Let's Get More Productive

Would you like to start being more productive? Want to stop wasting precious time and move your projects forward to completion. This article will focus on how to be more productive from here on in. 

The key to becoming more productive with your time is to concentrate your efforts on the task at hand. So how do you begin to concentrate your efforts? The key is to eliminate distractions. 

Distractions come from two sources. The first source is outside things, such as phone calls, emails, interruptions from other people, and so on. Pick a time when you feel at your peak, and sequester yourself, for a period of time each day to give yourself a real boost in productivity. For me personally, it has to be first thing in the morning before any interruptions start to come in however not everything enjoys getting up at 5 AM to do so. Develop your own time and methods to "hide" from the outside world for a set period each day and you will see your output grow. 

The second source of distraction comes from within. Unfortunately, this is the hardest source of distractions to control. It is hard to shut yourself off from yourself. The key culprit for us is multitasking. This used to drive my wife mad. Rather than just start and finish one job around the house, I'd be working on several at one time and more often than not, seldom actually get anything ticked off. Needless to say, many studies have proven that multitasking reduces productivity rather than increases it. Our minds can only hold one thought at a time, and switching tasks caused us to lose focus and momentum. It forces our mind to play catch up over and over again. 

To become more productive, you must master the art of focusing on one thing at a time and give it your best effort and attention until it is done. If boredom sets in while you are working on a task, give yourself a short break and remind yourself of what the ultimate objective is for what you are working on and what the payoff is to you. 

You need to make sure the task you pick to concentrate on is in fact your highest priority item. Many of us fall into the trap of staying busy versus staying productive. One task may clear mountains of paperwork off your desk or you might be better served by moving just one piece of high priority/high payback paper. I know I refer to it all the time but use the 80/20 rule to help find the true gems in your inbox. The 80/20 rule says that 80% of the gains you receive will come from 20% of your efforts. Find out what that 20% of high payoff projects are and make sure you concentrate on accomplishing them first.