Are you productive or just busy?

Personal productivity in its basic form is the value or result you get from the effort you put into doing something. How much of your day would you say is productive? Here are some tips on how you can become more productive:

Put value on your time

: We think of time as free, but it’s the most expensive commodity and it is perishable. So, don’t just do task after task without considering whether it’s worth your time or needs.

Take a helicopter view

: When you have a lot to do, don’t immediately put your head down. Take a few minutes to assess the scope of work before you; what you can bundle together to save time; what you can delegate and what will make the difference. Be purposeful. When you operate in a chaotic reactive mode, you waste a lot of time.

Have a ‘priority’ filter

: I bet there are ‘routine’ things that you can shave off your schedule that don’t add value and are being done out of habit. Create systems and approaches so that you can work in more effective ways.

Think about the end user

: Whatever work you do is not for your own use or benefit. Ask yourself ‘Who are the ‘consumers’ of each piece of work that I do’? What are the specific needs of these people? Is there a way to make the product of your efforts more user-friendly?

Stop seeking perfection

: Wanting everything to be 100 percent is not an effective use of time. Rule of thumb is; it is better to get five things done 90 percent well than two done 100 percent. However, not needing to do 100 percent shouldn’t be an excuse to do mediocre work.

Avoid ‘incompletion’: Sometimes we don’t complete things because we are not sure of the way forward. Something else may be more pressing or we just don’t feel we have the energy to deal with that difficult next phase. Do your best not to leave things hanging. If it’s important, make the time to complete it. If it’s no longer irrelevant, shut it down.

Now take action: If you had 10 hours a day (not 24) what would you prioritise?