Do You Want To Be More Productive? Part 2

We have full-time jobs, family, church, extracurricular activities and many of us have a side hustle. How can you squeeze more hours into a day? You can't, but you can be more productive in the time you do have.

Let me share three proven strategies that will make anyone more productive!  Don't worry you won't be doing all these strategies at once.  They can all be used for different purposes at different times.

1. Prioritization

Personally, this is my key strategy at getting things accomplished. As I briefly mentioned in a previous post, I do a daily top three.  I prioritize the main 3 things that MUST be done today. 

Not what I feel like doing today. 

Not what someone has asked me to do.

Not some dreaded task just to get it over with.

I do the 3 things that are important.

Take a look at your schedule or task list and see what needs to be done. (You should have completed your monthly goals and weekly top five for this to be most beneficial.) Then decide what 3 things can you do today to move you forward in your reaching your goals.  Do the 3 things that are most important.  Be sure your top 3 includes anything that has a due date!

2. Set a timer.

Do your work in blocks of time.  Set a timer for X amount of minutes, say 60 or 90, minutes and then work on that one project for the time frame.  It helps keep you focused and you'll be surprised how much you can get done in that time frame.  

I think this is an excellent technique for getting things done in the evening after work!  It is a great strategy for managing your side hustle. 

Some people can get more done if they can see immediate results, which is by ticking things off a To Do List.  If you are one of these people, then setting a timer is a great productivity strategy for you. Make a list of lots of small tasks that you need to do that can be accomplished in a few minutes and set a timer and do them.  Give yourself 10 minutes to straighten and dust the living room, 10 minutes to clean a bathroom, etc.  You'll be amazed and what you can do in 10 minutes.  This works well with kids as they love to play beat the clock.

3. Work within a scheduled time frame.

There is an old adage that says work will expand to fit the time available for its completion.  So if we don't have a set time for something to get done, it can drag out forever.  A classic example of this is our college days in which we never start a term paper when it is assigned, but wait until the week before! We let it expand to fit the time frame available for its completion.

If things aren't getting done, then you need structure and a time frame.  Look at your goals and give them a DUE DATE. Then list all of the steps it is going to take to complete it, and assign a time to each step for its completion.  Take time each day to write a To Do List for that day and add a time estimate to each task.  I promise you will see things getting finished and progress getting to your goals.

If you are not in a habit of doing these strategies, don't worry, all you need to do is practice, practice, practice for it become easy and natural.

Cheers to a more productive you!