It can feel like some people simply have a natural inclination to get more done in the day than others, but the truth is that productivity is all about time management – and time management is all about life management. Productivity optimization is an overarching term that includes a range of valuable strategies for increasing output, either on a personal level or on the larger business scale.
In this post, we’ll explore four productivity optimization techniques you can begin implementing right away to get more done, feel more in control of your life, and reduce your everyday stress.
#1 – Plan Ahead
Did you know you can double your productivity and performance in one day simply by changing the order in which you schedule your time? The first step, however, is to know what you have to accomplish. Highly productive people operate with well-organized to-do lists, and they don’t waste their most energetic hours (those first hours of the day) formulating that list. Instead, they end each day by planning tomorrow’s tasks.
#2 – Create a Not-To-Do List
Especially when you’re just starting out on the productivity optimization path, your “not-to-do” list is just as important as your “to-do” list. As objectively as possible, look back on your day and consider how you spent each 15-minute block of time. Even better, track your time tomorrow to see where the valuable minutes go. You may be amazed how much more you can accomplish when you only check your email twice a day, turn off the social media notifications on your phone, and shut down causal conversations with your coworkers.
#3 – Prioritize Your Tasks
A – What must get done? B – What would you like to get done? C – What can be delegated to others? D – What doesn’t need to get done at all? These four questions are the key for starting to prioritize your time. Next, evaluate each “A” and “B” task on your list by its value – whether that’s measured by its profitability, importance for customer service, or a different measure that’s most relevant to your job.
#4 – Eat that Frog
Mark Twain once said, “If the first thing that you do when you wake up in the morning is to eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that’s probably the worst thing that’s going to happen to you all day long.” When it comes to productivity optimization, Eat that Frog means getting the worst thing on your list done first. You’ll save immense amounts of mental energy by not leaving a dreaded task on the list while you accomplish easier ones.
Explore More Productivity Optimization Techniques with FocalPoint Canada
At FocalPoint Canada, we guide our clients in overcoming challenges and leveraging opportunities with proven processes and methodologies that have been used by thousands of successful businesses over the past two decades. Our FocalPoint business coaches use their expertise to teach our time-tested methods through individual coaching, group sessions, or trainings and workshops.
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