Dana Rousmaniere
April 7, 2015
Does it seem like you don t have enough hours in the day to get through
everything you need to do? With so many competing demands on our time, we can
all benefit from learning to ramp up our own personal productivity. HBR
recently ran a series called Getting More Work Done. Below is a summary of the
advice and best practices our experts contributed to the series:
First, there s no one-size-fits-all approach, so start by figuring out your own
personal productivity style. Try this assessment to figure out how to align
your work strategies with your cognitive style. You may or may not already be
doing this subconsciously, but it s helpful to think through: Are you a
planner? An arranger? A visualizer?
Next, get organized. You can t get work done if your life is in disarray. Start
with your immediate environment your desk. Research shows that a messy
workspace can undermine your persistence, making you less efficient, more
frustrated and more weary. Then, get your schedule and calendar organized. We
all have a slew of business, home, family, and personal issues screaming for
our attention but they re not all equally important. Consider laying all of
your competing priorities out using a kanban board to help you decide which to
focus on when. Having a constant visual reminder of your priorities and tasks
will help you keep things moving in the right direction and perhaps more
importantly, will help you literally see when something s getting stuck.
If you work independently or in a remote or virtual environment, it s even more
important to keep yourself on task. Here s a list of things to buy, download or
do to make sure you have the right infrastructure in place to be at your most
productive. And if you re a manager who s been reluctant to let people work
from home because you fear that it will reduce their productivity, consider
that research shows that high performers can be even more productive at home
than in the office.
Once you ve got your environment and priorities in order, start thinking about
how you re managing your time. First and foremost, take ownership of your time.
Set clear rules and boundaries so you don t end up taking on too much from
others. For example, have your project list on hand when you go to meetings so
that if a new project is proposed, you can evaluate its importance in relation
to your other commitments and propose a discussion about priorities if there
doesn t seem to be enough time to tackle everything. Or if you manage staff
members who tend to turn in work at the last minute with way too many errors,
insist on earlier deadlines. That will allow you to send work back to them to
make corrections instead of doing them yourself just because you re on a tight
deadline.
Next, practice saying this all-important word: No. There are plenty of ways
to push back without alienating people. Be selective about which meetings and
events you attend, which projects and tasks you take on and even which
clients you work with. (While you may be loath to turn away business, recognize
that there are times when it just makes good sense to fire a problematic
client.)
Make the most of your precious time. Consider that even some of the most
prestigious networking events can be a complete waste of time. And there s a
lot that you can accomplish in the 30-minute gaps between meetings (finish that
expense report, or outline your next presentation, for example), and during
your commute (make hands-free phone calls, or listen to audio books or podcasts
related to your work).
Finally, realize that you re not going to be at your best every hour of the
day, so try to schedule your most important work to align with periods of peak
energy. Research shows that people are most alert within an hour or so of noon
and 6pm. Schedule your least important tasks for when you re less alert very
early in the morning, around 3pm, and late at night. And make sure you re
getting plenty of sleep and taking naps when needed to keep your energy
levels up.
Some experts recommend focusing on one thing at a time rather than
multitasking, which can leave too many things incomplete giving you, and
others, the feeling that you re not making any progress at all. Just think
about how good it feels to cross something off of your to-do list and move on.
To maintain focus, you also need to learn to regulate your emotions. Research
shows that meditating for just a few minutes a day, spending just one hour a
week in nature, or jotting down a few reflective notes in the evening can have
a noticeable impact on your well-being and your attention. Conversely, don t
underestimate the impact of attention leaks on your ability to concentrate
every device that beeps, blinks, or thrusts red numbers in your face is
designed to capture your attention and create a sense of urgency. But how often
are any of these interruptions truly urgent? Almost never. When you re trying
to get stuff done, turn them off. And to really increase the odds of achieving
your goals, set them with your spouse or partner. Research shows that it s
easier to cross the finish line when we re not trying to go it alone.
Even with the best-laid plans, there will be plenty of times when you re simply
lacking the motivation or energy to power through your work. For times like
this, you can try to trick yourself into doing the tasks you dread. Set up a
compelling rewards system. For example, schedule a lunch date with a friend to
motivate yourself to get that report done by noon. Save mindless tasks to
complete while watching your favorite TV show at home. Treat yourself to
concert tickets or a massage after hitting a major milestone. No matter what
you choose, you ll know the rewards are working when your to-do list no longer
includes tasks you ve been avoiding for weeks.
Don t berate yourself if you re having trouble getting or staying motivated.
Research shows that the way you speak to yourself matters and if you do it in
the second or third person, it can help even more. Saying something as simple
as You can do it or You ve got this can help you mentally adopt a fly on
the wall perspective on your problems, psyching you up for some surprisingly
good results.
As a manager, it s not enough to keep yourself on task. You also have to keep
your team productive. Remember that your employees are as easily distracted as
you are but you re setting the tone and providing the cues that collectively
shape people s views of what s important. It s up to you to create a climate in
which everyone can be and do their best.
And while it may seem counterintuitive, consider that to be more productive at
work sometimes means stepping away from the office. You can often get more done
by focusing less on work, and committing to less. So by all means, take a
break, regroup, and come back with renewed energy and focus. You ll create a
virtuous cycle where you re more productive at work so you ll also be able to
carve out more time for what really matters your life.
Dana Rousmaniere is managing editor of HBR s Insight Centers. Follow her on
Twitter @danarousmaniere.