At one of my recent speaking engagements on time-saving strategies, I found myself (ironically) spending WAY too much time offering every possible tip, technique, strategy, and system known to man, when an audience member thankfully interrupted me with a question that cut to the chase: “Chris, what are the top 5 strategies YOU employ on a regular basis to keep yourself productive?”
It’s important to note that no matter which time-saving techniques you choose, there is ONE key that cannot be skipped: You must reduce as many distractions as possible to give your brain the greatest opportunity to focus.
With that in mind, here is my down-and-dirty Top 7 list. (I know he asked for 5, but I couldn’t help myself.)
#1 The ONE thing
I pick a time, preferably first thing in the morning, and write down a list of 3-5 things I would like to accomplish at work that day. I make sure these things have a DIRECT impact on the success of my business, i.e. will further my job, my career, or move my business in the direction of growth and success.
For example, in my line of work, pertinent to client meetings, sales and company promotion:
- Make 12 follow-up calls with prospective clients.
- Finish Web page promoting our upcoming webinar.
- Prep for my coaching call with Jane at 11:00 today.
For others it might be tasks related to staff training, recruiting, or client retention. Whatever it is for you, make sure these tasks have a direct impact on your success that day.
After I have completed my morning list, I circle the single-most important task to accomplish that day, i.e. the one on my short list that will have the greatest impact on moving my business forward. If my day should blow up, I’ve already identified that ONE task as non-negotiable, and I make sure that task is knocked out…no matter what.
#2 Get a room
If you work from home or in close proximity to others, it’s nearly impossible to find a quiet, distraction-free space to work. I solve this challenge by physically removing myself from the chaotic environment. At the office, I find an unoccupied conference room; at home, I might grab a spare bedroom. There have even been times when I had no choice but to use my car! Bottom line, I WILL find a fortress of solitude and sequester myself there so I can focus on my work!
#3 Turn off the DumbPhone
The biggest distraction for most people nowadays is the SmartPhone (or as I call it–the DumbPhone). It’s impossible to focus on anything if you are continuously interrupted by an electronic device ringing, jingling, tingling, and vibrating, tempting you to check texts and emails (which inevitably means REPLYING to texts and emails) and… “As long as I’ve already stopped for a minute, I might as well take a peek at the news headlines, and OH YEAH–I need to know the weather forecast for tomorrow…and…oh, this is good, I WAS wondering who’s leading the French Open–let me see… oh! check THIS out! 5 simple ways to spice up lemonade…”
The solution is right there in the palm of your hand: it’s called the OFF button. Presssssss down…3 full seconds. There you go. Note to self: This doesn’t have to be an all-day thing. Just 45 minutes or so–or however long you need to complete the task at hand. Depending on what you do for a living, you might want to put the phone on airplane mode. That way you can still have it handy, but it won’t continually distract you.
#4 Checking Email: Timing is everything
Email sucks the life out of me. By the time I’ve answered ONE email, five more have landed in the inbox; within a few minutes, my ability to focus has completely waned, and my thoughts are shooting in a multitude of directions.
The most successful technique I’ve discovered for staying on track is to refrain from checking email at the beginning of my workday, and to spend that time generating my to-do list and organizing my itinerary for the day.
When I finally dive into email, I tackle my outgoing list first–corresponding and/or following up with prospective/current clients. Based on those eventual responses, I’ll have more information for planning (and altering) my day.
I also check my emails ONLY at 4 designated times throughout my day; this forces me to get through them faster and move on to the next task on my list. If you’ve grown accustomed to checking email all day long, try weaning yourself down to checking one time only, every hour on the hour.
#5 Designated DO NOT DISTURB time
Needless to say, prioritizing your to-do list gives you the best shot at maximizing productivity, but there are often unexpected variables to deal with, like a frantic phone call from a client whose deadline just got pushed up and needs the proposal from you by the end of the day–not tomorrow, as planned. We all have our versions of potential SNAFUs; for me, it’s a 2 year-old who requires my attention and won’t take NO for an answer.
When this happens, I solicit help from friends, colleagues and family members. Specifically, I request a bracketed period of uninterrupted time so I can knock out a project–usually 1-2 hours. If such a request is going out to a boss or co-workers, this can be a bit tricky, and you’ll need to be extra-mindful of their position in the company and their schedules. Tip: Mapping out an appropriate, workable system for designated Do Not Disturb times is best done during calm moments vs. scrambling to piece it all together in the heat of the moment when you are facing a crisis of the time-crunch variety.
#6 Build your focus muscle
I am an A.D.D. poster child, so when anyone asks me if I can focus for hours on end, I laugh out loud and respond: “I’m more of a sprinter than a marathoner.” Focusing for short bursts of time works best for me; I can go for about 50 minutes, and then I MUST take a 10-minute break. This might not sound like very much time, but it absolutely lifts the fog and lets my brain rest and reset. If I do 2 or 3 cycles of focus time – break time – focus time – break time, I can stay on task for most of the day. My ability to remain focused and productive for long stretches of time didn’t happen overnight; I had to build up to it. When I first started working with the “interval technique,” I could only last 15 minutes before my mind started wandering.
Try experimenting with different combinations of focus/break intervals, and see what works best for you.
#7 My Secret Weapon
As I described above, my mind is easily distracted by the bombardment of emails, texts, documents (requiring my reading) and the cacophony of sound emissions from television sets and radios everywhere I go. Additionally challenging, my job necessitates (on a daily basis) juggling a wide spectrum of personalities and emotional states as I deal with upset clients, demanding family members, and even needy pets for cryin’ out loud! Previously, in what feels like a whole other lifetime, I attempted to remedy my agitation by spending HOURS on the sofa, drooling in front of the TV, clutching all kinds of adult beverages, soaking in mindless programs, and imagining this regimen would somehow help me relax and recharge. Of course, this only made things worse, and I continued finding myself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with my mind racing, unable to get a full night’s sleep, and waking up with a bad attitude.
What I needed was a way to give my “work brain” a rest so I could wake up in the morning refreshed and ready to take on the world! The solution was simple, although it eluded me for years; I needed a designated quitting time each day, followed by carving out a big slice of “UNPLUGGED TIME.” And that’s exactly what I did–with my wife on board, of course. Imagine having dinner with your family without phones, TV or music. It leaves you with no choice but to T-A-L-K and connect with the people you care most about. Ever since we consciously designated dinner time as “unplugged time,” my relationship with my family has grown notably deeper, AND having a designated quitting time solved the problem of getting my mind to calm down when it was time for sleep!
About 30 minutes before we turn in for the night, I enjoy quiet conversations with Amanda about our family, about the good things that happened to us that day, about anything–as long as it’s positive and not about work. This puts a smile on both our faces and lands us in a very grateful state of mind, conducive to a full night’s rest. So now I find, almost without exception, I wake up recharged and re-focused with an added bonus of a wonderful attitude towards the day and my life.
Try a few of these productivity boosters, and experiment with creating some of your own. To get started, answer these 2 questions:
- What distraction would be the easiest (most painless) for you to remove from your daily environment?
- In your past, did you have a technique that helped you to focus–e.g. a system you’d employ for keeping yourself on track when studying for exams? See if that same strategy can be modified to help you focus in your current situation.
Now get out there and rock your productivity!
