Have you ever planned for a productive day, but when the day is over your to-do list seems no different than when you got started or worse yet… it’s grown? This doesn’t mean you’re lazy or incompetent; what it means is that you may want to work on your productivity and having more time.
Being productive is an important part of running a strong business and obtaining a quality life. By simply by keeping a few tips in mind, you can watch your productivity soar!
1. Get Organized
I know when it’s time for me to purge and organize because I immediately start to feel overwhelmed. If I have to hunt for my stapler, scissors or paperwork my energy level shifts and I can feel myself lose focus and productivity. So if you’re anything like me:
- Take some time to organize your workspace and your storage space. You’ll find that the less time you spend having to hunt for things and the fewer distractions you have, the more productive you’re going to be.
- Clean out that filing cabinet or get those storage boxes out of the corner of your office. Toss or donate the things you don’t need and find an organized place for everything that’s staying. Take the time to label shelves, bins, baskets, drawers, files, etc. That way you will be reminded where everything goes.
2. Identify Time Thieves
Some of our regular activities are actually time wasters. For instance, do you find yourself:
- Pulled into unnecessary meetings,
- Spending two hours having lunch with a friend who’s in victim mode,
- Checking Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube… longer than you planned?
Take time to reflect and make a list to identify each time waster. Knowing what meetings to turn down, creating healthy boundaries for yourself and being mindful of how much time you spend being distracted all lead to increased productivity.
3. Find help and delegate
Everyone needs help especially when it’s a large project or out of your skill set. Finding help and asking for help can be tricky. There are the barriers of trust, control and reluctance.
You first need to trust in the people who are working with you. Understand what their skill set is, be well-defined on what you would like to have accomplished, communicate clearly and openly, set deadlines, and ensure they have the resources they need to deliver the project.
You must also let go of controlling how the project will be completed and feel comfortable to ask for help. If you can’t do these two things, you will most likely continue to do tasks on your own. Keeping you trapped in the proverbial time wasters.
4. Consistently ask yourself if what you are doing is most productive
This question will help you think differently and create a productive mindset. The truth is if every day you where doing the most important things first, you would be hitting home runs with your business, your clients, and in your life. Start asking yourself powerful questions around time and your productivity:
- What’s the single most important task that will get me closer to my goal right now?
- I need to do x and y. Which will have the most significance on my business?
- Considering the current circumstances what can I do to improve this?
- What 1-3 things would you like to have done (today, this week, this month, this quarter, this year)?
- What projects when completed would have the most impact?
- Am I the only person that can do this or can someone help me?
The words and phrases you use immediately empower you or they don’t; they either make you feel better or more stressed. The words you use, ‘your self talk,’ is pivotal to everything in life, because you always act on them, whether they support you or not.
How could you change the way you are thinking to be more productive and empowered?
5. Spend a few minutes preparing for the next day
This tip is one of my personal favorites. On Sundays, I typically go over my calendar for the new week, prepare part of my lunches, organize my clothes. On a daily basis I schedule everything on my calendar. I don’t have a long, ever expanding To-Do-List; I use to and nagged at me every chance it had. Now, everything goes on my calendar and I schedule the most important items early in the day.
More time is possible for everyone. It’s a matter of taking your time into your own hands and not freely giving it away. If you would like to discover additional ways for you to have more time click here to schedule a time to chat.