The easiest way to be more productive is by cutting the dead weight holding you down.
Being productive sometimes isn’t about what you’re doing, but more so about what you’re not doing. Whether it’s becoming a better leader, growing your business or growing personally, being more productive is in your best interest.
It’s easy to look at what top-performing CEOs do to be more productive you can see some commonalities: They wake up early, they’re deeply passionate and focused. They have good habits when it comes to their businesses.
Picking up new habits are great for growth, however, getting rid of your bad habits are equally if not more important. Bad habits are like ankle weights. Sure, you could run a marathon wearing them, but that doesn’t make it a good idea as they hold you back from really excelling.
1. Trying to multitask.
Doing several things at once means doing nothing exceptionally. Focusing on an individual task and seeing it through until completion before starting another task is the best formula for becoming more productive.
To stop multitasking try using the Pomodoro technique. This is where you set a timer for 25 minutes of interrupted work followed by a 5-minute break. This is a great way to kickstart productivity and kill any urge to multitask.
Another great way to stop multitasking is to minimize the number of open tabs you have in your browser. If you have several tabs open in your browser you’re systematically inviting interruption into your day. Limit yourself to 5 tabs open at once.
2. Having your phone notifications on.
If you’ve got your phone beside you while trying to get meaningful work done, you’re inviting interruption and a halt to your productivity. According to a study at the University of California Irvine, it takes people 23 minutes to get back to the focus/output level they were at before being interrupted.
3. Not getting enough sleep.
One in three Americans is sleep deprived according to the CDC. Sleep deprivation negatively affects memory, reaction time and cognitive function as a whole. In order to be more productive look at getting 6-8 hours of sleep. If you’re finding this hard, set an alarm to go to bed to prompt you to get enough sleep.
4. Meeting too frequently.
Meetings are often disorganized, unnecessary and exhausting. Over 11 million meetings happen daily in America, costing employers roughly $3.7 billion. They’re also the number one thing hurting your office productivity, according to a survey done by Salary.com.
Look at what meetings you can cut from your schedule completely and do it. If a meeting can’t be cut then look at how it can be optimized. This may mean creating a clear agenda or cutting down the time from 30 minutes to 15-20 minutes to make the most of the time.
Thanks for your Wisdom Jordan Scheltgen
