leuchtturm notebook with its built-in table of contents and Notion for managing larger projects and workflows. The thing that makes the Leuchtturm notebook so great is that the pages are numbered so when you capture important meeting notes or ideas you can log them in the table of contents with the page number so that you can easily reference them later. Notion is a whole other topic but it is a free robust tool online and it comes with an app. There are lots of youtube video tutorials if you want to check it out as a task and project manager.
4. Strategic Time Batching
Schedule specific blocks or time in your day to focus on work. Look at your goals and break them down into smaller actionable steps and find dedicated time blocks in your schedule to work on them. This can also look like dedicating days to batching work. I dedicate specific days to similar tasks – for example, one day for photoshoots and culling, another for content creation and client meetings. This dramatically reduces context switching and increases output quality. Your brain can only stretch so far. It’s hard to switch between being in creative mode and being in analytical mode. I’ve found batching work to be a great solution.
5. The Double-Time Rule
I am constantly underestimating the time it takes me to do things. Then I feel guilty for taking too long. I've learned to double my estimated time for tasks, which eliminates guilt and creates space for creativity to flourish. If I think something will take an hour, I block out two – and feel great when I finish early!
6. Transformative Morning Routine
Your morning sets the tone for your entire day. Instead of starting in reaction mode (checking emails, social media, or news), I focus on self-care: water, meditation, exercise, and tackling my top priority before entering response mode. If you get up and give time to yourself to center and focus on what you want, how you want to show up and what you want to create in your day then you are filling up the tank and proactively creating your day which creates your life.
Moving Forward
Remember, productivity isn't about doing more – it's about doing what matters most for your business and clients. Start with that one powerful question each day, and you'll be amazed at how it transforms your focus and results.
What productivity challenges are you facing in your creative business? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.