3 Ways to be More Productive Across the Board
More productive? Most folks already find themselves overwhelmed and in a constant juggling act of tackling responsibilities on an everyday basis. These range from handling errands at home, to focusing on multiple projects and deadlines at work, and everything in between.
Multitasking has become the norm. Isn’t that productive?
Well, no. The problem is that with a jam-packed schedule dotted with interruptions throughout the day, it can be impossible to get anything done properly!
Are you always playing catchup?
Consider some of your biggest goals and loftiest ambitions. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to
But you just haven’t gotten around to it over the past few months, years, or even decades – simply because you don’t have the time.
In addition, you may also routinely find yourself exhausted after a long day’s work – and then realize you didn’t accomplish everything on the list. What’s more, there’s still a heavy schedule of tasks lined up for tomorrow.
It’s understandable that, in our hectic lives, we feel like we’re always playing catch-up. But the fact is, no matter how heavy your workload, or how many tasks you have to juggle, there are ways to create breathing room in your schedule, and it starts with a focus on becoming more productive, not being more busy!
Busy being busy generally entails playing whack-a-mole with your responsibilities on a routine basis.
Busy being productive is goal-oriented, and leads to real resolutions and results so that you can move on to the next bigger and better venture.
Becoming more productive is not an overnight feat, and it can take a long time to realign a lifetime of ingrained habits to make better use of your time.
But strengthening your productivity can certainly be achieved in a shorter time span.
I’m honored to host and participate in a number of professional conferences, training programs, and large-scale events designed to motivate and inspire. And guess what? One of my most requested presentations and keynote addresses centers on the idea of how we’re often “busy being busy.” It seems many of us want to tackle this unhelpful habit!
Here are our 3 ways to start becoming more productive NOW.
Multitasking has become routine at the office and in our everyday life. But extensive research on the topic over the past few decades has shown that juggling multiple tasks at once actually leads to a decrease in productivity across the board.
In one study, researchers discovered that only 2.5% of the population can successfully perform two jobs at once without error, while in another study, scientists discovered that it takes an average of 23 minutes to get our mindsets back to a task or project after an unintended interruption.
Unfortunately, in our modern era, lessening our need to multitask can be difficult.
Think of the last time you were working on a big project that required your full attention. Chances are that you were interrupted multiple times by a newly arrived email, social media message, or an in-person interruption that forced you to veer off track.
So take steps now to limit these interruptions:
The fewer distractions you have to deal with, the better you’ll be able to focus on the job at hand.
This step is especially important for managers and team leaders who aren’t just responsible for their own time management, but for their employees’ productivity as well.
Meetings can be essential for collaborative projects. But quite often, they’re more frequent and longer than they need to be. This makes it easy for everyone to go off course, and for your overall productivity to suffer.
So approach this issue in two ways:
1 Before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself: “Can I accomplish this in a group email or message?” – and only proceed if the answer is no.
2 In addition, find ways to keep meetings short and to the point. Either have a concrete outline of topics to discuss, or perhaps host “stand-up meetings,” (no chairs!), so there’s an inherent urgency to move forward and focus on what’s really important.
The most successful people in the world assure us they thrive by working smarter, not harder. This mindset can help you be more productive in every aspect of life.
You’ve likely noticed that when you work on multiple tasks all day, without stopping, you’re slower, less efficient, and more exhausted by the day’s end. That means your productivity is suffering, too.
So put an emphasis on re-energizing, recharging, and ensuring that your brain is working at its peak. You can get more things accomplished in less time.
Research has found that we work harder, faster, and better when we’re refreshed and revitalized, so give yourself the freedom to take a break.
The crucial thing here is to eliminate distractions during your breaks, so your brain can fully recharge instead of concentrating on other tasks that you also need to do.
Remember the above actions are just first steps. They’re the tip of the iceberg. Becoming more productive, successful, and happy at work and home can be a lifelong process, and these steps will help you get off to a good start.
It often helps to get a little professional assistance to make the journey easier. So if you think that you and your team could benefit from a professional and outside perspective, then consider enrolling in one of my training programs for some timely help.
I will tailor them to your specific needs, goals, and aspirations. One of my training sessions could be exactly what you need to jumpstart your lifelong increase in productivity. Or contact me today to discuss any of the above ideas.