Happy New Year!
I’m a firm believer in the magic of new beginnings. It’s been approximately 11 years since I was wrapping up a contract in the Greater Boston Area, getting ready for a temporary move to Oregon that would last for about 6 months.
The chaos, excitement, and the sheer challenge of relocating my life in under two weeks had me swiftly making decisions and compiling a laundry list of tasks.
As we step into 2024, I realize that many of you might be navigating personal life changes, venturing into new career territories, exploring side gigs, or setting ambitious business goals for growth.
I’ve got five suggestions to share with you. They’ll help you efficiently tackle your to-do list, accomplish more, and steer clear of burnout.
5 Productivity Tips
Entrepreneur Magazine recently highlighted two key findings:
1. Nearly 40% of U.S. adults have a side hustle, according to Bankrate.
2. Successful side-hustlers leverage passion, consistency, and authenticity.
When I came across this, what immediately caught my attention was the fact that many of you either know someone or are contemplating starting your own side gig.
Whether it’s diving into something new or making a significant change – like my move to Oregon within two weeks of accepting a contract job – we’re all bound by the same 24 hours a day.
Time constraints are a reality, and unfortunately, there’s no magic wand to either add more hours or slow it all down.
How do we navigate this challenge?
Consistency.
That’s what resonated with me the most.
Being consistent in our approaches to managing the never-ending to-do list and focusing on what truly matters to propel us forward.
So, here are some tips and suggestions on enhancing your productivity, with the key being to find an approach that works for you and sticking to it consistently.
Time Blocking
Block out time slots on your calendar and do not allow for other meetings/appointments to be booked in these time blocks.
You want to treat this as an important, once-in-a-lifetime meeting because you are important and your time is valuable.
A personal example: I only accept networking and coffee chats on my public calendar for specific days and times during those days.
Priority Matrix
There are many ways to accomplish this. You have four areas to assign to each task/project.
1. Urgent and High Priority
2. Non-Urgent and High Priority
3. Urgent and Low Priority
4. Non-Urgent and Low Priority
Projects that fall into the Urgent and High Priority category receive your focus first, while Non-Urgent and Low Priority tasks are placed at the bottom of the list.
Reflecting on my move 11 years ago, there were things that were very important and urgent—like finding a place to live—and others that weren’t.
The low priority items naturally fell to the end of the list, and I simply ignored them until later.
Pomodoro Technique
This is a new one for me and I love it. You break your day into 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks.
After 3-4 intervals, take a longer break.
The goal is to be laser focused on a specific item, then relax for a set amount of time – avoiding burnout and likely lost of concentration.
Task Automation
Utilize tools like Zapier or Calendly to automate activities, saving time and minimizing interruptions. For instance, Calendly streamlines appointment scheduling and sends reminders automatically. I personally use Calendly for client work meetings, networking meetings and my discovery calls.
Two Minute Rule
Tackle tasks that take two minutes or less immediately to prevent them from piling up. This strategy wards off procrastination on quick, manageable tasks.
Find a method or a mixture of methods that works best for you and be consistent with it. Try it for a few months and let me know how it works out.
Do you have ideas and hints on how you improve your own productivity?
I’ll love to hear your thoughts – send me a quick note and let me know.
