Simple - take back your life with intuitive and innovative productivity tools. It may mean trying techniques that at first feel awkward but reward you with strong results...For example, most people tend to be reactive vs. proactive: we allow our tasks to shape our agenda instead of evaluating the importance of a project in order to determine our focus.
Morgenstern offers an innovative solution: create a time map for your day. This is simply a personal productivity chart to "schedule" choices with your time and energy. If you have a daily or weekly routine task, choose a block of time to complete that task within. Also, schedule your most critical task in the morning - this is when your mind is freshest and can accelerate your performance. Making progress on your most important task is an enormous motivator and stress reliever. Plus, getting your top priorities accomplished first frees you up for all the interruptions and uninvited tasks or surprises that come your way.
When you are working within these blocks of time, do not allow interruptions and do not check your email...okay, resume breathing. Yes, you are not checking email for one complete hour -it is possible! But why do it? Blocking out time in your schedule allows you to be in control of both your tasks and your day. If you think about it, all email really is is a list of interruptions that suck time out of your schedule. Morgenstern is so adamant that she entitled her most recent book, Never Check Email First in the Morning.
Best of all, following a productivity schedule allows you to actually make time available for interruptions and gives you an excuse to turn down "requests" that aren't your responsibility: "I can work on that this afternoon for you. Right now, I am working on..." Using a time map ensures that you actually respond to all requests - either voice or email - by the end of the business day. The idea is not to schedule every single moment - simply carve out blocks of time for tasks that must be completed today.
Curious to see sample productivity schedules? Contact Allison Blankenship through MVP Seminars for ideas on ramping up your team's personal effectiveness and productivity.
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