7 Habits to Improve Your Productivity (and Life)
As a business owner, I see you trying to control the chaos of life, kids, and clients, searching for ways to find more time. You’re not short on ambition—just time. You’ve got a lot on your plate, and most days, it feels like you’re juggling a dozen work-related tasks with no breathing room. If you’re ready to improve your productivity, it doesn’t mean you need to hustle harder—it means learning how to manage your time with intention. As a business owner and content creator, your time is one of your greatest assets, and how you use it can either move you toward your goals or keep you stuck in busywork.
The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your entire routine. You just need a few effective ways to work smarter.
I’m sharing 7 practical habits that will help you improve your productivity and stay focused on what truly moves your business forward—without sacrificing your personal life or peace of mind.
Habit One: Track Your Time
If you want to improve your productivity, you need to start with a clear picture of how you're actually spending your time. Time tracking is one of the most effective ways to build awareness around your habits, especially when balancing content creation, client work, and the family taxi service.
It answers the question: What did I accomplish today?
When you track your time, you’ll start to recognize patterns—like the best time of day for deep work or when you’re most likely to get distracted. You’ll also see how much time goes to important work versus repetitive tasks or things that don’t actually move your business forward.
This habit gives you clarity, and clarity leads to better decisions about how to structure your daily schedule.
Productivity isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters most, whether for your family or business.
Habit Two: Create Systems to improve your productivity
Sure you could have guess this one, creating systems is for productive people. The point of a system is it helps you eliminate the number of decisions you must make, stop procrastination, and possibly even an overwhelming amount of sticky notes with random thoughts and tasks.
I can almost hear you thinking, create systems. What does that even mean? Systems are finding easy ways to do things in less time—repeatable processes that keep you from starting from scratch every time.
For example, create a system around meal planning. By far, this is one of my favorite systems that I’ve created. Recipes, new and old, are gathered in Notion. When I’m on Pinterest and discover a recipe I want to try, it goes into Notion under my Recipes. The name begins with **New**, allowing me to find new recipes I want to try quickly.
Once I make the dinner, I ask everyone to rate the recipe on a scale of 1 to 5. If the recipe average score is three or higher, it will be assigned to a week in my meal planning.
As I said, this is one of my favorite systems because, at the end of the work day, the last decision I want to make is what’s for dinner.
Meal planning mostly happens on Sundays, saving me time and brainpower all week.
Let me walk you through one more system. Everything has its place, whether that be a physical item or information.
I’m not as bad as I used to be, but I love my label maker. Label the home for the physical items around your house. Let me elaborate; it’s not enough to label the home of the item. After all, the
item must be put away in its home for the system to work properly.
Besides physical items, having a system for information is also important. I’m a big pen-and-paper person. Doubtedly, information will gather up in my bullet journal. Not everything needs to be kept; however, what goes into Notion for safekeeping? Once it has been put into Notion, it will be noted in my Bullet Journal with a / on the page number. The page number will be crossed out with an X if it's not needed.
Here’s the connection: If creating a system for something like dinner saves you energy, imagine what it can do in your business.
Systemizing your content creation, setting up templates for emails or proposals, or using a project management platform like Asana to organize long-term projects—these are all simple formulas that help you take back your time.
Productive people don’t rely on motivation; they rely on systems. That includes how you run your business, your home, and your day.
Habit Three: Create Lists for a Productive Life
Accordingly, the next area to improve your productivity is with lists. Not only writing the lists but knowing where you put them. In truth, you’re not very productive if you spend too much time looking for your lists. I can speak from experience here.
Lists include not only your to-do list, but also you’re not-to-do list. Let me guess, you know what I’m talking about, the not-to-do list of things to delegate. Or perhaps a list of reasons why you’re not eating sugary treats. Yes, this is a true not-to-do list. What type of not-to-do list will you create?
While this will require your family to get on board, it will improve your personal productivity. Without a doubt, using the notes app for a shared family shopping list.
Please stick with me here; you’re out running errands, and pop into the grocery store to get a few things you know you need to pick up for dinner. Your running grocery list is hanging on the side of the fridge; no one is home to tell you what’s on the list. So you stand in the aisle racking your brain, trying to remember, do we still need ketchup? C’mon, I can’t be the only one.
That’s why having a shared shopping list in Notes, Google Keep, or something similar helps to improve your productivity and cut down on buying things you may not actually need. It does take a bit of training for your family, but it’s worth the effort!
Now let’s talk business. Just like your grocery list saves time, your daily tasks need the same structure. Using a digital task management tool like Asana, Notion, or even a simple spreadsheet helps you track everything from client work to content creation. Keep a to-do list, a project plan, and even a list of tasks that can wait—or be delegated to a team member.
And don’t underestimate the power of the not-to-do list in business. It keeps you focused on the most important tasks and gives you permission to say no to things that don’t align with your goals.
Not sure what to delegate? Use the Eisenhower Matrix to help you decide what’s urgent, what’s important, and what you can hand off. It’s a simple framework that helps you sort your tasks by priority—so you’re not just doing more, you’re doing what matters.
Having clear, accessible lists leads to a greater sense of accomplishment—because you’re not just staying busy, you’re staying intentional.
Habit Four: Map Out Your Work to Improve Your Productivity
Your time is valuable—we’ve already covered that. Therefore, not having a map of the work that needs to be done will cause you to be unproductive, procrastinate, and possibly miss deadlines.
When you map out your work in advance, you’ll know when you need to do something and when you need to ask others for items they are responsible for.
To put it another way, create a project plan for your big and little projects. David Allen’s book Getting Things Done states that anything with more than one task is considered a project.
If you struggle with chunking your work down, start with the big items and break them down from there.
In business, this step is essential for managing long-term projects and staying focused on the most crucial task in front of you. Without a clear plan, you’re more likely to waste time on less important work, or worse, get stuck in analysis paralysis. Tools like Asana, ClickUp, or Notion make it easier to break down your work into manageable chunks and assign specific time frames to each task.
One productivity tip that works well here: schedule time at the start of each day to review what needs to happen. That small habit gives you a head start and helps you make progress without scrambling.
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3 NIV)
Mapping out your work isn’t about controlling every moment—it’s about creating space for intentional progress in your business and life.
Habit Five: Improve Your Productivity with Daily Goals
What are your top three, or create good, better, best goals if you’d like to look at it from that standpoint?
Let me explain: it would be a good day if you did ______. What is one goal? If you achieve that today you’d be happy. This one should be totally achievable.
Next, what would be a better goal? It would be a better day if you did ____ and ____. What are two goals that, if you achieve, you’d be excited?
Finally, what would be the best goal? It would be the best day if you did ____, ____ and ____.
What are three goals that, if you achieved them, would be the BEST day?
Here’s an example: let’s say you’re working on drinking more water. Because water is good for your brain and your productivity.
- A good goal—drink 1 quart of water in the first hour you're awake.
- A better goal may be to have 3 quarts of water drank by 3 p.m.
- The best goal would be to have 4 quarts of water drank by 6 p.m.
The good, better, best helped my sister while training to run a half marathon after having her first baby. The week leading up to the race, she was down about her times. I explained to her to set good, better, and best goals. She could aim for her best, however, if she hit her good goal, that was a goal to be proud of, too. She ended up finishing the race and was thrilled with her accomplishment. Setting good, better, and best goals helped her stay motivated and focused on what she could achieve rather than feeling discouraged by comparing herself to her previous race times.
This approach to goal setting works in business too. At the start of each day, identify your most important tasks. Then choose one goal that will move your business forward—even if it’s something small like scheduling content or following up with a potential client.
Having clear goals gives your day structure and helps you resist distractions. It also builds consistency over time, which is key to business productivity and long-term momentum.
When you define your goals clearly, you give yourself direction—and that’s what turns hard work into real progress.
Habit Six: Batch Like Items to Improve Your Productivity
I’m sure this is not a new one. Batching like items improves your productivity because you’re not bouncing from one thing to another.
You’re keeping your brain focused on one thing. When batching, using focus music with headphones keeps you from getting distracted by all the noises going on around you.
What tasks could you batch to improve your productivity?
These include setting a timer for social media engagement, batching and scheduling your social media posts, and creating your pillar content.
Now let’s apply it to your business. Batching is especially helpful when working on content creation, repetitive tasks, or anything that drains energy when done in small bursts. Try setting aside blocks of time to write emails, prep client materials, or plan your weekly calendar—doing similar tasks together helps boost your productivity levels and protects your focus.
The Pomodoro Technique is one of my favorite time management techniques to pair with batching. It’s simple: work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four rounds, take a longer minute break—around 15–30 minutes. This approach supports focus without burnout.
Even better, use one of those breaks to take a short walk. It’s good for your physical health, clears mental fog, and gives your brain a reset before jumping into the next part of your production process.
When you batch your work and plan breaks with intention, you protect your focus and your energy.
Habit Seven: Schedule a Hard Stop for a Productive Life
Set boundaries around your time to improve your productivity. Schedule hard stops—times when, regardless of what you’re doing, you shut the laptop, walk away from the desk, and call it done.
This is one that I personally struggle with—not going to lie to you. If I’m on a roll, it can be difficult for me to stop in the middle of it. If this is the case, I look at what I can adjust to keep going.
Or, if it’s the end of the day, is what I’m working on more important than my daily exercise?
Because I know myself, I tend to have wiggle room at the end of my day. For example, I schedule one hour to get ready; however, I know that if I absolutely need to, I could take a shower and get ready in twenty minutes. At the moment, I’ll get to choose what’s more important.
Here’s the thing: knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing when to start. In business, it’s an important step toward maintaining energy and long-term focus. When you give yourself a firm endpoint, you train your brain to work with greater intention and urgency during your actual work time. That way, you can truly disconnect, recharge, and be present for the rest of the day—whether that’s with your family, at the gym, or simply doing something that brings joy.
For me, that hard stop usually looks like grabbing the leashes and heading out with my husband and our dogs. Even if I still have more to do, that evening walk helps me mentally shut off work and transition into home. It’s part of how I reset, reconnect, and protect the rhythm I want for my personal life.
This habit also reinforces your work-life balance. You don’t need to squeeze in extra time every evening to complete tasks. Instead, give yourself permission to stop when the workday ends, trusting that what’s most important will be there tomorrow.
If you like this, be sure to read Time Wasters | Be Mindful Of Your Time
Let’s Recap: 7 Habits to Improve Your Productivity
If you're feeling scattered or stretched too thin, go back to the basics. These seven habits aren’t about doing more—they’re about doing what matters most.
Here’s a quick recap:
- Track Your Time – Know where your time is going so you can spend it more intentionally.
- Create Systems – Simplify repetitive tasks to save time and mental energy.
- Make Lists – Keep your to-dos (and not-to-dos) organized and easy to find.
- Map Out Your Work – Use project plans and clear time frames to stay focused and reduce overwhelm.
- Set Daily Goals – Start each day with clear priorities using the good, better, best method.
- Batch Like Tasks – Group similar tasks and take strategic breaks to boost your focus.
- Schedule a Hard Stop – Protect your evenings and reset your mind by ending the day with intention.
You don’t need to implement all seven at once. Just start with one. As you build better habits, you’ll start to feel more grounded, more focused, and more productive—in both your business and your life.
Because how we manage our time isn’t just about productivity—it’s about purpose.
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