Feeling Unproductive Too Often? Try Developing Some of These Habits

Often, during our training classes, participants are not sure about how the tips we are providing can actually help them be more productive in their roles and less stressed in their life. Sometimes our facilitators provide personal examples to help the individuals decide if this tip will work for them. Since not all our readers can attend a workshop, I thought I would share my examples and ideas with you. These are my "Top Five Habits". Developing these "good" habits over the years has helped me feel productive 95% of the time, enabled me to always meet deadlines (usually early) and  reduced much of the stress that can come from running a business and a family! 

1. Plan the Next Day Before Leaving Work for the Day - This means different things to different people and what it means to me is that before I leave the office, I review my outlook, my project list, and my upcoming week and write a to-do list of what I want to accomplish the next day. This is the only thing I see when I get to my desk in the morning. And, because of this, I can get started right away in the morning. (Cleaning off my desk every night was a great tip I got early in my career...really helps clear the head.)

When I do this task at night, I feel a sense of accomplishment, feel in control, and feel like I can leave work at work! So, this habit not only increases productivity, it helps create work/personal life balance.

2. Keep a Bound Project List and a Bound Daily Task List - I referenced the project list in #1 above. I have two notebooks and one is a 5 X 8 notebook which is where I list my projects (which for us are our training assignments or responses to RFPs.) Our assignments usually take between one month and six months to complete so this is an important list. The smaller notebook holds my daily to-do list. This is the list that I see in the morning. The project list helps you manage priorities and the to-do list helps you manage your day. Project Management software is also helpful; however, if you spend as much time out of the office as I do, it is always good to have a backup. 

3. Control the Uncontrollable by Leaving Room in Your Schedule - I have always had fairly demanding work schedules and in the sales and training roles that I have held over the past 20 years, I can't always predict what the day will bring. (Sound familiar to most of you reading this?)  I hear my training participants say all the time that the biggest challenge they have in managing their time is dealing with all the fires they need to put out every day. Well, building in flexibility to your schedule allows you to manage these fires. I make sure that every day I have 30 to 60 minutes of time blocked off with NOTHING in it. This way, if something very unexpected comes up, I have an hour to pull from. If there are no unexpected events that day, I have an hour to do whatever I want. And, sometimes, this means leaving early - I especially like when this happens on a Friday.

4. Schedule Daily Tasks According to Brain Energy and Physical Energy - This habit has really helped me become as productive as possible. Here is what it means - every one of us has times in the day when our brain is on full speed and times when it feels like it is asleep. The same goes for our physical energy. So, how does this affect how productive we are? Well, have you ever tried to read a book and you find that you have re-read the same page twice? Have you ever started a task and gotten frustrated because it is taking much longer than it should? Sometimes this is because we are trying to force our bodies and brains to do things that they are not best suited for at that time of the day.

For me, I have what I call a coffee brain. Between 6:30 am and 11:30 am - I can write, I can edit, and I can do it quickly and accurately. I know this about myself and I try to schedule my office days around this. I also know that if you ask me to proof or edit a document after 3 pm, it will take too long and I won't do a perfect job. So, at 3:00 pm, I try to do something that is slightly more physical. My best brain time is in the morning and my best physical energy is in the afternoon. If you have the ability to align your tasks with your brain and physical energy, definitely try it out!

5. Reward Yourself When You are Extremely Productive - The rewards don't need to be dramatic. It could mean taking a walk, leaving a little early, having a leisurely cup of coffee. Really, it is anything that makes you feel good for working hard and being productive.

If you are interested in learning more about how we help managers and staff enhance their productivity, give us a call (631) 465-2024 or email us at solutions@taylorperformance .com.

Thanks for reading and have a productive day!

Linda Berke

I'll Do It Later - How to Avoid Procrastination or Feeling of Overload

Procrastination or feeling overloaded are two common time-wasters. There are two types of time-wasters, internal and external. Internal time wasters are those we create ourselves. These are habits or behaviors that work against us as we strive to be productive. External time wasters are those caused by outside forces or other people.

Even though procrastination is an "internal" time waster and "overload" is an external time waster, the steps to overcome them are similar. These five steps can help you with your overall time management if you procrastinate. 

Step One - List specifically what you avoid or what gives you a feeling of overload. Look for trends to identify why you procrastinate or get the feeling of overload. Do you avoid tasks that bore you or ones that frustrate you?

Step Two - Identify when you procrastinate or when you feel overloaded. Is it a particular time of day, day of the week, type of project? Make necessary schedule changes to help you avoid the time waster.

Step Three - List what you do instead of the "It".  Do you do something you enjoy more? Do you try to tackle an impossible project? Identify ways to overcome your obstacles.

Step Four - Break large tasks into small tasks. Make your project or task more manageable. Set short term goals and deadlines.

Step Five - Start with the easiest step. Many people make the mistake of trying to finish the most difficult task first so they can gain a sense of accomplishment. This often leads to frustration and more procrastination or overload. If possible and logical, finish the easy tasks first and gain momentum to complete the more difficult tasks.


Last Step - Reward yourself when you complete something you did not want to do or you struggled to complete! A reward can be a short walk, a coffee break or a phone call to a friend. Relish in your success and energize yourself for the next task. 

Do You Delegate Enough?

All managers and supervisors we work with know intuitively that delegation is critical to helping them save time. Yet, when we poll them in training, most do not delegate enough. usually they don't delegate because of three reasons:

1. They don't see the true value of delegating.
2. They don't know how to communicate the task to be delegated.
3. They confuse delegation with dumping.

So, here are some easy steps to follow:

1. Do a time log and identify the tasks that take a lot of your time.
2. Analyze these tasks to determine if they are taking away time from tasks that you should be doing.
3. Determine if someone else on your team can do the task and will benefit from doing the task because it will mean added responsibility or learning something new.
4. Outline specifically how the task should be completed and what the end result should look like.
5. Set up a private meeting with the employee to discuss this new assignment.
6. Explain to the employee the importance of the task, why it needs to be done and how it impacts other people or departments.
7. Explain specifically what is expected - in terms of both process and end result.
8. Ask the employee if he/she has any questions about the task.
9. Thank the employee and let the employee know that you are there to help or answer questions.

Follow these steps and you will find that you have more time and a more productive team.