Proven Productivity Tips Great Leaders Follow
If there is anything that the COVID-19 lockdown has proven, it is that unproductive personal work habits left uncorrected will follow us at home and as well as the office. While some individuals may feel more productive in certain environments, studies show that working from home has actually helped many workers increase their productivity, which means procrastination cannot be blamed on working remotely. Having managed countless staff for several decades, I know first-hand that procrastination and unproductivity can be debilitating traits when it comes to personal and collective success.
Improving productivity is paramount for leaders - not merely improving yourself, but also in setting a solid example for your colleagues to follow. Consider these three proven tips to help you start elevating your productivity in small, yet significant ways to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your team:
Avoid multitasking
Research shows that multitasking takes a toll on our productivity, despite the common reverse misconception that it would make it increase. Instead of switching back and forth between tasks, try time-blocking. Set a timer on your phone or watch for an allotted period and minimize outside distractions by silencing your phone and computer notifications and closing your office door. Dedicate the entire time blocked to finishing the task-at-hand. Rather than being distracted and taken off-task by constant email and text message alerts, turn off the alerts on your phone and computer, and set specific times during the day to check and respond to email and text messages. Just try following these simple steps to stay focused and eliminate distractions for a week, and you just may be surprised by how much you can get done in a short span.
Pick three priorities for the day
To-do lists can be very effective, but they can also quickly become overwhelming when we try to pack in too much too soon. Don’t start your day in a discouraging way by trying to think of everything you want to get done instead of focusing on the most pressing matters. Stick to picking three tasks or projects that you need to complete that day, and don’t take on other work until those priorities are finished. This requires discipline and the willingness to say “no” to other requests that could come up in-between, but that’s a good thing. Productive leaders learn how to protect their “yes” and choose the most difficult tasks to tackle first and get off their minds.
Minimize meetings
Elon Musk is an advocate for minimizing meetings of all kinds, both in frequency and in length. I can attest to the fact that many companies waste time by holding in-person meetings that are not necessary, or could be conducted via an email thread or brief conference or Zoom call. Leaders have a responsibility to minimize meetings for themselves and their staff. Time is money, so unless an in-person meeting is absolutely necessary as the best way to advance your team’s goals or mission, it probably isn’t needed. Of course, this does not include in-person meetings where important decisions need to be made and input from team members is critical, or team-building events, or meetings to boost morale, which are vital for leaders to facilitate. And when you have meetings, have a clear agenda that focuses the discussion on the decisions that need to be made, and always strive to give the gift of finishing the meeting before the scheduled ending time.
I encourage you to challenge yourself this week by incorporating these productivity tips to transform your workdays, and to share this article with your colleagues. When leaders improve their personal productivity, it generates a significant impact. But when everyone under their leadership follows suit, it can result in a positive change in corporate culture.