Written by Monica C
Many people think that they need to do more to succeed in their careers and in life in general. This is not entirely true. Rather than just struggling to complete more tasks, it is more important to find ways to boost productivity. These days, technology has made it easier for people to be more productive in more ways than one.
Defining Productivity
In simple terms, productivity means getting results in the least amount of time and effort. It comes with being proficient and efficient in doing the things that you need to do. It can be applied to virtually everything that you do.
In the workplace, productivity can refer to your output per day – how many projects you are able to launch, the number of calls that you make, the number of products that roll out of your machine, etc.. The business owners, of course, would want to get the most out of each employee’s working hours.
Note that productivity is not about merely counting quantities. It also factors in the quality of your output. Your output should have a positive impact on the results that you are working for. It’s all about maximizing your resources (both tangible and intangible) in order to achieve your goals in the shortest possible time.
The Need for Productivity
Everyone only has 24 hours a day, but not everyone makes good use of the time that he has on his hands. The difference between those who are successful in life and those who struggle day to day is how they use time. Successful people focus on more productive tasks rather than waste their time doing meaningless activities.
When you are more productive, you are able to move towards your goals faster and with less effort. There is no guarantee that you will not encounter challenges along the way. Part of boosting your productivity is improving your capabilities, enhancing your efficiencies, and getting the right tools to prepare you to achieve your goals even with all the challenges. In Millennial terms, these are collectively referred to as ‘life hacks.’
Productivity in Business
The importance of productivity in business is obviously linked with profitability. The more products the factories churn out, or the more productive they are, the more the profits the business will rake in.
Research studies have shown that long working hours and stress are among the most common causes of low productivity. When employee or worker productivity is low, it also means less sales and lower profits for the company.
It makes sense for businesses to initiate training programs that help their employees integrate productivity systems into their daily routine. A highly productive workforce will result not only in financial gains, but also in better working relationships, timely completion of projects, and increased customer satisfaction.
Productivity systems to Add to Your Toolbox
Throughout the years, many successful people have shared their tricks and strategies to become more productive each day. Some do it within their own small exclusive circle, while some are more open to sharing their knowledge to everyone who wishes to learn from them. Among the most common productivity systems that are used in business include:
The Eisenhower Box
The Eisenhower Box – this is a system that was used by former US president Dwight Eisenhower. He was known to live a truly productive life. Experts studied his life from his early years to his years in the army right up to when he became a five-star general and a US president. His ways of managing his time and tasks were encapsulated in the Eisenhower Box or the Eisenhower Matrix productivity systems.
The Eisenhower Box is a simple decision-making tool that anyone can use and incorporate in his life at any time. It follows the former president’s strategy for organizing and doing his tasks. It involves listing and sorting tasks in bullets using four categories:
1. Urgent and Important – you need to do these tasks right away.
2. Important but Not Urgent – these tasks can be done at a later time.
3. Urgent but Not Important – you can ask someone else to do these tasks for you right away.
4. Neither Urgent nor Important – these tasks do not have to be done or do not have any effect on your results.
The Warren Buffett Strategy
The Warren Buffett Strategy – Warren Buffett is considered to be the most successful investor in the 20th century. His name has been on the list of the world’s wealthiest people every year. It is understandable how many people have taken a lot of interest in how he lives his life and how he spends his days.
Analysts have observed that Buffett manages his time better than anyone else around him. It follows too that everyone who works under him should practice the same productivity systems. This 3-step productivity strategy is used by Buffett’s staff to determine their priorities and consequently manage their actions to achieve their goals:
1. On a sheet of paper, write down your 25 career goals.
2. Review your list and choose the top 5 goals that you want to achieve.
3. Sort your goals into two lists: your top 5 goals (List A) and the 20 remaining goals (List B).
With this tool, you can focus all your attention and resources on List A. Tasks that have to do with achieving the goals on this list should be prioritized.
Avoid straying to your List B goals first so you won’t get distracted. You can move on to your List B when you’ve already succeeded with your List A goals.
The Warren Buffett productivity system is a brilliant tool to use to clear out the clutter, so to speak. By concentrating on and devoting all your resources to List A, you are more likely to achieve your goals sooner rather than later.
This strategy does not tell you to let go of your List B goals. You might feel that they are just as important to you as your List A. Don’t worry. You’ll get the chance to achieve them too once you are done with your List 5. You can actually go on and do the same steps to review your progress and refocus your list as you achieve your List 5 goals.
The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique – this time management life hack by Francisco Cirillio has grown in popularity since it was introduced in the 1980s. It’s taught in school and is practiced in all fields by people from all walks of life.
The Pomodoro productivity systems is meant to encourage people to work on their time rather than against it. Curiously, the name of this technique came from the tomato (Pomodoro in Italian)-shaped timer that Cirillio used to test his strategy.
In this technique, you break your workday into 25-minute intervals with five-minute breaks in between. The 25-minute intervals are your Pomodoros. Aim to finish a task in Pomodoro.
Use a tracker to be more efficient in this technique. Mark every Pomodoro that you finish with an “X.” Indicate intervals when you procrastinate too. This way, you are more aware of how you use your time. It will also be easier for you to see how much progress you’ve already made.
David Allen: Getting Things Done
David Allen’s Getting Things Done – this is a brilliant work-life management system that was devised by management coach and consultant David Allen. Here, he talked about how people can put their ideas to action by bringing them out of the mind and breaking them into workable tasks.
Allen’s GTD directs attention and resources towards acting on your ideas instead of trying to remember them. Instead of getting overwhelmed with all the ideas running through your head, this productivity system gives you focus and clarity. In the process, it makes you more confident in doing your tasks and achieving your goals.
In his book, Allen shares how you can reduce stress using exercises that get rid of what he terms as ‘open loops’ or ‘incompletes.’ This process of decluttering the mind enhances your focus on more important tasks and frees your mind of unnecessary distractions so you can move through the GTD five-stage workflow more efficiently.
Cal Newport: Deep Work
Cal Newport’s Deep Work – Cal Newport is another big name these days as he comes out with rules that can change everyone’s lives in what he calls a ‘distracted world.’ According to him, mastering the ability to focus tasks without getting distracted will help you achieve ‘extraordinary results.’
His Deep Work concept is meant to boost your productivity and make you more competitive in whatever field you belong to. In this productivity system, he teaches you to follow several rules to cultivate Deep Work. One of these rules is to remove distractions – specifically, social media.
People today spend more time than they should on social media. This translates to time away from the tasks that they need to finish. Productivity suffers even when they try to do their tasks while they are active and connected to social media.
You do not have to completely break away all social media connections or stop activities that are considered to be ‘distracting.’ You can implement Deep Work by dividing your time between deep pursuits and shallow pursuits. You can either allocate a number of hours (bimodal philosophy) or designate regular time periods (rhythmic philosophy) to cover both task ‘categories.’
Achieving Success with Life Hacks
The term ‘life hack’ is popular these days as a more ‘Millennial’ way of talking about practical productivity systems that allow you to do things better, with less resources, and in less time.
You do not always have to do things the same way or stick to the same old tried and tested practices in order to succeed. In fact, what’s common with the productivity systems above is how they shift your perspective and mindset from conventional beliefs.
The modern world is indeed a distracting and exciting world. You do not have to just go with the flow. You can decide to get the most out of life by managing your tasks and time efficiently using productivity systems.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share this article if you found it useful.