As I was checking new articles in Leofinance and POB earlier, I've come across this article of @tarazkp: @tarazkp/the-long-and-the-short-straw which really inspired me on writing this one I am offering to you now and thanking you forward for reading it.
There’s a difference between being busy and being productive. I’ve had days where I’ve spent 12+ hours in front of my computer and running around doing all sorts of things that seemed important at the time, but at the end of the day...
I was nowhere closer to my goals.
In part, it was procrastination. I sorted all my emails (yay inbox zero!), I went through the apps on my smartphone, deleting the ones I didn’t use, I sat in on a few zoom meetings, and I even managed to find the time to go grocery shopping.
Very busy day.
But… not very productive at all. Because none of these activities moved the needle, so to speak. My email list didn’t grow, I didn’t reach out to possible partners, I didn’t do activities that would improve my conversions, and I didn’t work on any products or services.
So even though I got a lot more done, I wasn’t really productive.
As a result, at the end of the day, I didn't just feel tired, but - and this is worse - I felt like a failure because I knew that my business wasn’t growing and that I was spending time on the wrong things all day long.
Of course, sometimes life just happens. There’s nothing you can do about it. Someone close to you might need help. Someone in the family may fall ill. The internet might be out all day. Things happen.
So what do you do if you really want to be productive?
I’m not going to give you the standard “just pick 2-3 things that will really move the needle and then do these first before anything else in the day”.
Yes, that’s a part of it… however, that’s just a piece of the puzzle.
What I recommend is you first find out during which hours of the day you’re most focused. For me it’s NOT the morning - 5 am clubs be darned. I’m at my best starting around 1 pm till about 7 pm, and it’s best to squeeze the real focused deep work from 1 pm to 4 pm.
Once I know that I can plan my day.
I know that, let’s say, from 9 am till noon I can be present, but not focused. So that’s when I do all the little tasks that are somewhat irritating.
A quick lunch, and at 1 pm all notifications are turned off and I dive deep on the 2-3 things that I know will move the needle. I know those beforehand because I've written them on a little piece of paper that I have in front of me.
At about 4 pm I'm done with the important stuff… and I can then focus on whatever else I feel like. Or nothing at all.
This way, I achieve a lot more… and because I've not scheduled time for the important things but also for the mundane, very little falls through the cracks.
This is what most people do when they witness the power of this approach. They overcommit. They take on more because they think they can do more using this method. Don’t do that… not at the beginning at least.
One day, I’ll talk more about this. Even offer some simple techniques for time management.
I hope you're having a productive… and not just a busy day!
With respect,
@regenerette