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
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