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I am not a productivity expert, but I am well known for getting things done and getting them done well, so I want to share with you a few strategies which have worked for me so that you can also be more productive.
The first thing to know is that we are in unique times. Because of laptops and the internet, our work and personal lives are intersecting unlike they ever have in the history of work. We lie in the bed checking e-mail. We are up at the crack of dawn to write our blog entries (like this one today.) We can have a report faxed or e-mailed to our homes 24/7. The question I hear from leaders each day is "How do I deal with all of this so that I stay as productive as possible?"
My response is always to come back to the leaders I work with and ask them to answer the following questions:
1) What is the biggest project that is on your mind?
If you have something on your mind, and it's not getting done, it may never happen. The best way to address this is to sit down with a piece of paper and get the project on paper with a list of things to get done, completion dates and the names of people you will delegate out the project to.
2) What is the weakest link in your time management system?
One of the tools I use quite often with my clients is the Time Mastery Profile. With this profile, you will be able to quickly see the area which is your weakest link in your time management system. The weak link might be a lack of planning, procrastination, interruptions or poor communication. Once you have identified the weakest link, sit down and craft a plan to turn that weakness into a strength. Once your plan is crafted, you must be willing to dedicate your time and energy to changing that behavior around for at least one year (hey . . . it took you 20, 30 or 40 years to get where you are, so it's going to take time to turn the behavior around.)
3) What commitments are you not fulfilling?
I work with leaders each day who are just simply over-committed. They are not only running a large organization. They are sitting on multiple non profit boards, attending conferences and attending meetings with strategic partners and political decision makers. Many leaders will tell you that they often can't meet about 50 percent of their obligations. Look closely at your commitments, rank them in order of priority, and politely decline from any commitments you know you cannot meet (or delegate them out to someone who can meet them.)
4) What small tasks are you worrying about?
What are you thinking about? "I need to make a doctor's appointment" or "Send that thank-you note" or "The dog needs a bath." Does this sound familiar?
Last night, as I was going to sleep, I realized I had a radio interview this morning at 7:45. I had been worried that I might miss the interview, so I got up, wrote myself a big reminder and placed it beside the phone. I was then able to go to sleep. Each day, we have small "worries" that run in the background of our minds. They keep playing and playing like a broken record. The best thing you can do to relieve this mental stress is to complete a brain dump. Sit down, and write out a list of everything that's on your mind (including that squeaky door that keeps irritating you every time you open it.) Then, set out to knock out every "to do" on your list. You will find that your productivity is so much greater once you get everything out of your brain and on paper.
5) What is your magical time of day?
Each person has a time of day that is what I call "magical." It' s that time of day when you are the least distracted and the most productive. It's that time of day when you can focus on one project and get in the zone on that project. Consider carefully what your magical time of day is, and dedicate this time to your most important projects.
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