Colour Your Time: 5 Productivity Hacks Successful Paint Retailers Swear By

Let’s paint a productive picture

Dreaming of running a successful paint retail business isn’t enough, nor is simply setting goals. The secret sauce lies in taking action. That’s where many of us stumble. We overcrowd our calendars until today’s tasks get postponed to next week. We dawdle on critical tasks, focusing instead on less significant ones. Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew, even when we know better.

The solution? Embrace these five productivity hacks that successful paint retailers use to get more done in less time.

1. Efficient Rituals and Habits

Put simply, a ritual or habit is a consistent way of doing something. You have a morning ritual (wake up, brush your teeth, go for a jog, shower, and head to your shop), and so on.

The issue is, if you’re not mindful, your rituals can turn into productivity assassins. Is scrolling through Instagram or answering emails part of your morning routine? Is having the news on in the background part of your work routine? Such distractions can convert even your best intentions into hours of squandered time.

Examine your rituals. What are you doing that you should avoid—or that could be relocated to another part of your day? Refine your rituals for efficiency, and you’ll naturally achieve more.

2. Calendar Management

Wondering how much time you genuinely have available for that new project? Start by blocking time in your calendar for all your existing projects. Fill in all your customer appointments, administrative tasks, mealtimes, breaks, external appointments, and everything else you’re committed to. What’s left might surprise you.

Make it a routine to block time in your calendar for every commitment, and you’ll never over-promise or over-commit again.

3. Delegate Like a Pro

Here’s the thing, you don’t need to handle everything in your business. You can delegate those routine tasks to someone else. Hire an assistant to manage your paperwork and appointments. Let a tech-savvy person manage your blog and emails. Outsource your accounting to a professional. The time you free up will allow you to concentrate on the crucial tasks that only you can perform.

4. Balance Hard Work with Quality Breaks

You are not a robot. You can’t work non-stop every day and hope to perform at your best all the time.

Take a day off. Rest, or enjoy a leisurely walk. Have lunch with a friend. Go shopping with your family. See a film or a play. Do anything other than work.

You’ll return to your shop feeling more refreshed, and you’ll find yourself more creative and productive than before.

5. Embrace Laser-Focus

Juggling multiple tasks simultaneously is a myth. You can’t effectively plan a new paint workshop while browsing Facebook, supervising staff, and answering calls incessantly.

Instead, use your calendar to schedule time for critical tasks, then eliminate all distractions. No phone, no social media, no colleagues or family members or pets demanding a moment of your time. Cut out all noise, and you’ll see your work getting done much faster.

Managing your time and boosting your productivity is a learned skill, but once you’ve mastered it, you’ll see your business bloom along with your capabilities.