3 WAYS TO BOOST PRODUCTIVITY

It’s a new year and it’s time to get things done. Staying on task and keeping motivation strong requires vision. And, commitment. Then that long list of byways and highways, bumps and potholes on the way doesn’t seem so daunting. Now, how to navigate the most efficient route to success? Here are three keys to revving up productivity on the way.

MAP OUT YOUR JOURNEY: A study of entrepreneurs shows that 61% fail because of strategy & execution of strategy. Either there is no strategy or the strategy isn’t well defined or it isn’t agile. To motivate and guide your efforts and lead a team, you need your own strategic thinking plan. When there is a success or failure, you will know why the pieces moved as they did. Strategy is chasing goals in a certain way.

I skated to where the puck was going to be. Not to where it was. —Wayne Gretzky

FOCUS. Don’t take on every task at once. Bouncing from one task to another may seem necessary, it is counterproductive. Context switching is the death of productivity. When multitasking, we actually lose time in the process of returning to an activity. This is the wasted time getting back in the groove of a subject when moving from one project or task to another. Focus is critical for effectiveness in getting things done. Do not juggle. Stay on task.

Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days. ― Zig Ziglar

BLOCK & TACKLE: It helps to break down projects into blocks, then tackle each one to completion. This helps keep you focused on each task till it’s done. And checking off each chunk leaves you feeling great about progress. When you get feedback quickly on your work, you learn faster, grow faster, and you begin to make better decisions. Create a list so you can check off completed items. Commit to one task till done. This leads to a repeatable, scalable approach to growing your business.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out. — Stephen R Covey

Build simple, optimized routines to create a system, focus efforts, and get results. When things are not moving you toward your goal, you will see the needed detour readily. Adjust your path. Fix the way you work so results follow.