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Productivity

The Only 3 Things You Need To Know To Maximize Your Productivity

productivity Jun 03, 2021

Your level of productivity is a function of these 3 things:

  • Clarity
  • Focus
  • Energy

The more you have of each of the above 3 things, the more productive you will be. Working to improve each area will multiply your productivity. 

Clarity
Our To-Do or Task lists are just the first step of an exercise in clarity. We are writing down what needs to be done. The more clear we are about what needs to be done, how it needs to be done and when it needs to be done, the less time and effort we waste in getting it done. It is when we are unclear, that we fumble around and waste a lot of time unnecessarily. But when we step back for a moment, we may be able to develop the clarity we need to perform at our best.

If we don't know how it needs to be done, are we clear on how we will find out? Do we need to ask someone? Is there some training we can take? Do you need to watch a video or two? Even being clear on how you will find out "how" is clarity. 

When does it need to be done? Sometimes we become overwhelmed because we believe that everything needs to be done right now. Although that sometimes feels true, it is rarely true. When does it actually need to be done? If it doesn't need to be done until next week and doesn't take that long, are there tasks that are due now that need our attention?

By being clear on what needs to be done, how it can get done, and when it needs to be done, we can schedule out the work at the appropriate times so it creates the space we need to move to the second stage of productivity: focus. 

Focus
Have you ever been in the zone? Have you ever experienced "flow"? That is when a person becomes fully immersed in an activity. While in this mental state, we are completely involved and focused on what we are doing. There are no distractions stealing our attention.  Everything is working well and we lose all sense of time. In the state of flow, we are even unaware of our physical needs. 

One way to understand what focus is, is to understand what it is not. The opposite of focus is distraction. We are surrounded by distractions. Distractions come from external factors, such as, other people, our environment, loud noises, etc. Other distractions are internal, like when we need to write that report, but we first NEED to clean our desk, check our email, get something to eat, or drink, or use the bathroom. I am relaying this for a friend, of course. Our job is to mitigate our distractions, both external and internal. 

During COVID, some people are more productive and some are less productive. One of those factors is the amount of distractions in their environment. So let me ask you, are there more distractions at your office than at your home? Is your office is full of people who are constantly interrupting your work? Or is that environment more conducive to distraction-free productivity? If you are working from your home, is that environment setup to be distraction-free or are you home schooling your 6, 8 and 10 year olds, taking care of the dogs, while trying to put together that presentation for the VPs tomorrow? Guess how that would affect your productivity. 

Deep Work Time
We all need time to really focus deeply on the things that we are working on. Whether you call it block time, jam sessions, deep work, or focus time, it is an uninterrupted amount of time when we are focused on one task. One way to do this is with the "Pomodoro Technique". [There must be a better name for this. It is called "Pomodoro" because when Francesco Cirillo wanted to focus to study for a test as a university student, he grabbed his kitchen timer which was in the shape of a tomato and set it for 25 mins. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. I was going to call mine the "Melazana Technique" because my kitchen timer is in the shape of an eggplant.] Whether you use a tomato timer, an eggplant timer, your phone's timer, an app, etc., it doesn't matter. The point of this is to set a time, typically 25 mins, because there isn't normally a distraction that can't wait 25 minutes. You choose what time works best for you. When a thought or distraction pops up, we can just return our focus back on the task at least until the timer is up. I also like to gamify this strategy. I try to see how much I can get done before the timer runs out. If I am writing, how much can I write? Can I write 1000 words, 2000 words, etc? Can I complete the first draft, can I complete the editing process? If reading, how many pages can I read, can I complete the task in 25 minutes? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But the game helps me focus my attention on only that task with a sense of urgency. How many times have we heard someone say that they work better under a tight deadline? If that is true, it is only because they are better able to remain focused because there is no longer any time to waste entertaining distractions. Squirrel! 

Energy
The last area is energy. It is logical that we should be more productive when we have enough energy, and we are less productive when we lack energy. Why then do so few of us pay any attention to our energy? Maintaining our energy through the day is one of the most important things we can do for our productivity. Why you ask? Because our brains, while only weighing about 3 lbs., uses between 20% -  30% of the body's energy for the average adult in a resting state. It is an expensive organ that needs plenty of energy for it to function at its best.

We all know we need to fuel our bodies and mind with high quality calories, lots of water, and get plenty of sleep. So I am not going to talk about any of those things. Hopefully you are already doing them.

If our job entails sitting at a desk for hours on end it is no wonder we get tired in the late afternoon after sitting for so much of the day. A friend says, we don't have energy, we generate it. How can we generate energy when we start dragging in some parts of the day? Try moving your body a bit, going for a walk, doing some breathing exercises, or some other form of physical activity. It doesn't take long to generate the energy you need for your next zoom call. Try doing something to generate energy at the top of every hour. You will be surprised at how much more energy you have and how much more work you can get done. 

When do you do your best work? Morning? Evening? Middle of the night. I have friends that tell me how they stayed up until 2am working on a presentation and that is when they do their best work. I for one, would be more likely to get up at 2:00 am than go to bed at 2:00 am. I do my best work in the morning. In the book When, Daniel Pink explains that we should determine when we should do certain types of work. If you have any control over your schedule, you may choose to do creative work in the morning and meetings in the afternoon. This understanding of when you are best suited to different types of work is really an understanding of energy. Some people, start the day with a lot of energy, and have less by day's end. Others wake up with zero energy and have more in the afternoon. Our energy goes up and down throughout day. Knowing when you are naturally at your peak can go a long way to help you be more productive. 

Summary
Work to improve your clarity, your focus and your energy and you will surprise yourself on how much more you are able to accomplish and the results that it will bring. 

 

 

 

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