Recently, I did a time audit of my productivity during one week. I logged every minute from when I climbed out of bed to the end of the day. Let me just say it wasn’t the most productive week I ever had.

Very insightful though. The exercise was enormously helpful because I identified trouble spots that I’ll adjust in the future.

More importantly, It got me thinking about how we use the “lost” minutes during the day, which I’ll come back to in a second…

Overall I could have done better with my time. I spotted several points to improve upon but for today I’ll take a shot at the first three.

I wasted time: 1) taking extended breaks, 2) non essential tasks, and 3) errands I should’ve given to someone else.

Firstly, I started the week, tired. No excuse. And, no surprise either… My diet up to that point was carb-rich which I consumed with reckless abandon. A quick check on the scale concurred with my energy level.

Secondly, I puttered a bit on desk arranging, pencil sharpening and I even swept floors. Yeah I know… high-value activities. On one occasion I was stalling until I figured out what to do next. On another, I was loathing the task and working up the energy, which never showed up.

And finally, I went on random errands a couple of afternoons during the week. Just an hour or so each, but not because they were important and not because the errands needed to be done quickly. The errands could’ve been handled by someone else. Lack of motivation to push onward got to me and my productivity.

During the course of the day I spent puttering about, I lost those few minutes of productivity.

My observation about the whole thing is just this: I should have a to-do list of higher value, next steps that require little energy to complete, aren’t on a deadline, and will move me forward in some beneficial way.

If you’re a Solopreneur like me, and have various duties besides the high-value stuff you’re paid to do… these are some easy-to-do, low-energy tasks:

• making a quick follow up call to potential clients
• booking a flight for upcoming trip
• writing memos
• ordering supplies
• returning incoming calls
• going over a few things with the bookkeeper
• taking a short power nap (I’m serious… when all else fails)

Getting things done in those minutes when your energy level is nil might be enough of a catalyst to fire the engine up again. Having a short list of  high-yield tasks will allow you to catch your breath yet remain equally productive.

Being productive in those small chunks of time might just reap a huge bounty down the road.