27 EZ Productivity Tips for getting your top Goals
Being more productive isn’t always easy, but the rewards are more than worth it. When you’re more productive, not only will your organization grow — you’ll reduce your stress along the way.
Topics: Plan Goals, Slice & Dice, Batching, Timing, EZ or Worst First? Delegate, Share, Celebrate, Rewards, Accountable, Status, Triage & 7 more.
Being more productive takes a serious amount of determination & thought. To really double down and get the most out of your time, here are 30 easy tips for becoming more productive:
1. Plan your Daily Goals, before you go home or first thing in the morning. This helps curb distractions, because you’re focusing on what’s more important. Set simple goals for the day, accomplish them, then give yourself a little reward (verbal, time or a treat.
2. Slice & Dice. complex projects into bite-size chunks & complete them one at a time.
3. Beat down your weeds by Batching (instead of Bitching). Completing similar ez tasks together in batches, helps you free up time that would otherwise be lost to the admin work associated with task switching. Use this process to handle things like phone calls, Emails, or errands.
4. Get Rid of it, if it’s not absolutely needs Take it off of your daily To-Do list, dele-gate it or put it on your long-term Goals.
5. Best Timing. Figure out your best time for getting things done. Usually it’s the morning – after a good night’s sleep Schedule your high-priority tasks for those times and less important tasks after.
6. Do the Worst first (???) to clear it 6rom your To-Do List. This will give you a “sense of significant achievement” and every thing else will be easy.
7. Do the EZ’est first (???) and this will create momentum and set up a “accomp-lishment roll” for the rest of your day.
8. Use Delegation as much as possible. If someone else can do it, let them. It could be good training for them. Your time will be freed up for more important tasks. Follow up to see the task is completed.
9. Share your Ideas. Present your ideas and projects to others. They may have a different view of the “value” of the idea + what the execution would take. Gather a few together and you can use them to brain-storm ways for improvements that will ultimately be better.
10. Beat the Clock. Give yourself a specific amount of time to take a small step in a big project. Don’t focus on whether the project was completed. Just put in the time and cheer your progress.
11. Cross the Finish Line & celebrate the Victory. Set clear, well-defined deadlines for your projects and celebrate when you make them.
12. T-minus 60 seconds. Once you have all the information you need, make small decisions asap. Once you’ve chosen an option, move on – instead of lingering on your choice.
13. Reap the Rewards. Have small rewards in place for early or on-time completion of tasks as incentives. You’ll work a lot faster if you know there’s a benefit hanging on the line.
14. A final One, then you’re Done. At the end of the day, focus on one final task, finish it, then call it quits. You’ll finish the day with a sense of accomplishment.
15. Become Accountable to others. Tell others of your plans and when you’ll have the projects complete. They’ll check with you and expect results, so you’ll get things done on time to avoid disappointing them.
16. Check your Status. Review your progress daily, weekly, monthly & quarterly. Look for ways to improve. The most productive people out there are those who are honest about what they’re doing well and where they need to do better.
17. Question Everything. When someone gives you a new task, have them explain why it’s absolutely necessary until you fully understand. If they can’t come up with a good reason, there’s a good chance the task should be assigned to someone else or dropped altogether.
18. It’s never “good enough”. Constantly look for ways to improve your techniques & methods. Look for new technology, tools or techniques to do it a better way.
19. Triage your Projects. Think of your work schedule in the same way an Emer-gency Room Nurse evaluates incoming patients. Let low priority projects wait and spend the saved time on projects that really matter – have a significant impact.
20. Credibility – you accomplish what you promise. Whatever it takes, stay on schedule; and if at all possible. Start early and/or stay late, if you have to. But don’t make it a habit. You have relationships that are important to maintain.
21. Detour the detestable. When an un-productive task is placed in your hands, question its value. If you cant, try to reroute it to someone else who’s more invested in the outcome.
22. No (-) Nelly’s allowed. Only associate with positive, successful people who encourage you to stay productive. Banish the negative influences from your life.
22. Plan your Phone Calls. Before beginning your phone calls, have a clearly formed agenda of what you expect to cover and what the possible outcomes will be. This will help you steer the conversation and end it sooner — saving time for everybody involved.
23. Get Smart. There are over 80,000 books on “productivity” on Amazon. Try to read at least one of them each month. First look at a Book Review or Summary, to determine if it’s right for you. Getting Things Done is a good place to start if you’re new to productivity reading.
24. Enough is too much ??? Evaluate any clubs, subscriptions, & groups of which you’re a member. If the time spent on them is not productive, drop out.
25. Squeeze the Tube. [TV, not Tooth paste, LoL] Go on a TV Diet. Only watch educational or (+) entertaining shows. You’ll instantly gain time for your most important projects & your relationships.
26. Daily Exercise increases productivity, because it gives you more energy and you have > blood flow to your brain. It also is keeping you healthy enough to remain productive in the long run.
27. Keep it fun. Not every To-Do item has to be boring. Fill out forms in bright colored ink, make phone calls with an accent, or spike your hair before you go to the bank just to watch the reactions.
Comments: What else do you do to stay productive? Share any suggestions you have in the comments below.
from INC [biz] Magazine 13 July 15 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz
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