Highly productive. Is that a phrase that describes you?
It might, and if that’s the case, please let us know here at PiP how on earth we can be more like you. We tend to be the kind of people who can always do a little better with our time, and it turns out that we aren’t alone! According to Eric Barker, who authors Barking Up the Wrong Tree, most people only work 3 days a week. The other 2 days are usually wasted time. Now, even if you aren’t that bad with your time (because we hope that we aren’t), there are things you can do increase your productivity: no matter how good it is.
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3…4, 5, 6. Here are 6 tips modified from Barker’s article.
1. Keep Calm and Turn Productivity On.
Pop culture doesn’t always get it right, but it turns out the Keep Calm signs may be on to something. People who start their day in a calm mood stay more productive. Better yet, happy people are more productive. That means being calm and happy are part of your job description, and we hope it’s a role you take seriously.
2. Ignore people…at least for the first couple hours.
Ignoring others isn’t a long-term solution, but Barker suggests that you stop checking your e-mail in the morning! Set aside time to accomplish what you think is important for the day. This turns you into a proactive person as opposed to a reactive person.
3. Be productive, by not doing unproductive things.
Want to be more productive? How about not doing all of the things that are unproductive. It sounds silly. But the truth is…we’re more concerned with figuring out how to do things more efficiently than we are with figuring out whether we should be spending any time on it at all. Only do what’s actually beneficial to you.
4. Tune in by tuning out.
Sometimes being more productive is just about focusing more. Distractions keep you from focusing, and sometimes we have a lot of them. Ask yourself if there are any distractions that you can eliminate. Does your e-mail have to stay open? Do Twitter, Facebook, and Candy Crush have to notify you constantly? If the answer is no, then eliminate them.
5. Leave winging it to the birds.
People who are productive have plans and routines. Find one that works for you. No one wins a football game by sending players out to just run around (unless it’s Little League). And if you want to be in the big leagues, then leave the winging it to the birds.
6. Make the last thing on your To-Do, another To-Do.
At the end of the day, make your To-Do list for the next day. Pick the things that are most important to get done, and be firm about what you want to accomplish before you’re bombarded with a list of seeming emergencies that need to be done. It helps you to come in prepared and helps you achieve your self-identified important tasks.
So that’s it. Easy as 1, 2, 3…4, 5, 6. Daily things that can get us all on a path to being more productive. It makes for a better world, a better nonprofit sector, and hopefully a better (happier) you!