The difference between staying productive and being busy

by Trupo

This article is reproduced with the permission of our partner, Trupo, which is hosting virtual get-togethers through its Freelancers Mutual Aid Circle. If you missed this virtual class taught by entrepreneur and strategist Georgie-Ann Getton-Mckoy, 1. Don't worry, there are more workshops coming up and 2. Some of Georgie-Ann's freelancing tips are below.

As many of us work from home, it's easy to fall into being busy around the clock. And yet, having jam-packed schedules can, ironically, lead to feeling surprisingly unaccomplished (while also totally burned out.) There's a difference between overloading your work day and actually getting things done, and execution strategist Georgie-Ann Getton-Mckoy is here to share her five tips for staying healthily productive:

Do one thing at a time.

Multitasking is a myth, according to Getton-Mckoy. It required a splitting of our resources in a way that makes it hard to focus on one project long enough to complete it well.

So, instead, she recommends taking tasks and splitting them up into micro tasks, so that you can know in advance what to anticipate in the workload and finish it step by step.

Plan ahead.

Getton-Mckoy swears by both online and physical calendars, as well as keeping a journal. She also advises planning your life in "quarters" like you would a business.

When you think in the long-term, it's harder to saturate your schedule with too much to do. You get better at delegating when you know, for instance, that you'll have enough money for a few months and don't need to say yes to every assignment that gets offered.

Let tech do the work.

Getton-Mckoy highly advises using automated tools like Hootsuite, Zapier or Mailchimp to reduce the amount of busy work you do, whether it's scheduling social media posts or sending out newsletters.

Outsource tasks when you can.

When tech can't cover it, Getton-Mckoy suggests utilizing services like Fiverr to find people who can help you, whether it's coding a section of your website or designing a quick email logo. It's so much faster to ask a professional than waste five hours trying to learn an Adobe program you'll never need to use again.

Steadily show your work.

Put yourself out there before your work is "perfect", says Getton-Mckoy. Promote yourself by speaking at online events, writing blog posts, and publishing on your social media accounts. That way, when you finally feel ready to show off your book or launch your new product, you won't feel like you have to hustle to build up an audience. It will already be there.

Trupo is looking for peer mentors and webinar speakers! If you have presentation experience and have a topic you feel freelancers could benefit learning about, or just want to provide mentorship, feel free to reach out to help@trupo.com.

[Photo: Unsplash/Dawid Liberadzki]

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