8 Things Productive
People Do During the Workday
Forget
about your job title or profession – everyone is looking for ways to be
more productive at work. It’s time to set down your gallon-sized container of
coffee, toss out your three-page to-do list, and put an end to those
ridiculously long emails you’ve been sending.
Experiencing
a highly productive workday can feel euphoric. But contrary to popular belief,
simply checking tasks off your to-do list isn’t really an indication of
productivity. Truly productive people aren’t focused on doing more things; this
is actually the opposite of productivity. If you really want to be productive,
you’ve got to make a point to do fewer things.
Recently
I spoke with project management and productivity
genius Tony Wong to
find out the secret to a more productive workday. He provided me with some
excellent insight into what he and other like-minded productive individuals do
during their work week.
Harness
your productivity by taking note of these eight things:
1.
Create a smaller to-do list. Getting things accomplished during your
workday shouldn’t be about doing as much as possible in the sanctioned eight
hours. It may be hard to swallow, but there’s nothing productive about piling
together a slew of tasks in the form of a checklist. Take a less-is-more
approach to your to-do list by only focusing on accomplishing things that
matter.
2.
Take breaks. You
know that ache that fills your brain when you’ve been powering through tasks
for several hours? This is due to your brain using up glucose. Too many people
mistake this for a good feeling, rather than a signal to take a break. Go take
a walk, grab something to eat, workout, or meditate – give your brain some
resting time. Achieve more productivity during your workday by making a point
to regularly clear your head. You’ll come back recharged and ready to achieve
greater efficiency.
3.
Follow the 80/20 rule. Did you know that only 20 percent of what you do each
day produces 80 percent of your results? Eliminate the things that don’t matter
during your workday: they have a minimal effect on your overall productivity.
For example, on a project, systematically remove tasks until you end up with
the 20 percent that gets the 80 percent of results.
4.
Start your day by focusing on yourself. If you begin your morning by checking your
email, it allows others to dictate what you accomplish. Set yourself in the
right direction by ignoring your emails and taking the morning to focus on
yourself, eat a good breakfast, meditate, or read the news.
5.
Take on harder tasks earlier in the day. Knock out your most challenging work when
your brain is most fresh. Save your busy work – if you have any – for when your
afternoon slump rolls in.
6.
Pick up the phone. The
digital world has created poor communication habits. Email is a productivity
killer and usually a distraction from tasks that actually matter. For example,
people often copy multiple people on emails to get it off their plate – don't
be a victim of this action. This distracts everyone else by creating noise
against the tasks they’re trying to accomplish and is a sign of laziness. If
you receive an email where many people are CC'd, do everyone a favor by BCCing
them on your reply. If your email chain goes beyond two replies, it’s time to
pick up the phone. Increase your productivity by scheduling a call.
7.
Create a system. If
you know certain things are ruining your daily productivity, create a system
for managing them. Do you check your emails throughout the day? Plan a morning,
afternoon, and evening time slot for managing your email. Otherwise, you’ll get
distracted from accomplishing more important goals throughout the day.
8.
Don’t confuse productivity with laziness. While no one likes admitting it, sheer
laziness is the No. 1 contributor to lost productivity. In fact, a number of
time-saving methods – take meetings and emails for example – are actually just
ways to get out of doing real work. Place your focus on doing the things that
matter most as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Remember,
less is more when it comes to being productive during the workday.
Ilya Pozin, Founder of Ciplex. Columnist for Inc, Forbes & LinkedIn. 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur.
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130515130419-5799319-8-things-productive-people-do-during-the-workday?ref=email
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