Productivity for entrepreneurs: methods and tools to work better, not more

MSc. Anisel Ríos

Productivity isn’t about doing more things, but about doing the right things. Every day seems to start the same for many entrepreneurs: dozens of pending tasks, calls to answer, clients waiting for a response, suppliers to attend to, posts to create, and a long list of matters that seem urgent.

At the end of the day, the feeling is often the same: a lot of work was done, but little progress was made. The real problem isn’t a lack of time, but the absence of a system that allows for intelligent work organization. Throughout this article, we will present widely used productivity methods, digital tools, and artificial intelligence applications that any entrepreneur can incorporate starting today to work with greater clarity, reduce stress, and focus on what’s truly important.

We don’t have a time problem, but an accumulation problem.

Productivity doesn’t decrease because there aren’t enough hours in the day. It decreases because the brain dedicates an enormous amount of energy trying to remember everything that still needs to be done. There are two very different ways to approach work management. On one hand, there’s the “firefighter entrepreneur,” who spends their day putting out fires: responding only to the urgent, constantly reacting to problems, and ending each day exhausted without making progress toward their business’s strategic objectives. At the opposite extreme is the “architect entrepreneur,” who designs their work in advance, organizes their priorities, and builds systems that allow them to move forward steadily, even when unforeseen events arise. The difference between the two lies not in the amount of work they do, but in how they manage it.

Cognitive Load: When the Mind Overworks

Cognitive Load Theory, developed by psychologist John Sweller, explains that working memory has a limited capacity for processing information. When we try to store too many tasks, commitments, or ideas at the same time, our performance decreases considerably. The situation can be compared to a computer that keeps dozens of tabs open simultaneously: the system starts to run slowly, consumes more resources, and loses efficiency. The same thing happens with our minds. Every pending task that remains solely “in your head” occupies mental space that is no longer available for truly important activities such as:

• Analyzing strategies.
• Solving complex problems.
• Creating new products or services.
• Innovating.
• Making better decisions.

Therefore, the first step toward greater productivity isn’t working longer hours, but freeing your mind. Why to-do lists don’t always work. Many people try to solve the problem by creating long lists of tasks. While this represents a first step toward relying solely on memory, these lists have a significant limitation: they record tasks, but they don’t provide context.

Simply writing “Call the supplier” leaves numerous questions unanswered:

• When should it be done?
• Why is it important?
• What information do I need beforehand?
• What happens if I don’t do it today?
• Does it depend on someone else?

When the list reaches thirty or forty items, it ceases to offer clarity and begins to generate anxiety. The solution isn’t to create increasingly longer lists, but to build a system that allows you to organize tasks according to their priority, context, and execution time.

The GTD Method: Getting Tasks Out of Your Head to Regain Clarity

Getting Things Done (GTD), developed by David Allen, is considered one of the most widely used personal organization methods in the world. Its principle is simple yet powerful: The brain is designed to generate ideas, not to store them permanently. When we try to remember absolutely everything, we consume an enormous amount of mental energy. Conversely, when we transfer our tasks to a reliable external system, we free up cognitive resources that can be dedicated to strategic thinking and decision-making.

The GTD method is developed through five fundamental steps:

Capture

This involves immediately recording any task, idea, or commitment that arises. It doesn’t matter if you use a notebook, a spreadsheet, an app, or a digital platform. The important thing is that the information gets out of your mind.

Process

Each recorded item must be transformed into a concrete action. At this stage, you answer questions such as: What does this task mean? What is the next step? Do you need additional information? Does it depend on someone else? The more specific the action, the easier it will be to execute later.

The GTD Method: Five Steps to Organize Your Work Without Overwhelm

The strength of the Getting Things Done (GTD) method lies in its ability to transform a long to-do list into an organized system that lets you know exactly what to do at any given moment. After capturing all your tasks, the next step is to organize them. This means classifying them by projects, work areas, or categories that allow you to clearly visualize each responsibility.

A project could be, for example, launching a new product, organizing a trade show, or planning a marketing campaign. Within each project, all related actions are grouped together, preventing information from becoming scattered. Next comes the reflection phase, one of the most important in the method. Organizing tasks just once isn’t enough. Businesses are constantly changing: new clients appear, priorities shift, unforeseen events arise, or market conditions change. Therefore, it’s necessary to periodically review the system to update priorities and reorganize your work.

Finally, it’s time to act. At this stage, you no longer need to constantly ask yourself what to do, because the system provides the answer. Execution will depend on factors such as:

• The priority of each task.
• The available time.
• The context.
• The entrepreneur’s current energy level.

If a task can be completed in less than two minutes, it’s best to do it immediately instead of adding it to the system. This avoids accumulating small actions that end up taking up more mental space than necessary.

Time Blocking: Reserving Time for What Truly Matters

Time Blocking is a technique that proposes organizing your schedule into predefined blocks of time. Instead of starting the day with an endless list of activities, each task is assigned a specific time slot on the calendar. For example:

• Monday from 8:00 to 10:00: administrative tasks.
• Monday from 10:00 to 12:00: customer service.
• Tuesday morning: strategic planning.
• Wednesday: work meetings.
• Friday: financial analysis.

The logic is simple: if a task doesn’t have a reserved time slot on the calendar, it’s much more likely to get postponed.

One of the fundamental principles of Time Blocking is to reserve a dedicated work block each day, preferably 90 minutes, exclusively for the activity with the greatest impact on the business. During this time, interruptions, calls, messages, and any other distractions are eliminated. The goal is to focus all your attention on a single important task.

A useful technique for personal life as well. Although commonly used in professional settings, time blocking is also helpful for organizing other areas of life. It can be used for: studying; playing sports; spending time with family; relaxing; and developing personal projects. The key is understanding that your calendar shouldn’t be filled only with work. It should also include time for well-being and personal balance.

• Benefits of Time Blocking
• Reduces procrastination.
• Promotes concentration.
• Allows for better tracking of time spent on each activity.
• Facilitates work-life balance.

Increases productivity.

Furthermore, it helps combat one of the biggest enemies of efficiency: multitasking. Various studies show that constantly switching from one activity to another significantly reduces performance and increases the likelihood of making mistakes. Therefore, working in blocks allows you to focus on a single activity before moving on to the next.

The 1-3-5 Rule: A Simple Strategy to Get Started

Not all entrepreneurs need to start with complex systems. For those seeking an easy-to-implement tool, the 1-3-5 rule is very simple to use. Each day, only nine tasks are planned, distributed as follows:

1 large task, the most important of the day.

3 medium tasks, relevant but less complex.

5 small tasks, quick to complete.

This method forces prioritization and prevents the false sense that it’s possible to complete endless to-do lists. Furthermore, it incorporates a fundamental rule: If a new important task arises during the day, another must be removed from the plan. This prevents the accumulation of responsibilities without limit. The 1-3-5 rule is an excellent entry point for those who want to improve their organization using only pen and paper, without the need for digital tools.

Digital Tools for Better Work Organization

Productivity doesn’t depend solely on a method. It also requires tools that allow for its easy implementation, adapted to each type of undertaking. During the conference, several free options were presented that can be used from a mobile phone to help manage tasks, projects, and clients without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

Trello: A Clear View of Work Status

For businesses that manage orders or projects in stages, Trello is one of the most intuitive alternatives. It works using boards divided into columns, where each task is represented by a card that can be moved as the process progresses. For example, a seamstress can organize her orders in columns such as:

• Order Received
• In Production
• Ready for Delivery
• Delivered

Each card can include photos, notes, materials, delivery dates, prices, and any other relevant information. At a glance, it’s possible to see the status of each job.

Google Tasks: Tasks Connected to Your Calendar

Another alternative is Google Tasks, especially useful for those who already use Gmail and Google Calendar. The main advantage is that scheduled tasks automatically appear in the calendar, facilitating daily planning. A baker, for example, can schedule recurring activities such as:

• Buying raw materials.
• Cleaning the oven.
• Confirming orders.
• Posting new products.
• Paying the shop rent.

By integrating with the calendar, it becomes much easier to visualize the workload for each week.

Notion: all the information in one place

For businesses with numerous clients or simultaneous projects, Notion offers a much more comprehensive level of organization. It allows you to create databases.