During Ramadan, I wound down my business work even though it wasn’t an intentional decision. It was the product of exhaustion due to running around after a toddler whilst fasting. So, I put on hold all but essential business work and focused on the blessed month.
However, now that Ramadan has come to an end, I feel like I need a refresher on how best to maximise my time to achieve the best results for my proofreading and copyediting business. I wanted to create this blog because I have learnt a few essential ways on how to do this (whilst being a full-time mother) which I thought might help fellow entrepreneurs in similar circumstances.
My Tips On How To Maximise Productivity
- Work when your little one sleeps: this sounds obvious; however, in practice it can be very difficult, especially because you want to relax when your child is sleeping. Nevertheless, try to get used to dedicating some of their sleep time to your business. For example, this blog is being written at 10:00 p.m. whilst my toddler is sleeping.
- Rely on your village if you have one: I often take advantage of my husband and family when I need chunks of time to work on a project and I know that my son’s miniature naps really won’t allow me to make a dent in the work.
- Don’t try to multitask: it’s stressful and does not work. You won’t be able to produce your best work with a toddler calling you every 10 seconds. I sort of contradict myself on this below, but it’s all for a good reason…
- If it’s a small/urgent task, then multitask: this is in relation to an urgent email that I need to reply to, a social media post that needs to go live or any other small and quick task that needs to be done. I often set my son up in the same room, get him occupied with something that I know will keep him busy (this looks like games on the tablet for us) for 15-20 minutes and get the task done.
- Make a to-do list and prioritise tasks that need to be done that day: this not only helps you keep track of tasks that need to be completed, but also gives you a sense of satisfaction when you finish a task. I use Asana (a work management app) to manage my editorial business.
- Show yourself grace if everything isn’t completed at the end of the day: you always have tomorrow. Take comfort in the consistent and steady progress that you see.
I hope these tips are useful to you. I am learning that being a Muslim editor is more than just the projects and courses that I complete; it is about shaping a mindset for success and employing more productive ways of working.