Are you as productive as you could be? Most of us are not due to heavy workloads, interruptions, distractions and too many meetings. (My next newsletter will focus on tips for more effective meetings.) Below are ten helpful strategies for increasing productivity that come from the books Stress Proof Your Life by Elizabeth Wilson and The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. Don’t try to implement all of them at once, or you will set yourself up for failure. Instead, start by selecting one or two that you can successfully implement. Once you make some progress, try implementing a couple more. Take what works for you and leave the rest. 

1. Ask “What can I take off my plate that is not important?” Remove something that is a 1 or a 2 on a level of importance scale of 1-10. Things that are important should be related to your values and goals. Get clear on your priorities. Stop doing things that are not important. See my newsletter on urgency vs importance for tips.
2. Ask, “Am I the only one who can do this task?” If the answer is “no,” then delegate it to someone else. See my newsletter on delegating effectively for tips.
3. Do one thing at a time instead of multi-tasking. We are more productive if we just focus on one thing and get that done. We also feel more productive if we have one completed task at the end of the day instead of three partially completed tasks.
4. Minimize unexpected interruptions. Email auto-alerts, text notifications, phone calls, etc. can be very distracting. Every time we get interrupted/distracted, it takes 5-15 minutes to get back on track. This wastes a lot of time and energy. Turn off these notifications when focusing on a task.
5. Don’t check email first thing in the morning. Ask, “What are the main tasks that I absolutely must complete before the end of the day?” Then focus on the main priorities that must be completed first, and then check email an hour or two later after you have made some progress.
6. Schedule blocks of open office time (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) in your calendar each day. Request that team members only come to you with questions and requests for information during these timeframes unless it is a true emergency that cannot wait. Be sure to make the morning block at least an hour or two into your day after you have had uninterrupted time to make progress on your main priorities.
7. Give yourself mini breaks. We are more productive when we step away to re-energize and refresh ourselves, even if it’s just for a few minutes. It helps us think more clearly and become more focused when we return to our tasks.
8. Declutter your workspace. Our environment can drain our energy and make us less productive if it has clutter, too much noise, darkness, etc. Disorganization can also cause us to waste time looking for things when they are not readily accessible. Create a system for keeping electronic files, emails, and paper documents organized. Utilize Feng Shui to optimize your work environment.
9. Have a Plan B. Often times, things do not go as planned and unexpected events happen. If you have a plan B in case your plan A doesn’t work out, you will feel more in control and less stressed. You also won’t waste time trying to figure out what to do next because you already have a backup plan.
10. Set up a system/schedule to check email and voicemail at only certain times of the day. Communicate this to your team members and customers, and create an email autoreply and voicemail message such as the following:

“Due to high workload, I am currently checking and responding to email/voicemail twice daily at [10:00 a.m. ET] and [2:00 p.m. ET]. If you require urgent assistance (please ensure that it is urgent) that cannot wait until either 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., please contact me via phone at 248-xxxxxxx [provide your cell phone number that you answer for urgent calls, not your office phone which will have a similar voicemail message].  

Thank you for understanding this move to more efficiency and effectiveness. It helps me accomplish more to serve you better.” 

“Productivity isn’t about being a workhorse, keeping busy or burning the midnight oil. It’s more about priorities, planning, and fiercely protecting your time.” – Gary Keller

“It’s not always that we need to do more, but rather that we need to focus on less.” – Nathan W. Morris

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

– Amazon links in this newsletter are paid affiliate links.