It’s taken a number of years, but I’ve slowly started to identify a handful of strategies that increase my productivity. There’s been a lot of things I’ve tried and tested that simply don’t work for me, and that’s ok, however I have managed to find some strategies that are extremely effective and I’m sharing them with you.
But first – what does being productive mean? Being productive isn’t about being “busy”, for me, it’s about your capacity to get things done at work effectively and efficiently, and to not invest time on wasteful activities.
7 Tips to Increase Your Productivity:
1. Understand what time of the day you are most productive
For me, I’m most productive in the morning. For many years, I was under the impression that it was afternoon, but eventually I realised that my paced picked up in the afternoon for a little bit of stress because I hadn’t got my jobs done. It took me a number of years to understand this, and now I schedule most of my important to-dos in the morning.
2. Turn off notifications
I have all notifications turned off. That includes social media and emails. This removes distractions and temptations to check what’s happening when you hear that little ding! The scariest thing was when Apple introduced the Screen Time report – notifications were turned off immediately.
3. Only check emails at set times
Tim Ferris, author of the 4-Hour Workweek, has absolutely mastered this and only checks email for one hour each Monday. I’m not quite at the same email ninja level as Tim, as I currently check my emails Monday to Friday at 10am, 12.30pm and 4.30pm. By doing this, I’ve found that I can properly dedicate time to projects, and don’t get distracted replying to matters that can wait. (A truthful note – procrastination sometimes gets me, and I do go looking for a distraction in my inbox or on my phone, but mostly I follow my own rules on this.).
4. Indulge in good planning
Aside from planning out each quarter, every Friday, I set aside one hour in the afternoon to properly schedule and map out my week ahead. During this process, I look at any meetings that may have been scheduled, and my to-dos, and plan these around my meetings, while trying to maximise my most productive time (mornings). I also glance ahead to the next fortnight, to ensure that I can prepare in the week prior for any major activities and meetings. This planning also allows me to break down bigger tasks, into those that are more manageable on a day to day basis.
5. Don’t multitask
Multitasking is bad, and should be put in the same category as managing notification distractions. When you multitask, you aren’t technically doing two things at once, you are switching your attention between two tasks, requiring you to refocus each time you switch. This switching and refocusing is an extremely inefficient use of your time.
6. Find planning tools that work for you
For meetings and appointments, I use an electronic calendar that syncs across all of my devices. For my daily to-dos, and other matters that pop up, I use a day to page ring bound diary (very specific I know – but it works for me). There are so many other online tools in the market, have a look around and see what will work for you.
7. Learn to say no
I know, easier said than done, but you need to start. This is also the same as offering to do something, when you don’t have the capacity, just because you feel bad, and no one else puts their hand up. I’m a people pleaser, so I know this is tough, but how I manage this is, firstly, I don’t automatically say no, I assess each request as it comes in. Some matters, particularly at work, you have to do (it’s your job), so where possible I negotiate so I can fit it into my schedule (think about outcomes, timeframes, other tasks that might need to change etc) and be specific about these, so expectations can be managed. If something comes up that isn’t mandatory, and I don’t want to do it – I’ve learned to say no. You don’t need to give a long winded explanation – just simply say no. If you feel like it, you can apologise by saying something along the lines of “I’m sorry, but I can’t help out this afternoon”.
Conclusion
Everyone these days seems to be time poor, finding ways to increase your productivity so you can spend time doing things you enjoy is important. There are so many tips and strategies out there, find what works for you.
What’s your best productivity tip?
