subject: 6 Steps to a More Productive Day [print this page] 6 Steps to a More Productive Day 6 Steps to a More Productive Day
Ever feel like you have been at work all day and haven't gotten anything done? And have you wondered where all your time went? And why you have so little to show for at the end of the day? I know the feeling very well since this is something I struggle with constantly. Since I work on many self-directed projects and typically work out of my home, out of necessity, I have had to find ways to become more productive. The main steps in becoming more productive are getting focused and organized. One way to achieve this is to follow a simple six step plan that I devised. This method has helped me tremendously from wasting time and to produce tangible results at the end of the day. Here are the 6 Steps;
1. Set the Scene - To be effective you need the right scenario and that means No Distractions! Anything that can distract you away from your work, like TV, food, people or music needs to be removed from your office. Your workplace, wherever or whatever it may be, should be a type of sanctuary for you. It is your own place where you control the outcome of things and where work gets done. Make sure before you start working every morning that your workplace is free of distractions.
2. Review your planner or calendar - Checking your calendar first thing in the morning can remind you of your meetings and obligations for the day. Once you have an idea of how much time you will have to dedicate to work today, you can then begin preparing a to-do list (step 3). Also, if you don't keep a planner or calendar then you should strongly consider keeping one. There are many websites that offer these services for free.
3. Make a list of things to do today - Writing a list will force you to think about specific goals you want to accomplish. These should be things that you can realistically finish in a day or at least come close to finishing. Write down specific goals that you want to accomplish and be very specific. If you write down vague objectives like, 'work on term project' or 'write business proposal', you will find it difficult to start your tasks and even more difficult to produce some actual deliverables at the end of the day. Deliverables are completed tasks, or more simply something to show for at the end of the day. This list is the most important step of the day for me and I treat it like a contract with myself regarding what I promise to deliver by the end of the day. Of course this contract is on a 'best-efforts basis', but always treat it with respect. Finally your list should be somewhere that you can see it clearly, like a whiteboard, tack board or memo pad so that you can be reminded of your responsibilities throughout the day.
4. Check email and the internet at fixed intervals - Part of your job may involve distractions like attending to e-mails or checking the news. These types of things should be checked at regular intervals, like every three or four hours. You'd be amazed how much time is wasted by checking your email constantly. It is not just the time that you spend looking at email or the internet that is wasted, but it is also the time you need to get your mind back into whatever you were doing before you were distracted.
5. If you complete your list of things to do - This may happen a lot the first few times you do this since people tend to overestimate how long things will take. In fact it usually goes one of two ways; either people drastically overestimate how long things will take or they overestimate how much they can do in a day. Either way, their lists need revision. If it turns out that your list is too short then go back to step 3 and make a new list keeping in mind how much time is left in the day.
6. Review your accomplishments at the end of the day - After everything is said and done it is important to determine if you have actually delivered on the work you promised yourself to do. Examine what you did and did not accomplish and ask yourself if the quality of work is what you expected. Also, if there were things you didn't complete on your list, ask yourself why you didn't complete them and what you could do to improve tomorrow.
Now while this plan may be simple, following it religiously is not. It is going to take a commitment of time and effort to make this a part of your routine. Eventually, if you consistently follow the plan, these steps will become natural and you will become much more productive than you could ever imagine. The key is not to try to change your lifestyle in a day, but to make progressive changes daily.
There is a concept in Japan called 'Kaizen' which is the daily activity of enhancing your workplace (and life) through small progressive changes. Try to implement a form of Kaizen in your life through the steps outlined here and your productivity will increase dramatica
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