Article 5 productivity pointers to boost your translation business

How productive are you? Are you uber-focused on the task at hand, or do you find yourself flitting from one thing to another...and forgetting where you started?

If it's the latter, you're not alone. And social media is a massive contributor to our endemic unproductivity. With 28% of us checking our Twitter account before we even get out of bed, it's easy to see how we could be sucked down the rabbit hole of retweets, likes and shares before we've even opened a file.

Luckily, there are techniques to help. In this post, we're rounding up our top five tips to increase productivity.

1. Don't multitask

Focusing on one task at a time is key to getting through more of your to-do list. It sounds counter-productive, as we're often told that multitasking is the way forward, but by focusing on a single project, job or document, you will finish the task at hand faster and, ultimately, get more of your deliverables done by the end of the day.

Keep a pencil and a piece of paper beside you for those "I need to remember that" moments, that way you can write them down and come back to them later.

In our job, research is often a big part of the game, but the same principle applies - as you encounter sections you'll need to explore in more detail, note them down. When you're finished your focused period, you'll have a list waiting for you to help with your further investigations.

During these focused bursts, turn off your social media notifications, close down your email and set your Skype to "Do not disturb". You'll get more done - we promise.

2. Rock your routines

Your brain loves habits. When you're just going through the motions, your brain will have fewer questions to ask itself and more energy to focus on the activity that really deserves its attention.

How do you foster this behaviour? By creating routines. In keeping with our previous point on staying focused on a single task, the simplicity of a routine will naturally give you the focus; all you need to do is follow the steps.

3. Don't forget to run the business

Feeling overwhelmed by admin and marketing is commonplace. But that doesn't mean we can't do something about it.

It's human nature to avoid a task we don't enjoy until we absolutely must do something, but unfortunately, that's what causes famine periods and financial penalties.

Prioritising your client work goes without saying, but making sure to dedicate time each and every week to your admin and marketing tasks will help your business steer a steady course, not one full of ups, downs and potential capsizes.

We recommend scheduling an admin afternoon and a marketing morning once a week, to make sure you make time for these vital jobs.

4. Building blocks

If you use the time tracking feature on LSP.expert, you'll already have a good idea how long your projects and tasks are taking. Go one step further and create dedicated blocks in your calendar (digital, or your trusty diary). Doing this gives you a clear, visual overview of your schedule.

This doesn't just help you, it helps your clients, because with a better handle on your schedule, you'll be able to quickly tell them your availability - your true availability (yes, we know you usually say "I'm sure it'll be fine".)

Bonus - blocking out your time also helps you figure out if you've got the space to take on new clients, and exactly when you can fit them in.

5. System savvy

We're big on systems, so you knew we were going to mention them at some point! Using LSP.expert to create systems for your translation business, for example, to create invoice and quotes templates, will cut down on the time you spend coming up with them from scratch (or trying to find the correct version.)

You can check out our article on how systems can help your business and your productivity soar.

Using our tips should set you on the road to swapping procrastination for productivity; with more time for your best clients (and your new, ideal ones.) You'll also feel calmer, knowing that your business is running as it should be - not running away from you.