3 Productivity Tips To Get More Done This Week

1.  Set  a Plan

                “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is          indispensable.”  ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

To-do lists are key in balancing your work day.  Write one list or multiple lists, but stop trying to keep everything in your head and write down tasks that need to be done in a visible place.  When you wake up at 3:00 am thinking about what needs to get done the next day, make sure it is on your list and go back to sleep. 

Prioritize the list using whatever system works for you: color-coded, number system or other prioritization.  Do high priority items first.  If all you have is five minutes, pick a short to-do list item.  And mark the to-dos off your list, not only will you feel accomplished, you can physically see what has been completed and what still needs to be done.

Leave a little wiggle room, you will need it.  There are those days when your child wakes with the flu, your car has a flat tire, your client requests a meeting, or a crisis arises at work.  Make sure you have left time to address the critical.  Your plans will change, so make sure your system can adapt.                

2. Deal, Delegate, or Dump

                "I either delegate something, I dump it, or I deal with it." ~ Daniel L. Doctoroff

Once you have completed your prioritized list of to-dos, further divide the list into a deal-with, delegate, or dump category.  Understand that items within each category may change.  Sometimes you think you can dump a task that keeps reappearing, like an employee issue.  Or something may fall in the deal with category until you identify a good person  who can take over the task.

Dealing with the activities that are critical, that you're good at, or that you love should be what makes up your to-do list.  If a task does not fit in this category outsource it.  Your time is best used on the activities where you excel.  This time is often referred to as "genius time."  You will have more success and more energy if you are devoting your efforts  to the areas that you love and where you excel. The one exception to this are those critical items that only you must handle such as an employee issue or unhappy client.

Delegating  can take many forms, it can be a task at work delegated to an employee, payroll services for your business, or even hiring an assistant. For many small business, I am their marketing department.  Marketing is necessary for their business, but is not something they particularly like or are good at.  Their time is much more well spent working on their own business, while someone else takes over the task.

Delegating is not easy for everyone, especially small business owners who are accustomed to doing everything  themselves. Some tasks are easy to remove off your plate, because you don't enjoy them or you find someone who can do it better.  Others may be more difficult, due to the financial cost of outsourcing the task or the impression you can do it better or faster.  However, keeping all of the tasks on your to-do list will not increase productivity and will actually reduce the volume and quality of work produced.

Dump those inefficient, time-wasting tasks. For many, it's visiting web sites that sap our time, talking too long to co-workers, or attending long meetings that seem to have no agenda. Determine what activities you may be doing that take precious time away for more deserving priorities.  If you can't or don't wish to dump some of these activities all together, it may be better to just move them out of your most productive time of the day.

3.  Know When to Work and Know When to Rest

"Sometimes the most urgent and vital thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest."  ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

Taking frequent breaks during the day  can actually increase productivity.  In a 2014 Fast Company article, the Draugiem Group did a study and an experiment to see what habits set their most productive employees apart. What they found was that the 10% of employees with the highest productivity surprisingly didn’t put in longer hours than anyone else. In fact, they didn’t even work full eight-hour days. What they did do was take regular breaks. Specifically, they took 17-minute breaks for every 52 minutes of work. So go ahead and take the long walk to the water cooler, or a quick stroll outside around the building, it may just make your day better and more productive.

Shut-off the electronics at least 20 minutes before bed.  It is easy to be plugged in to work, family activities, and even current events 24-7.  The constant pressure of always being 'on' not only interferes with our ability to wind down and rest, but it also can increase health risks such as heart attacks, strokes, and obesity.  Aside from just the pressure you may feel from always being plugged in, the blue light created by electronics disrupts your body's natural circadian rhythm.  So shut down, unwind, and get some rest.

Take that long break, vacation or holiday. In a recent article in National Geographic, only 14 percent of Americans will take a two weeks of vacation weeks or more this year. The standard holiday in the U.S. is now down to a long weekend.  The need for the vacation may be more than enjoying life and having fun.  Time off is medicine. Studies show that vacations are as important as watching your cholesterol or getting exercise. An annual holiday can cut the risk of heart attack in men by 30 percent and in women by 50 percent. Vacations have been shown to cure burnout, the last stage of chronic stress, epidemic in today's 24-7 world.

Sometimes the most difficult part of being more productive is giving yourself the permission to slow down, plan, and not do it all yourself.