Improving productivity means you work fewer hours and accomplish more work. But productivity is not necessarily just checking items off your list. It begins with the right approach, not just to what you need to accomplish, but to your entire day. Great leaders have in common a practical approach to making progress on their important items each day. Step down one or more of these eight paths to greater productivity:

Create an agenda for the day. You plan your meetings and your projects. Don’t forget to have a plan for your day. Choose a time—end of the previous workday, the night before, or first thing in the morning—and create an agenda for the workday. What do you plan to work on and when? When will you communicate? When will you take a break? What do you need to accomplish specifically before the end of business?

Half your to-do list. That agenda you just made? Cut it in half. Seriously. Many leaders feel constantly overloaded because they are burdened with more than they can possibly accomplish. Create a manageable to-do list that you can actually get done. Afraid it’s too short? You can always add an item at the end if you have time. Or, simply celebrate by quitting early.

Handle the biggest rock before lunch. Sometimes leaders spend so much time on the smaller things that no big task ever gets the attention it needs. Research shows that people who execute on their most difficult tasks first are generally more productive and high-achieving than those who begin with the easy stuff and work their way up.[1] Remember, too, those big tasks deserve your best and first effort because they’re harder to defer, delegate or avoid. 

Rest your mind regularly. Rest is vital for better mental health, increased concentration and memory, a healthier immune system, reduced stress, improved mood and even a better metabolism.[2] Rest is difficult for those who value productivity as they tend to prioritize everything else before it. But regular rest will improve productivity. So build breaks into your day. Don’t skip lunch. Use your smart watch or other device to alert you each hour to take a few minutes to close your eyes and breathe. Don’t forget to get up a number of times each day to stretch your legs. 

Understand the 80/20 rule. This is called the Pareto Principle, which states that 20% of the effort you put in each day produces 80% of your total result.[3] What is a part of your workday that doesn’t positively impact your productivity? Most of what you do doesn’t lead you to your goal. Consider that the Pareto Principle appears throughout work and life. The top 20% of your clients make up 80% of your sales. The top 20% of your investors own 80% of the company’s assets—and so on. If you study each area of business you’ll find the 80/20 ratio over and over. And the best 20% of your workday will yield 80% of the result.  

Hone your communication skills. Let your mode of communication indicate the urgency—email for most items, phone for clarity, text for urgency. Consider consolidating your emails into one specific time of the day versus every time the inbox dings. Avoid the temptation to immediately reply to every request you receive. And don’t “reply all” if you’re simply keeping people in the conversation who don’t need to be here—remember that for many of those emails you receive, you don’t need to be included either. If the email chain is more than two or three replies, then it really needs to be a phone call. 

Put down the phone. Your smartphone is killing your productivity. Texts, phone calls, emails, videos and social media—not to mention all those apps and games—make your handheld device a giant distraction. All those notifications on the phone prompt you to check it frequently. According to 2021 data, the average person checks their phone 344 times per day—about once every four minutes![4] Use your agenda to schedule times for communication. And let your smartphone be a short-time reward for checking something off your productivity list. 

Focus, don’t multitask. Leaders can pride themselves on working on more than one thing at a time. But multitasking is actually a time waster. It divides your attention and lessens your performance on any one task. Multitasking is also associated with increased depression and anxiety.[5] Instead, focus on just one thing at a time. Give it your full attention until complete, then move on to the next thing. When distractions come, put them aside until you complete that which has your current focus. 

[1] https://theproductiveengineer.net/hardest-or-easiest-work-first-what-the-research-shows/

[2] https://integrisok.com/resources/on-your-health/2021/april/why-its-important-to-allow-yourself-to-rest

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2013/08/14/9-habits-of-productive-people/

[4] https://www.reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction/

[5] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201606/10-real-risks-multitasking-mind-and-body

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