We all have bad days when we have a lot of work but don’t feel very productive. Sometimes it still feels like there is a lot of work, but you don’t know what to start with. And other times, you become an octopus and feel like you are doing a lot of work but there is not much output.
So let me share with you some ways in which I organise my day and increase my productivity so that you can also deliver your best every day.
First, let me tell you some of the reasons why you aren’t as productive as you want to be. Ask yourself these questions. Let’s see if you can get an answer and find out whether you are really busy:
- Are you overworking?
- How organized are you?
- Do you know what you are trying to do?
- Who do you have to work with?
- Is there dependency to finish your tasks?
- How efficient are you?
When you try to answer the above, you will definitely feel guilty about how your day is going and you will feel that you are not actually that busy and have more time and potential than you thought. So let’s go through 9 techniques that will help you improve your organizing skills and become more productive.
- Plan your day ahead
It’s important that you plan your whole day and know what you are doing that day. At Least 60% of your day has to be preplanned to make it more productive. Have a specific SMART goal for the day and avoid last-minute work which will disrupt your day. It’s important to know your task dependencies as this could lead to delays in execution. So plan accordingly. Last but not the least, learn how to say No, when someone approaches you for non-priority tasks.
- Use Your Calendar
I just want to say thanks to Google Calendar because… well, it just made my day. Literally! Schedule a day in advance or before the day begins. It’s a good practice to follow and also add people in advance to the task where they have been informed and dependency has been created. Let them know before adding them. Yes, it’s important that they too plan as per the schedule so that the whole team is productive.
- Let’s Not Squeeze In
We all hate it when people come to us at the last minute and ask to reschedule a task that was planned. That is why it is important to know your priorities and act accordingly. People can wait — the world is not ending today. So don’t try to squeeze in every request that is made to you. Don’t try to be helpful all the time. Make sure you don’t let anyone and everyone disrupt the work that you have planned.
- Stick To The Planned Time
This is important. Finish your meetings on schedule and avoid going off-topic. Come into the meeting with a clear agenda and don’t talk too much about things that are not relevant. Respect the other person’s time as well. Close the meeting with actionable steps that people can take so that the meeting itself is effective.
- Keep Enough Gaps And Break On Schedules
You need to take breaks because when you get tired, your brain doesn’t work as well. Chit chat with the people, get up and go for a walk. Go for a cup of chai, help someone else if possible. This will make your day more productive, happy, efficient and energetic.
- Prioritize Your Work
Everyone feels like their work should be on top of your list. Everything is important and everyone needs it right now. But how to get rid of this ‘RIGHT NOW’ problem? Here are some questions to help you prioritize your day-to-day tasks.
- How important is it?
- What is the effect of delivering it now and later?
- What are its implications and effects?
- Where to place the task in your to-do list?
- How long does it take to finish the task?
After analysing each task you need to give it a priority number. Everything is important, and so is your task. Have open communication with the person about where you are placing the task in your priority list and when you are delivering it.
- Use Good Old Pen & Paper
Sometimes it is very confusing where to start and what to start with. There are a lot of tasks on the sheet and you don’t know where to begin. It happens to all of us. Give your brain space to do something more productive than just remembering the list of tasks. Don’t think too much about the task, rather, put it down on paper. Trust me, it helps. You strike it off when it is done. It gives an enormous amount of satisfaction. This helps you get clarity on what to do and whether you are doing it right.
- Simplify/Automate Repetitive Tasks
I will tell you the truth about most of the work we do. More than 40% of it is repetitive, depending on your job role. We do the same thing, repeat the same pattern and we deliver the same output. We should find a smarter way to do it in a shorter period of time, where you don’t need to use your brain or give less importance to finish your tasks. Do it once, and make it simple the next time — look for tools that help you automate and create checklists to avoid repetitive mistakes. This will definitely reduce the time taken to do mundane tasks and you will be much more productive.
- Document Everything
This is the time for us to create documentation or a repository of the work or the process that we already found. Research to find answers, not to search for things that you already know. Create checklists and keep it very accessible whenever you need it. Make it a process and follow it the next time. Find opportunities to delegate the work to your teammates.
I hope these 9 points are going to make your life easier in terms of managing your tasks efficiently. Stop complaining that you’re busy and start putting these golden rules in practice. If you have any further confusion or you need some help managing your time or planning your work, or you need to train your team to become much more efficient, we can definitely help you out. Contact us on +91 99864 60086 or mail us at [email protected] and schedule a FREE audit and consultation of your/ your time management skills.