8 Ways to Increase Your Productivity

Happiness inspires productivity.  Productivity inspires happiness.  I think this is a debate cum chicken or egg.   Well, if you are happy, I hope it fuels your productivity. When you are sad... get your @ss off the coach and keep moving.

I think in the topic of productivity, good is often the enemy of the best.  It is seldom that anyone admits to not doing anything.  We report to work, we do our tasks, we move about.  Yet, are we reaching our most productive self?

Here are 8 things to get us closer to our most productive self.   

1.  Set your Direction.  As Stephen Covey said, " It doesn't really matter how fast you are going, if you are heading in the wrong direction".  Before we rush into the issue of productivity, we should first determine if we are moving towards the right direction.  It is worthwhile to spend time to identify your end goal and then prioritize the top three actions that will get you to your goal.  

For your daily tasks, examine in the beginning of the day if your "to do list" contributes to what you want to be come in the long run.  If doing things on  your list are there out of routine, put in one item there to that you will do out of inspiration. Something that will get  you closer to a personal project that means something to you.  Keeping those in the list will motivate you not only to finish the more mundane tasks, but it will also give you a sense of accomplishment and ownership of your future.  

2.  Clean up your space.  Oooops! Not the right person to write about this as I keep a very messy table in the office. Really working hard on this one. However, I do find that I am most productive when my physical space mimics an organized person's table :)  Nowadays, I limit the number of paper in front of me.  This helps me focus on what I am  bent on finishing that day and keeps me from being distracted.  

3.  Scribble on that planner.  I personally take pleasure keeping a planner.  Yes, a notebook planner.  I do not use electronic versions ( I really should, but really can't) because I like listing, crossing out, putting numbers on my priorities for the day, looking at my calendar to feel how my day, week, month would feel.  I doodle to remind me of how i felt during the day.  Of course, others would prefer the electronic version, especially if you need to do this to sync office mates to the tasks.  I "luckily" do not need to. 

I usually look at my planner before the day ends, just so the morning does not give me unnecessary surprises.  I also use the time to fill in all the things I need to do the next day I may have missed jotting down.  This way, I sleep with a clear picture of how my next day would look like.  

4.  Mind the clock.  I am big on time, if you have been reading my blog, you know this is my favorite topic.  Productivity increases when we start early.  It increases when we keep at task for the allotted time.  Productivity increases when we meet our personal deadlines.  

Set reasonable time to finish tasks.  When we leave the time limit open, we are falling victim to procrastination and will naturally lack the urgency to finish.  Also, when working with others on a task, you maximize your time together. It also gives an accurate picture to your partner or team as to the kind of output you are expecting out of the time you set.  

5.  Reward yourself with periodic breaks - but if possible schedule them.  Develop blocks of productive time followed by brief "refresh breaks" doing something light.  A snack, a peep into your social media account, or for those who work from home, even a nap or stretch in bed.  I find that I am energized by these simple breaks.  I have proven time and again, that I return back to task more creative, focused and I even finish my tasks earlier than if I kept pressing on when i am already drained. 

6.  Ask help. Delegate.  Needless to say, we cannot do everything on our own.  We should find people who we can unload some tasks from us.  I admit, I find this difficult sometimes because I tend to be too detailed at work.  On some tasks, delegation isn't even impossible like when I need to develop modules for training.  Yet, I try to identify some really small tasks I can delegate little by little until I could confidently give my assistant some more.  True enough, the tasks I am confident to leave with someone else keeps growing and soon enough, I gain some amount of freedom to do ... well bigger things. 

This may not be delegation per se but networking with the right people do save time and increase your productivity exponentially.  Knowing who to go to for certain products, service, support saves you ton of time and multiply your results.  

7.  Limit. Scale down. Say no. Admit limitations. Ok, these are hard to do.  But they have to be done.  There is no way, everything we do - all at the same time- will be done at its best.  I admire people who can just work on one task at a time and achieve gazzillion more things than those who multi task.  I understand we may have many overlapping roles to play.  However, spreading ourselves thinly not only makes us less productive, it also makes us less happy.  Be busy to the point of satisfaction, not to the point of destruction.  Burn will set us back when it strikes.  

8.  Practice.  It would be a sin not to include this.  Whatever it is that you are doing, include a "sharpening the saw" activity to keep you good at what you do.  You will never be productive if you are not good at what you do, know little about the developments of your profession or feel doubtful about yourself all the time.  Be good at what you do by rehearsing either in your head or with a buddy to improve skills necessary to your job. Read. Join groups. Collaborate and learn from others.  A productive professional is a skillful professional.  Nothing replaces that.  

There goes my list.

Lastly though, I would like to remind you that productivity is not the end all of our professional life. 

When we are asked to choose between productivity vs. health, task vs. people, perfection vs. creativity, checklist vs. bucket list, compliance vs. fulfillment - I hope you choose wisely. 

Productivity should lead us to a happier life, it all depends on which you choose to work on.