Are You Productive or Just Busy?

How To Increase Your Personal Productivity

Many ideas, options and choices can get you easily overwhelmed and distracted. Instead of getting things done, you start one thing, then another unable to bring your task towards the finish line. This might leave you feeling stressed and unsatisfied, which again has a massive impact on your energy level. Let’s look at a strategy to reduce stress and increase your productivity and satisfaction.

Strategic Personal Planning

Strategically planning your day, month or year will help you to get things done. Strategic planning is key to your success. It helps you to reduce pressure to get things done. It helps you to sort out your ideas, get organized and restructure your task.

The One Minute Rule

Every minute you spend on planning your activities will save about 10 minutes of time.

You might have experienced times when your workflow is so good that you get things done in an hour, whereas you often need four or more hours for the same staff, right? That’s when you focus on your tasks and activities.

Where Focus Goes -Energy Flows

Losing your focus will cost you energy, as you always must get yourself back to find your focus, your energy will rise and follow.

Planning your activities and goals will help you to focus. Whether you set up a plan for next year, next month or the upcoming week. Planning is the key to reach your goals. There are different kind of plans or planning around.

The Master Plan

First develop a master plan – the big picture – so you know what to target and aim on. The master plan is the foundation of your planning system. Write down anything which comes to your mind, and you want to achieve or get done. Don’t trust your memory, you might thing you’d remember, but often you might be so busy that you completely forget important tasks and things you wanted to get done.

Consistency Is Key - Plan Regularly

The key to success is consistency. Consistent planning will help you to reach your goals.

Find a consistent and steady rhythm of planning. For example, at the end of every month block two hours to plan out your next month. Having planned out your month, plan your weeks. Again, save a timeslot and save for example a one-hour timeslot at the end of each week to plan out next week. One important point, I would like to point out is: stick to your own timeslot, even if you have time to extend it.

The Planning Framework

Plan every project, meeting, and goal in before you start. Personally, I am a fan of planning within a frame details, not planning out every detail. As I often work in agile projects, I prefer framework when planning sometimes feel that too detailed planning, for example for a meeting, kills spontaneity of a brilliant solution to the meeting purpose. Talking about meetings: a good agenda is key, so the invited colleagues can also prepare for the meeting as well. That ensures results and focus.

 It’s not about controlling everything; it’s about having your task under control. That is a difference.

Time Boxing

One more point: Time boxing is everything. For meetings, planning periods, master plans etc. That will help you to stay focused.

You might notice that especially at the beginning you are unable to stay within the set timeframe. Stick to it and you will get better. I promise!

Please leave a comment at let me know your thoughts and achievement!