Welcome to key#5 in personal empowerment, the power of productivity! Thank you for making and taking the time to read this article; I hope it will be a good investment in your journey to become the best version of yourself.
We’re all running short on time. We’re all busy. Constantly on the run, hardly enough time to stop and catch a breath. Like ants scrambling around for food. Or maybe you are more like a duck: smoothly gliding peacefully through the water (exterior), but underneath the surface the little legs are frantically kicking (interior).
Busyness is not only becoming one of the chronic conditions of our time, it’s also becoming a status symbol. I mean, I get the idea that the busier we are, the more important we think we are.
The more time we spend at the office, or the more clients we attend to, the more successful we think we are. And then somewhere along the way, it also turned into a competition. Who has the most hay on his fork? And unconsciously, most of us are competing to wear the crown!
Take a Pause
Just stop. Being busy doesn’t mean you’re being productive. Busyness can be a bad habit that you need to change, otherwise you may never experience a life in abundance.
You can be busy all day long, and exhausted from frantically trying to keep all the balls in the air, but not be productive at all. Also, you can be productive, but not efficient.
Imagine you can do double your days’ work, in half the time, making very little to no mistakes. Think of all the things you would love to do, but simply don’t find time (or energy) in your current schedule. For some it will be arts and crafts, sports, reading a good book, or tackling your emotional eating habit.
When you learn to become more productive and efficient, there will be time to do at least some of them. Imagine going to bed at night thinking: “Today was a good day. I really did well.” Such blissful satisfaction, and such a possible, successful habit to learn!
So what is the power of productivity all about?
Productivity and efficiency (I will explain the difference shortly) are not virtues in their own way that we need to pursue, but they help us to be able to spend time on things and / or activities that we value more.
If we are highly productive, we can complete our to-do list quicker, leaving us with more free time. These two concepts are not the same, but they are inextricably linked. They are simply stronger together.
Plain Productivity refers to output per unit of time. In other words: How much you accomplish in a certain period of time = your performance.
Empowering Efficiency is the best possible output per unit of time. In other words: Doing things right, successful and without waste = how well you perform.
In short: productivity is quantity; efficiency is quality. Once you do the right things fast and right, you reach your maximum level of productivity and efficiency.
Some of the benefits of Productivity and Efficiency:
• You get more tasks done in a day.
• You have more free time to relax.
• You will be less stressed.
• You will show less symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• You will make less mistakes.
• You will have greater focus.
• You will procrastinate less.
• You will create more opportunities.
• You will be more reliable.
• You will have healthier relationships.
• You will be more satisfied.
How to increase your Productivity and Efficiency:
Discover how to embrace the power of productivity and efficiency with these tips.
Plan Your Week
Spend an hour on a Sunday to plan your week. Be it the family meal menus, chores in and around the house, meetings to attend, conversations to have, you name it, plan it!
Make a list of everything you want to accomplish, and then rate them by level of importance. Schedule them into a weekly planner. There are lots of useful apps available that you can use, or use an old-fashioned calendar.
While you’re at it, make your shopping list as well. Spending that couple of hours, will save you lots of time during the upcoming week when you can just dive into a task, or make that call without wasting time.
Get Enough Sleep
Make sure you get enough sleep, especially when you think you don’t have time for it. Most people need 7 – 8 hours to be well rested and functional the next day. A tired body and brain works in slow-motion, wasting more time doing tasks than just getting enough rest.
Create a Routine
Set a daily routine, especially the first two hours of your day. Set time out to do something that is important to you personally. Whether it is to exercise, meditate, setting goals, or spending quiet time on your relationship with God.
Wake up earlier if need be. Have a healthy breakfast and a good cup of coffee. Then, tackle your most challenging task on your to-do list first. Having it hang over your head like a sword will drain all your energy for the day. Dive in, and do it!
Limit Distrations
While you’re busy with a task, limit distractions. Put your phone on silent or even better: put it AWAY. And switch off all notifications. You will get your task done much quicker. Close your office door; put earphones on to mute noises.
Avoid Multi-Tasking
Do not multi-task. Research has shown that every time you switch between tasks, it takes your brain 23 minutes to focus on the original task again. That’s insane! Focused concentration also reduces mistakes, saving you time going over your work searching for and fixing those mistakes.
Take Breaks
Take regular little breaks in between tasks. Now you can check your phone, and reply to messages. Get up and walk a few paces. Drink water. By being too busy to take breaks, you run the risk of brain burnout, and making more mistakes. This is easy to forget when you have a gazillion tasks planned for your day, so set yourself reminders.
Check Emails at Specific Times
Set specific times during your day to check your emails. Especially when you wait for a reply, it can be very time consuming and distracting when you constantly check your inbox.
You Can’t Do Everything
Realize that you can’t do everything. You simply don’t have enough time to do everything, and accept that it’s okay. Plan, and stick to your plan. Schedule time slots for emails, accounting, enquiries, critical tasks, exercise, family, faith, relaxation. Write it down, allocate your time, execute the tasks, learn from your mistakes. And start all over again the next day. Either ‘copy and paste’ if it worked out for you, or adjust your schedule daily until you find one that works best for you.
Use Time Tracking Tools
Using Time Tracking tools in the beginning will help to keep you more accountable on how you spend your time and where you need to improve. I can recommend the app Toggl Track available on Google Play store. Personally, it helps me do more in less time.
Delegate
Learn to delegate more. Or ask for help from a colleague, spouse, grandparent, friend, even a child. You would be amazed at what children are capable of at a young age, don’t underestimate them! You will be less overwhelmed, and they will learn precious new skills.
Limit TV time
Limit your time in front of the TV during the week to one hour per day. Also limit your time (and stick to it!) on social media if you only use it socially. These two pastimes are major time-wasting culprits.
Improve Your Health
Create more daily energy naturally by improving your health. Get active, eat a balanced meal and drink plenty of water. It’s also a natural remedy for depression and anxiety.
Don’t Work Too Late
Stop working behind a computer from around 21h00 – 21h30. Your brain will be too active to fall asleep early enough. If possible, don’t put your phone next to your bed at night, rather use an old fashioned alarm clock to wake you up in the mornings, and leave your phone in another room.
Combine Your Trips
When you do your weekly planning, make sure you combine your travel trips as far as possible. For instance, do your grocery shopping en route to picking your kids up from school, or travelling to and from work. Especially when you live in an area with dense traffic, this little bit of extra planning saves you plenty of time.
Silence your inner perfectionist
If you are a perfectionist by nature, you end up spending much more time per task than necessary. Take a step back, look at what’s bothering you, and make a quick, but well thought out decision if it’s worth taking up more of your time. In the bigger scheme of things: is this “flaw” a train smash or not? If you realise that it is, take a deep breath, go back to the task and fix it. If not, move on!
Summary of Productivity Tips
Basically, it all comes down to planning, prioritizing and time management. Once time has passed, it’s gone forever. Make every moment count!
How Can the Power of Productivity Help You?
The more you increase your productivity and efficiency, the more time you will have to slow down and live in the moment. These tips can be seen as successful habits that you can implement in your professional life, as well as your private life.
If you continue with certain behaviours for at least 28 days, it will become a new habit. So, as hard as it might seem at first, just persevere, it will get easier. All the hard work will pay off once you realise you have more free time, you accomplished more in a day, and you still have enough time and energy to spend with your loved ones.
If you struggle to find the willpower to implement these habits in your daily life, don’t despair! The 20-hour virtual online Transformation Coaching System™ that I use, will help you drop your excessive mental and emotional baggage so that you can Travel Lightly through life. You will experience a surge of mental energy, assisting you in becoming more efficient.
Contact me TODAY for a free 30 min online Session!
Curious about the power of productivity and efficiency? I am a certified Transformation Life Coach operating in Riebeek Kasteel, Western Cape of South Africa. I also do virtual online life coaching sessions, so no matter where you are situated, all you need is an internet connection, a mobile phone or computer, and a space where you can meet with me uninterruptedly once a week for two hours.
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The next key #6 to personal empowerment (becoming the best version of yourself) is the POWER OF HEALTHY BOUNDARIES.
REFERENCES:
https://habitgrowth.com/advantages-of-being-productive/, https://powderkeg.com/13-ways-to-maximize-your-daily-productivity/, https://transformationcoachingacademy.co.za/, https://www.workplace.com/blog/personal-productivity, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficiency, https://habitgrowth.com/advantages-of-being-productive/
