A global authority on productivity Donna McGeorge has been through the corporate grind and emerged on the other side – and urges EAs to understand that there’s nothing more important than making intentional choices about where you spend your time.
She claims these five small changes to your daily routine will supercharge your productivity and give you back some valuable time to spend where it’s important:
Wipe your mind.
Every morning take five minutes to list everything that’s in your mind – from ‘replace batteries in smoke detectors’ to ‘research holiday’ to ‘prepare client presentation’. Productivity author David Allen says your mind is for having ideas, not storing them. So, trying to remember things will overwhelm your mind and limit your ability to think clearly. Get it out on paper.
Work with your body clock
You may be programmed to do things at a certain time because of habit but did you know there are optimal times for better brain performance? Most of us are more mentally alert in the morning so work that needs mental intensity is best done then. Identify your best two hours of the day and protect it for your most important work.
Decide now for tomorrow
At the end of the day, take a few minutes to make any small and low-impact decisions that can clear the way for tomorrow. It could be things like blocking out tomorrow’s lunch break time, packing your bag or planning what time to leave in the morning. Deciding all these things before you leave your desk will eliminate any chance of you sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night – and set you up for success the next day.
Short, timed bursts of work
You may have heard of the Pomodoro technique, which involves breaking your work into 25-minute intervals. These are called Pomodoros and are separated by short five-minute breaks. Working this way limits distractions, improves concentration, increases productivity and reduces burnout.
25-minute meetings – and less of them
Following on from the Pomodoro method, have less meetings and reduce their duration. When we have less time (or even simply perceive we have less time) our call to action is much greater. The less time we have, the more focused we are on getting the task done. Studies show that tasks are performed far better (and more consistently) by imposing strict deadlines.
Donna McGeorge is a best-selling author and global authority on productivity. Her book series covers meetings, structuring your day and doing more with less. www.donnamcgeorge.com
