If you could focus on just 1 thing, learn how to be more productive.

Back in my sales days, we needed a hook to get people to buy the telecom solution that we were selling. We had to offer them something that was really going to impact their business. Well, the smart people in that space, came up with not one, but THREE BIG IDEAS. Save you money. Increase efficiency. Improve Productivity. It’s that last one that we’re going to focus some time on.

Mostly because I recently came out with a new training program that I know will do a LOT of good for people. One of those “goods” is improve their productivity.

Wanna just watch some of these ideas instead of reading them? You can do that right here:

PRODUCTIVITY FOR TEAMS

Know what the goal is

When it comes to getting anything done, especially across a team effort, you have to be super clear on the expectation. What are you trying to accomplish? What does it look like once completed? Who is involved and at what phase? When is it expected?

Why does hitting that goal matter

All of the above is important, but until you give your team a WHY that they can rally behind…they might not rally. Here’s the thing, it’s 2023. “Because we pay you” might work on some employees who are leftovers from another time. It will not work for the people you want to build your future around.

Do the people who can help you know that WHY?

Yes it’s important to have a clear and compelling WHY. It’s even more important to assure that everyone on the team is aware of it. We can’t create these big ideas and then keep them in a vacuum. Share it loud and proud.

Align Your Team Based on Strengths

Instead of having people perform the multitude of tasks they’re responsible for every day…look at your team as a single functioning organism whose goal is to complete the project. Then have them pick the parts of the project to complete that best align to their strengths. The project will get done more efficiently with a better experience for all. PS: You may recognize you’re missing a key contributor to your team.

Do/Delegate/Defer

This is one of the best productivity lessons there is: Figure out what you’re good at and enjoy doing. Do those things. Figure out what needs to be done and someone else is good at. Delegate to them. Figure out what is lower on the priority list and defer that until another time.

Inform Your Accountability Partners

In order to inform them, you have to have them. Accountability partners are a great way to get more done. You tell them what’s up and they hold you to it. No sense in making big plans in private. Who would hold you to their completion? You don’t have to tell everybody, just the folks who matter.

Socialize the Idea of Saying NO

You really want to be more productive? Then you’re going to have to focus on the things that REALLY matter. Which means you’re going to have to practice saying NO to things that don’t. Get people used to this change from you. Especially if you’ve always been the one they “can count on”.

Then, Say NO More

This should be obvious, but on the off change it’s not…you actually have to say NO more now too. Once you start, you’ll get a real taste for it. Especially when it’s that person you don’t really like anyway 😉

Get Feedback from Colleagues on How They Do It

Ever done a thing repeatedly then watched someone else do it? Which one of you did it better, smoother or more efficiently? Now imagine if there were five or six people doing the same thing…but differently. May be worth a discussion to figure out “best practices”.

Implement a Quality Management System.

This is for next level productivity. When you’re ready, you could add a QMS. It’s going to help you stay organized and productive at a higher level. It will help you get clear on Policy, Procedures, Training, Documentation, Processes, People and More. If you need help here, my friends at BJ CAAS Advisors are experts.

INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTIVITY THAT WORK

All of what you read about is for people who work in a team environment. The stuff below will work for them and it works well for those of us not on a team. These items are essential for all of us.

Time Blocking

Call it whatever you want, deep work, focus time, get shit done…doesn’t matter. If you’re not blocking people’s access to your calendar to get your MOST important work done, you are missing out. Carve out 90-180 minutes at least three times a week that is just for you AND the work you must do!

Priority Management

I don’t love the idea of time management, because we really can’t manage time. You get 24 hours. And you get 24 hours. And you get 24 hours. How you prioritize the tasks you slide into those 24 hours could change your life. Work on the most important shit first. Get it done. Than move on to number two on the list.

Have Shorter Daily to-do Lists

This may sound counter-intuitive, but we often put every damn thing we can on our to-do list so it looks like we’re slicing through like a ninja warrior. Stop doing that. Use the lesson from priority management and put no more than six things on your list. Get in the habit of going six for six in your days.

Outsource to Professionals

You want to be super productive, super fast? Hire someone who’s already demonstrated mastery to come in and either:

A. Do the work

B. Teach your folks how to do the work.

In either scenario, you’ll get a wealth of info…fast.

Use Virtual Assistants

Having a quality VA, especially for the mundane day in/day out tasks you know you NEED to do, can be both a time saver, and an energy saver. Getting someone with whom you work well and can anticipate your needs is totally awesome. If you’re in the market, I’ve got a good friend who owns a company that does some great work.

Get Training from trybean

To quote Chandler Bing: “Could I be any more biased?” No. Of course I couldn’t. Fun fact: I absolutely amuse myself frequently. And sure seem to amuse others while training. So why wouldn’t you want to learn valuable life and business skills with me. You want to. Trust me. Check out the training page for more.

Watch Videos to Learn a Useful Skill

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to YouTube to figure out: how to fix the boat, a dryer, what’s wrong with the dishwasher, etc. etc. You can find darn near everything there. And this point really dovetails nicely into the next one…

Specialize

Get really really good at one thing. Then become the go-to person for that thing. It is so much easier and more efficient to solve one problem 100 times than 100 problems once. It’s easier for business development, marketing, sales, networking, hiring and for your team to figure out when to call on you. Keep getting better!

IN CONCLUSION

This is a decent sized list with quite a few different avenues to travel. Let me wrap it into a tight little ball by saying this:

If you want to be more productive, you have to decide to be more productive.

The word decision literally translates into: to cut off from. It’s kinda like the old “burn the boats” idea. If there isn’t a plan B, you’ll figure out how to implement one of these big ideas.

And if you want to AND can’t, contact me. I’d be more than happy to coach you through it.