What I noticed about myself over the past week was that I was being more “reactive” than “proactive” in my planning. The less intentional I was about using my calendar to really plan out my days I found myself busy but didn’t feel as productive. I caught myself feeling the importance of responding (reacting) to emails and different tasks that popped up sporadically to make sure team members felt taken care of. While my intention was in the right place, I think this lead me to just feeling all over the place. Not good… :(
While it might be tempting to answer a quick request from someone, this sense of being “always on” negatively affects productivity. Don’t get me wrong, there are urgent matters that you have to stop and take care of… BUT, we still need to honor specific times to work on certain tasks and projects where we are really focused and not distracted. So, if you are feeling like you wish you had a more productive week, take a look at how you spent your time this week and start blocking out times to power through important tasks.
For managers or leaders, your team may not know how to do this. It might be beneficial for you to sit with them and help plan out a day or the week. It is the responsibility of the leader to help foster an environment of productivity and successful team members. One idea - sit with them and help block out this time for them. Guide them to start building a successful routine. Trello is a really good tool for tracking and planning as well. However, you may prefer to use a calendar to help sort through what you are focusing on for that specific day. I prefer to use both and they do a good job at holding me accountable.
Feel like you could benefit more from one on one help? Simply fill out the form on the coaching tab. I’d love to work with you in how to be more successful and productive in your personal or professional life.