3 Ways to Improve Productivity

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3 Ways to Improve Productivity

What are YOU going to do today?

Most people show up at work and immediately they are inundated with work. E-mail in box has 20 to 200 new emails. Your mobile has 10 to 50 text messages for you to respond to. Your boss tells you about 2 meetings you must attend you did not know about. As soon as you respond to the messages on your phone and in your inbox, another equally daunting number come in requiring your IMMEDIATE attention. There goes your day!

What got done? Yes, the messages got replies, but that is not the question. What of substance got done?

Unfortunately, most people today would say, “Little gets done of what is important and VERY little of what I WANTED to do.” So my question for you, What are YOU going to do today?

Will you allow the day to take over or will you take control of your day?  Do you want your life back?

Here are 3 of my 30 Personal and Professional Productivity Principles:

1) Plan your day before it plans itself for you. Start in the wee hours of the morning with some quiet time and then focus on what you need to get done. Make a list of at least 3 things you MUST do to have a significant day and do them BEFORE you answer emails or text messages. Will you upset some people? Probably. Will YOU be more in control? DEFINITELY! This is also a great career move.

2) Resist the temptation to let emails and text messages set your daily priorities. Set specific times for responding to them and stick to those times. Surprisingly, by not responding as quickly and by controlling your time, responding to fewer inquiries, you will start to receive fewer emails and text messages. Obviously, respond to your clients (internal and external) but be sloth to respond to B and C priorities.

3) Block 90 minutes a day for your A1 project and insist you are UN-INTERRUPTED. I refer to this as the 90-Minute Marvel. It will boost your productivity 30%.

Now that you’ve read this, what are YOU going to DO today?

Let us know if you’d like the other 27 principles.

Smile Makers: Who’s the boss?

It doesn’t matter how many times a married man changes jobs. He still ends up with the same boss.

Good Lord willing, we’ll be married 10 years this year. Our arrangement is, I make all the major decisions and my wife makes all the minor ones. So far, in 10 years, there has not been a major decision to make yet.

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