How to Be a Truly Productive Soulpreneur

Your days filled with activity. But is it the right activity for your business?

Consider common tasks: Endlessly researching the next blog post… trying to perfect your website… searching for the “perfect” software?

These actions feel productive. Yet, they frequently don’t build your business in meaningful ways…

You have limited time. Another month might pass without real growth towards a sustainable income, if you aren’t careful with how you invest your time each day.

This is why, alongside your “to-do” list, it’s crucial to define a “to-drop” list — activities that you should question (and probably eliminate!)

Here is how I define “true productivity” in business:

Valuable interaction with the people your business can best serve.

It means being in touch with your market, rather than lost in your own head.

How do you know an interaction is valuable? It inspires their reciprocity. Think likes, comments, shares, inquiries, or purchases.

If an activity doesn’t create reciprocity, question it. Modify that activity until it gets a reciprocal reaction when you do it.

This focus is especially vital if you’re still building towards sustainable income.

I believe it’s both important and urgent to distinguish truly productive actions from the merely productive-feeling ones. I hope you implement the ideas in this post.

So, who are the people your business can best serve?

• Clients: Current, prospective, and former.

• Referral Sources: Current and prospective.

Referral sources include colleagues and friends whose networks contain potential clients for you.

Be suspicious of any work activity you do that doesn’t involve direct contact with these groups.

My Truly Productive TO-DO List

Here are examples from my own practice:

• Create and publish content for my ideal audience — and be careful not to spend much time perfecting it. I publish one blog post per week, spending no more than 90 minutes total: 30 minutes drafting, 30 minutes editing on another day (after sleeping on it), and 30 minutes polishing and publishing (Website blog, Substack, LinkedIn, Medium) on a third day.
  
  

• Send email newsletters to subscribers with latest content. (Read more: George Kao’s newsletter strategy)
  
  

• Use paid ads to increase content reach (e.g., Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads).
  
  

• Engage with meaningful comments left on my posts.
  
  

• Contact fans or colleagues for market discovery conversations. This is essential if you need more clients or sales. Find out what your audience actually buys related to what you offer. Your income depends on matching your services to where they already spend money. (Learn more: why market discovery is essential for a healthy business.)
  
  

• Ask questions on social media or in groups when stuck on a productive task.
  
  

• Implement resources (courses, articles) that help you do these productive actions more effectively.
  
  

• Get 1-on-1 help (coaching, consulting) to improve how to execute all the actions in this list.
  
  

• Get audience feedback on new offerings (e.g., a draft sales page).
  
  

• Announce upcoming offerings (courses, programs) via email and social media.
  
  

• Use paid ads so your warm audience sees new offering announcements multiple times.
  
  

• Reach out to referral partners for networking calls or collaborations.
  
  

• Create books or courses on a schedule. Aim to publish, not endlessly perfect. (Video: why every creator should make courses.)
  
  

• Eliminate or delegate as much non-essential work as possible.
  
  

• Reach out to prospective clients for exploratory calls or sample sessions. (Update: I stopped this in 2018 due to a waiting list generated by these other actions!)
  
  

• Contact current clients to schedule next sessions.
  
  

• Get client feedback to improve services.
  
  

• Prepare for client meetings or courses (enough prep, not perfection).
  
  

• Be fully present in meetings with clients, students, and colleagues.
  
  

• Integrate self-care throughout the workday (naps, walks, meals, energy reboots).
  
  

These actions form the core of my working days. They keep me truly productive!

Questionable TO-DROP List

These are tempting activities that seem productive but require constant questioning if done during work hours.

• Endlessly tweaking your website. This is a common time sink. Why? Because your website rarely brings you new clients directly. It acts as confirmation and provides information after someone is already interested through other means (like your content or referrals).

  • Consider my own case: My website is basic and hasn’t been visually updated since 2014. Yet, my business brings six figures and grows consistently. A perfect website isn’t required for success. I know people with stunning sites and no clients, and others with simple sites and waiting lists.

  • Instead of cosmetic tweaks, spend time on user research. Get potential clients on Zoom, share screens, and ask them to navigate your site. Find out what’s confusing, not just what could look prettier. Make things clearer.

  • Also, check if you’re tying too much self-worth to your website’s appearance. Detach from that.

  • My rule: I only update my site to fix errors on key pages or add significant new content I plan to keep for months.
    
    

• Working on future projects (events, courses, books) before announcing them. Announce first, then create. This provides a real deadline and avoids endless tinkering. Work always expands to fill the time allowed.
  
  

• Consuming content (articles, books, videos, podcasts) during work hours without implementing immediately. Do this in your free time, or pause and implement as you learn. Avoid passive consumption when you should be creating or connecting.
  
  

• Lengthy research (more than 5 mins) without immediate implementation or a clear deadline tied to an audience expectation (like an announced blog post). Do exploratory research in your free time.
  
  

• Getting training without scheduling dedicated time soon after to implement what you learned.
  
  

• Getting another certification hoping it boosts marketing or credibility, especially if clients don’t value or expect it. Focus on what demonstrably attracts clients in your field (often presence, results, and referrals).
  
  

• Frequently updating social media ‘about’ sections. Once a year is likely sufficient. Few people scrutinize these details.
  
  

• Passively reading or commenting in online groups without actively seeking or giving specific help. Be intentional: ask your question, perhaps help 1–2 others briefly, then leave the group. Don’t just “hang out.”
  
  

• Engaging in planning, plotting, or preparing that isn’t tied directly to a scheduled, productive action (ideally one already announced). Avoid the “eternal preparation” trap.
  
  

In summary: minimize work done in isolation.

Maximize valuable contact with your ideal audience. Get market feedback through your content, offerings, and conversations.

I encourage you to create your own lists:

• Truly Productive TO-DO

• Questionable TO-DROP

Are there any other actions that you believe fit into the above categories, that I haven’t named? I look forward to your comments.

This post was originally written in 2017. Updated in 2025.