7 Ways to Optimize your Productivity
We are living in the digital age where face to face interactions have reduced considerably. However, a lot of innovation does come through collaboration. Back to Human by Dan Schawbel is a good book for leaders looking to get the most of themselves and their team. There was a particular chapter on productivity that I liked. Here are the ideas with my take on each.
Optimize your work environment: I take this to mean that you should make sure your workplace reflects your priorities. It should also be designed in such a way that it gets the best out of you and your team. So build an environment which fosters collaboration and reflects beauty if that is a value you believe in.
Optimize your workload: You can do anything but you can’t do everything. The key is to be absolutely clear on what needs to be achieved and only focus on those activities. Ensure you and your boss are singing of the same hymn book.
Optimize your flow time: Flow is the state where you are totally focused on the task at hand and you absolutely feel invigorated or engaged doing the work. You can get into this state by blocking a certain block of 90 min where you focus only on the most important things that needs to be done. You can turn off all notifications and log out of all applications. This flow state is when you get your breakthrough ideas.
Optimize your time: Not all time is equal. Some people are best in the morning in which case do your toughest tasks early in the morning. If you are an afternoon person then align your activities at this time. The key is to know when you are at your best and schedule your priorities for that time.
Optimize your team: You have to understand everyone in your team and see where they are at their best. This can also be called prime time. Assign the activities according to the individual needs as applicable.
Optimize work breaks: Work in increments of 60-90 minutes at one cycle and then schedule a 5-10 min break. You can take a short walk during the break as well. Work breaks are very important to reduce stress and increase engagement. Also take one day off in a week where you don’t check your email. The Power of Full Engagement is another great book on this. Here is my review of that. Being Fully Engaged at Home and Work
Optimize your meetings: Not all meetings are required all the time. Really see which meetings are required and only invite the folks who need to be on the meeting. It doesn’t have to be a 1-hour meeting always. Keeping shorter meetings will also engage the team more and get faster results.
There you have it all the keys you need to optimize your productivity. I hope you enjoyed reading this article.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.
Optimize your work environment: I take this to mean that you should make sure your workplace reflects your priorities. It should also be designed in such a way that it gets the best out of you and your team. So build an environment which fosters collaboration and reflects beauty if that is a value you believe in.
Optimize your workload: You can do anything but you can’t do everything. The key is to be absolutely clear on what needs to be achieved and only focus on those activities. Ensure you and your boss are singing of the same hymn book.
Optimize your flow time: Flow is the state where you are totally focused on the task at hand and you absolutely feel invigorated or engaged doing the work. You can get into this state by blocking a certain block of 90 min where you focus only on the most important things that needs to be done. You can turn off all notifications and log out of all applications. This flow state is when you get your breakthrough ideas.
Optimize your time: Not all time is equal. Some people are best in the morning in which case do your toughest tasks early in the morning. If you are an afternoon person then align your activities at this time. The key is to know when you are at your best and schedule your priorities for that time.
Optimize your team: You have to understand everyone in your team and see where they are at their best. This can also be called prime time. Assign the activities according to the individual needs as applicable.
Optimize work breaks: Work in increments of 60-90 minutes at one cycle and then schedule a 5-10 min break. You can take a short walk during the break as well. Work breaks are very important to reduce stress and increase engagement. Also take one day off in a week where you don’t check your email. The Power of Full Engagement is another great book on this. Here is my review of that. Being Fully Engaged at Home and Work
Optimize your meetings: Not all meetings are required all the time. Really see which meetings are required and only invite the folks who need to be on the meeting. It doesn’t have to be a 1-hour meeting always. Keeping shorter meetings will also engage the team more and get faster results.
There you have it all the keys you need to optimize your productivity. I hope you enjoyed reading this article.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.
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