15 Productivity Tips for Consultants

Are you a consultant? Are you feeling unproductive?

The solution is here! You can save time and increase your productivity by using these tips.

Make sure you have a schedule.

If you are a consultant, you’ll need to have a schedule.

For most people, this means that you’ll need to make sure that your clients see the value in paying for your work.

It also means that when it comes time for them to pay, they’ll be able to do so quickly and easily.

In general, this can help make sure that everyone is happy with their dealings with each other.

The first step in making sure that all of these things happen is creating a schedule for yourself—and sticking with it!

The best way to make sure this happens is by using time tracking software like Time Analytics or a calendar app on your phone or computer so that if something changes at any point during the day, then there’s no question as to what needs to be done next.

Keep distractions to a minimum.

Don’t check your phone
Don’t answer the email
Don’t take calls from clients
Don’t check social media
Don’t check your watch or clock

Work regular hours.

If you work in a corporate environment, you may be accustomed to being expected to work more than eight hours a day and even more on weekends.

That’s not the case as a consultant, where regular hours are imperative.

After all, you’re spending your time with clients meeting with them and conducting conversations outside of regular working hours.

You need those extra hours back at home so that you can spend them with your family or just relaxing without worrying about what needs doing around the house or in your personal life.

Multitask, but don’t overdo it.

Multitasking is a myth. It’s an illusion that you are actually doing two things at once when in reality you’re switching back and forth between tasks.

And with each switch comes a cost to your efficiency: the time it takes for you to refocus on the new task combined with the time it takes to forget about what was previously on your mind (what psychologists call “inhibitory rebound”).

Don’t take on too much.

The most important productivity tip for consultants is to not take on too much work.

It’s easy to get excited when a new client wants your services, but you also need to keep an eye on how much time you can dedicate to the project without compromising on other projects or your own ability to work efficiently.

If you find yourself constantly taking on more and more work, assess whether or not this is sustainable.

If it isn’t, then consider turning some of that additional work down in order to maintain a healthy workload—and mental health!

Get rid of bottlenecks.

The first step to becoming more productive is to figure out which of your tasks are bottlenecks.

Bottlenecks are tasks that slow down the rest of your work and make it difficult for you to fulfill your commitments.

If you’re not sure what your bottlenecks are, just ask yourself:

Which task takes the most time?
Which task takes up the highest amount of energy?
Which task do I dread doing?

Once you’ve identified one or two bottlenecks in your workflow, see if there’s anything that can be done about them.

If nothing can be done (for instance, if a client requires 24/7 support), then set aside some time and resources so that these duties don’t negatively impact other areas of focus in addition to affecting morale and productivity levels (e.g., by hiring someone else).

Set aside time for procrastination.

Sometimes, you need to take a break. Sometimes, you really do need to procrastinate.

Procrastination is not always a bad thing; it can also be a sign of creativity and problem-solving ability.

Relaxation is an important component of work that demands high levels of concentration and focus (and if you don’t allow yourself time to relax, then it’s likely that your productivity will suffer).

Procrastination can help us get perspective on our problems by allowing us time away from them…or at least giving us access to new information or ideas when we resume our work again later on.

It’s okay to ask for help.

We all know that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. In fact, it’s an important skill to have.

Try this: next time you’re working on a project and need some help, ask your client if they’d like to assist with the work.

They might offer more insight than you expect! If they don’t know how to do something specific, ask them if they can recommend someone who does know how to do it—and then follow through on that recommendation.

The worst thing that could happen is that the answer will be “no,” but even then there’s still something positive about letting others in on what you’re working on and showing them how much time and effort goes into projects like this one outside of just presenting results at the end.”

It’s important to not lose track of time during projects.

Time tracking is important for many types of consultants.

The goal is to find ways to maximize your productivity so you can get more done in less time.

In order to track your time, you must first choose a project management tool that works well for you.

The tool needs to be easy-to-use and allow you to record every minute of your workday on the computer or phone device of your choice.

There are many options out there, but two popular choices are Time Analytics and Harvest.

Each has its pros and cons, so it’s best if you try both before settling on one or the other.

Once your chosen project management software is set up, start tracking!

At first this might seem like a tedious task—and it can be—but once you get used to recording what happens throughout each day’s tasks and meetings, it will become second nature.

Use high priority tasks as re-energizers during the day as needed.

It’s important to remember that you can’t work indefinitely without breaks.

You need to be able to get away from your desk and engage in activities unrelated to work for a while, or you’ll become exhausted and burnout will set in. However, if you take too long of breaks during the day and allow yourself too much time between meetings with clients or colleagues, then you won’t be productive enough when it comes time for those meetings.

You need somewhere in between short breaks but not too many of them.

So how can we accomplish this? Well perhaps by using high priority tasks as re-energizers during the day as needed!

If there is something urgent that needs your attention—like an email from a client or colleague—then by all means get back on the task immediately after dealing with it.

This will help keep up productivity levels without getting bogged down in everything else going on around us throughout our business day (which often causes us stress).

Be flexible.

Being a consultant can be a little stressful, so it’s important to stay flexible.

If you have a big deadline coming up, don’t be afraid to change your schedule in order to meet it.

If you’re having a bad day, don’t let that ruin the rest of the week—just learn from it and move on!

Don’t get stuck doing work for other people if it doesn’t feel right for you; if there’s another person on staff who would do the job better or has more time to dedicate, delegate tasks as needed.

Try not to expect perfection from yourself or others.

One of the most important aspects of being productive is to not expect perfection from yourself or others.

You are only human, so try not to beat yourself up if you make mistakes.

If you do, it’s okay—just ask for help and then move on!

Additionally, don’t get frustrated if things don’t go exactly as planned.

There will always be unexpected changes in plans and obstacles along the way, but these can be opportunities for creativity and resilience!

Remember that flexibility is key when running your own business or working with clients; adaptability is an important skill to have as a consultant (and in life).

Practice self-care and engage in healthy activities regularly.

As a consultant, you are your own business. You’re responsible for getting your work done and seeing clients.

If you don’t take care of yourself, it can be difficult to perform at your best.

Self-care doesn’t have to mean expensive spa treatments or new clothes every week—though those things are great!

Healthy activities are also important because they help keep us balanced, positive, and motivated when we’re feeling burnt out or overwhelmed by deadlines and client demands.

Use a time tracking tool

Let’s be honest: you probably don’t have the time to keep track of your hours and remind yourself what needs to get done.

However, if you are serious about getting more done in less time, then having a tool that helps you do so is a must.

This tool can give you recommendations on how much time should be spent on each task. It also allows users to set rules based on their productivity goals (for example, if I am spending more than an hour per day reading articles from Buzzfeed and Facebook, it will suggest shutting down those apps) so there’s no need for manual tracking anymore!