Productivity. Don’t we all love that word after we’ve accomplished something amazing? After that big project got completed? After all the work has been done and we have incredible results to celebrate?
Of course, we all like the end result of fast and focused productivity, but how many of us have problems getting the whole ball rolling?
Here’s 5 brilliant ways to improve your productivity:
- One task at a time. Really. Let your mind focus on one thing at a time and you’ll get the job done. Easier said than done? OK, set a timer. Play a game with yourself. Challenge yourself to complete that task before the timer goes off. You’ll be amazed!
- Set goals. How many times have you heard this one? There’s a reason. It works! You see, this is probably the most brilliant productivity tip of all because once you actually see what you want to accomplish, it creates clarity and motivation. All of a sudden your goals are concrete!
- Bed time game plan. I’m sharing my biggest secret here. Just before you go to bed, write down the five tasks you want to achieve the next day. I know. It sounds so cheesy! But it works! I use this technique all the time and I challenge you to try it for one week. See if you don’t agree that the next day your productivity is off the chain on those tasks!
- Give up perfectionism. You know it doesn’t exist, so stop trying to change reality! Your insistence on everything being perfect will slow you down and hinder your results. Enough said. Tell that nagging voice in your head it’s “good enough” and move on.
- Read e-mails last. This one stroke of brilliance will change your business. Unless you are waiting on a specific answer to an e-mail, don’t go there until everything else is done. Trust me. You’ll thank me later.
Yes, I’m a first-class procrastinator and an easily-distracted work-at-home, so I know first hand how hard daily productivity can be. But I choose to begin my focus with the end result in sight because that’s the first step in getting it all done!
Now that you know my daily productivity secrets, let’s hear yours in the comments! Thanks!
Peace,
-Martha
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post Martha! Still working on that “email’s last” thing!
One thing I did that helps me focus is to change my browser’s home page to be blank. So, when I need to cruise the internet, instead of the defaults that come with some browsers like msn.com, or bing.com or whatever, I find that if my browser is blank I don’t get distracted by a totally off-base headline like “6 ways Hollywood lies to us about the workplace”. (One of msn.com’s actual headlines today!) Interesting – yes. Productive to spend my time reading? No!
Lynn Ruby recently posted..The ABCs of Working a Room
Oh, I like that tip Lynn!! I never thought about how many times those headlines grab me and I’m off to read! I’m going to take your good advice
Martha,
Great post! I think you have some of the most important ones there and I’m going to try #3 out. What do you think of this one? Have a place to capture those “nice to have” ideas that distract you so you can put them away and get back to the important ones?
Tom Treanor recently posted..19 Lessons From Peter Shankman – Blog World LA Keynote
I love it! Just jot down the idea and put it in a folder for later. Wonderful tip! Thanks for stopping by Tom!
Thanks for the tips on productivity. Time management is an issue since we can be so busy at times. One task at a time, thank you.
Sharlene recently posted..Top Social Tips To Unleash Your Inner Extrovert
That’s the name of the game. One task at a time. Complete it, then move on. I like your way of thinking! Welcome to the blog Sharlene!
I need to work on the email one… but setting goals and giving up perfection have made a HUGE difference in how much I get done. I think my timer is the other thing that really helps me. Challenging myself to get things done faster as you do. It works.
Michelle Shaeffer recently posted..Why Should You Be Blogging?
So glad to know other people like the timer! I learned about it’s magic when I was learning to play the piano as a child. I could get my practice in, not whine about it, and be totally focused during that time. Thanks for your comments Michelle!
I find using a timer can help me focus tremendously. There’s an app online called Save the Time which I use quite often when I’m doing transcription. Knowing I’m going to get a break after focusing for a certain amount of time helps me to give my work my complete attention.
Lisa recently posted..Work at Home: Chemistry Tutoring Jobs with SmartThinking
I didn’t know about that app. Thanks for the tip! Yes, the timer makes focusing easy because you know when it goes off, the work is done and the reward is on the way! So glad you stopped by Lisa!
Martha – great set of clear and powerful tips.
You’re right – that email (and social media too) needs to be kept in it’s place. Even apart from taking up time when we could be focusing on high leverage activities for our business and life, it puts us into ‘re-active mode’
And that means we’re not sticking to our own game plans – even if we did map out the key tasks for the day, the night before.
Another thing I like to do is cross everything off my list each evening and write the list again. Somehow the act of letting go by scoring the undone tasks out frees us from the incompleteness that all too often leads to procrastination.
Thanks so much for sharing these pearls with us.
Here’s to productivity!
Jym | Blogging Success recently posted..Blog Productivity – Fractals, Focus, and the Myth of MultiTasking
Oh wow!! What a fantastic idea! It never occurred to me to write the list again and cross everything off. What a motivating act. Thanks a bunch for sharing!
Great tips and advice you share here Martha. Productivity is a favorite word of mine and I especially like your “Bedtime Game Plan” — that works for me really well and helps me to stay on track. But you know how each day can throw a wrench into the mix. I guess it makes for interesting days and stories to tell when you achieve your accomplishments!
Lynn Brown recently posted..Online Business Success – Plan, Perform, Profit
Lynn, how well I know about those wrenches! But, here’s the thing, even with a huge glitch in my day, just by referring to my list, I find it comforting and easy to get back on track and focus once the distraction has cleared.
Man there’s no way I could start thinking about the next day before I go to sleep I’d never get to sleep!!
I liked the other though. Email is a killer. Another one is separate your task system to your email system. If you are constantly going back into Gmail or Outlook to look at your tasks you’ll just get distracted with emails.
dan recently posted..31st to 5th in Google in 1 month (part 2)
Dan, I didn’t say worry about the next day. That would cause sleepless nights. I just said write down a few goals for the next day. Seriously, try it!
Good tip for separating tasks from e-mails! Thanks for your input!
Well for me thinking equals worrying ha!
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Hey Martha,
This is the third post I’ve read today already on productivity tips. But I still enjoy reading them to see what others are coming up with and maybe there is some tip in there I haven’t known about yet. All of your tips are great I must add.
What I do is I set the timer for 50 minutes and I concentrate on just one task at a time. I let nothing distract me at all. No email, no social media sites, no phone, no nothing. At the end of that 50 minutes I take a break. Whether it’s to get some water, use the restroom, take the dog out or just get some air. I get up and get away from the computer. When I sit back down, I set the time for my next 50 minute task and I continue on.
I set goals every evening for the next day so I don’t necessarily do them right before bed. I do them as I’m finishing my day or during the day when I know I need to do something specific the next day I’ll be sure to put that on my list. I have a notepad I keep on my desk so everything is listed in front of me.
Thanks for sharing these, great advice I agree.
~Adrienne
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Adrienne, funny how topics seem to appear all at once!
I love your 50 minute rule! I’m going to file that little tip away for future reference. What I really picked up on what you said was that NOTHING distracts you during that time. Focus is so key!
Glad you stopped by!
I’m really bad about the email one. It would probably improve my productivity significantly if I could get myself to follow that rule.
Yep, e-mail can be a real time guzzler.
I can’t say I’ve been coming here for a year but I’ve seen you from time to time on twitter spouting (sorry tweeting) relevant content. Yes, this is the first time I’ve commented here.
Your #5 above related to email is a really good point. It’s the only one of the five I don’t have in place yet, however I do review my email on my iPhone early am and fast delete all spam, unimportant (needs no answer) so I know what I have to address immediately when I get to my computer at the start of the day and this is good as all that insignificant does not show when I start work. Anything not needing immediate attention I am now going to leave to the end of the day (or after I get done with my work list ~ set the night before) ~ I see the immense value of this and will try it starting tomorrow. Great suggestion and I can feel the value already.
Great to see you on #blogchat
CASUDI
That makes me so happy CASUDI! Seriously, usually our energy is greatest in the morning so putting off that e-mail is a good thing. You have more energy for the really productive tasks!
Thanks for stopping by! Always enjoy the people I meet at #blogchat
This is a great list, Martha. There are some wonderful additions in the comments too. If you’re not careful, you can get lost in the quick sand of email and social media on a daily basis.
Your two tips that have made the most difference for me are making your task list the night before and reading email last. I’m still working on the perfectionism challenge. If you have ideas about how to master that one, please let me know!
My additions are:
- Set your alarm an hour earlier to work on a special project such as an ebook. Write 1,000 words before you start your work day.
- Use productivity tools whenever possible. These are different for every individual and business. My favorites right now are content curation tools like Scoop.it and Paper.li. You can create your own professional ezines in minutes by curating blog posts and articles (your own and others) in your niche.
Jayna Locke recently posted..5 Marketing Strategy Ideas for Your Blog | Plus Blog SEO Tips
Love this list, Martha… especially the one about giving up perfectionism. This one by far is my biggest stumbling block when it comes to being productive.
I’m working on it, though its a process.
Dr. Bob Clarke recently posted..Recognize That Your J-O-B Can Be an Asset to your Part Time MLM Business
This are really a brilliant ways to improve our productivity, and we should also include prioritizing our goal because it helps us motivate.
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