It can feel sickening to reach 6pm and see a largely incomplete task list. What happened to those good intentions that we had first thing in the morning?
Here are just 5 of many techniques used by the most productive people we’ve worked with:
1. Sleep well, wake early
A productive day starts the preceding night, see our previous posts to achieve better sleep. Wake early, eat a hearty and healthy breakfast and include some exercise, a 30 minute walk is the best kick-start for the body and brain.
2. Begin with the least attractive tasks
Procrastination is the enemy of productivity, clear away the unpleasant and mundane at the outset so there’s not a dark cloud hanging over your day.
3. Take charge of timings
Be the one to challenge the clock. If a 60 minute meeting could be over in 30 minutes, say so at the outset.
4. Make 1 Minute Count
In the seminal One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson show how just 60 seconds spent giving one to one praise, coaching or correction can have an incredible impact on those we lead and consequently our own time.
5. Prioritise the Purpose
Stephen Covey coined the phrase ‘Keep the main thing the main thing’ Alongside ‘Begin with the end in mind’ one of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, these both act as excellent filters to help us focus on the work that matters and to say no to the obstructions that disrupt our day.
