Investing in a franchise is a full-time commitment and it can seem a bit overwhelming if you have never done this before. Because starting up a franchise is a 24/7 operation, you need to be laser-focused and as productive as possible during your day.

Here are 11 productivity tips for franchise investors:

1. Keep Your Work Area Clean & Organized

In today’s world, there are always so many different distractions that keep us from being productive. Don’t let your desk or work area be one of them. Keep it clean and organized so it always easy to find everything you need. It is also important to have a clear space to get work done.

2. Plan Out Your Day the Night Before

Have you ever noticed that when you start a day without a plan, it is easy to get distracted and let unimportant things eat away at your time? Prevent that from happening by setting up your schedule the night before. That way you know when you need to be up and out the door to get everything done you need to. When you have your day planned out in half hour or hour chunks, all you have to do is simply follow it. It is definitely a less stressful approach to your day too. And you will definitely sleep better at night knowing that you already know how you are going to tackle the day.

3. Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize

A schedule is great, but you need to also be careful with what kinds of projects ad events you stuff it with. Set priorities each day for what absolutely has to get done and what can wait until the next day if you run out of time. Setting and keeping deadlines is a very important part of being successful franchise investors.

4. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate

As a franchise investor, you will mostly likely have a staff working with you so in order to prevent yourself from getting too overwhelmed, you should delegate as much as possible. Just make sure the person you delegate to has the skills to do the job right and is trustworthy.

5. Always Do One Thing at a Time

We hear so much about the benefits of multitasking, but research has shown that there really is no way to multitask effectively. You will be able to focus better and get more done if you do one task at a time and then simply move on to the next one.

6. Take Advantage of In-Between Times

We all have them. Those unexpected few minutes while waiting for a meeting to start or when you are waiting to check into your flight. Those moments of unexpected downtime are great for catching up on email or social media or doing some research for a project. Every minute counts in the life of franchise investors.

7. Always Break Down Big Projects

When you have a large project looming ahead of you, it can be very stressful. You might find yourself constantly putting it off because you can’t just seem to wrap your mind around it. Breaking it down into more manageable parts can help. See what type of organization makes the most sense and work on the project in chunks while always keeping your ultimate goal in mind.

8. Use on Calendar for Everything

Between work and home you have a lot on your plate, and if you have different calendars for different aspects of your life then it is easy to miss something or to double book. It is way better for your peace of mind to have one calendar for all parts of your life. You can color code work and home responsibilities if it helps you to still have them separated in some way.

9. Don’t Schedule Long Team Meetings

As a franchise investor, it is also important to respect time the time of your staff as well. Cut down on the number of unnecessary meetings and keep the ones you do have to a minimum of a half-hour so everyone can still get all their work done.

10. Designate Certain Times for Email and Social Media

Checking email and social media are known time wasters. When was the last time, you went to just check your Facebook messages and before you knew it a whole hour went by as you scrolled through your newsfeed? To keep this from happening, set certain times throughout the day to check them and then quickly move on to your next task before you get sucked down that rabbit hole.

11. Don’t Deviate from the System

When you invest in a franchise, you are given a whole system to follow, for everything from launching the business to the daily operations. This system has been proven to be successful by the franchisor and other franchisees so don’t try to fix if it isn’t broken. Don’t waste time trying to find new ways to do something when what is already in place works so well.

One last piece of advice to help you navigate the world of franchise investing is to hire a franchise consultant like MBB Management to assist you in any aspect of the franchise business you need help in. We are a soup to nuts outfit and are experienced in all the ins and outs of the franchise world. For more productivity tips, call us at MBB Management today.