Reducing the number of times you shift between tasks has been scientifically linked to productivity or lack of productivity.
The less you “multi-task” or the more you focus on tasks through time blocking without interruptions the more effective you are at the things you are doing.
We can become slaves to notifications but the pitfall to this is less quality work and fewer things accomplished.
Create a rhythm that works for you that allows you to take care of the most important things that only you can do.
One thing I love teaching anyone I coach is the balance between qualitative tasks vs quantitative tasks. We often put off things that make everything fun including our own lives but this puts our health and mental health at risk.
It’s important to not necessarily find a balance but find a map to building schedules based on priority. I’ve seen entrepreneurs prioritize tasks that are emotionally driven from a place of fear or worry so they do it to get a quick dopamine hit so they feel better. Was it actually the right thing to do for the business?? That’s the question.
Here are my top 5 simple tips to get you started.
1. Block out time for you first thing in the morning. 1 hour. No internet. No social. No noise. Spend this time preparing your mind for the day.
Why do this? Our brains are like a computer and each morning we can reprogram them through cognitive training. How you set the first minutes of your day sets the tone for the rest of the day.
2. Don’t overstack the deck. Choose 5-7 highest and medium priority tasks that require your focus.
Why do this? If you’re overstacking the deck and over-tasking yourself, you will burn out. Take your time. Not everything is an emergency.
3. Create time restraints (Time Blocking). Schedule only up to 5 hours of your day. Leave the remaining 3-4+ hours as a buffer.
Why do this? Time blocking requires you to schedule blocks of time but by also limiting the number of hours you have, you set new standards to accomplish them but also leave time to handle things that come up which helps balance out your entire weekly agenda.
4. Work on the business, daily. Make sure 10%-15% of your time is spent adding value instead of putting out fires. Even if it’s 15 minutes or just a single task, do something that helps move the needle even a millimeter.
Why do this? This is doing two things. One is teaching you patience so you enjoy the journey. Why are you in a rush? Being in a rush creates more problems. Second is that it is building over time so you’re not in the same place many entrepreneurs find themselves hitting the proverbial ceiling of growth.
5. Perform an end-of-the-day review. Look back and see what you accomplished. Ask yourself how well you accomplished the task and what you could have done better to make it more efficient. Could you have outsourced it, did you do it because it needed to be done or you did it out of worry or fear, etc.
Why do this? How many times did get to the end of the day just feeling like you got nothing done? This urge to keep pushing without reflecting back leads us to further burnout and negative self-talk.
#productivity #quality #workethic #timeblocking #dialedin
