We live in a world where time is power. You hear people saying things like, “I wish there was more time,” or “I wish I had more hours in the day” when what you really need is to be more productive with your time. Here, I’ll explain.
Over the next three days (starting today) we’ll talk about the five crucial elements of productivity, how to organize your office workspace for optimal time management, and the twelve key tips to getting more things done.
But first, let’s talk productivity.
What is Productivity?
What does it mean to be productive? Is it just another term workaholics use to get the most tasks done as possible, without caring whether they’ll reach their optimal potential once those tasks are completed?
Or is it something more?
Well girlfriend, I’m going to open your eyes to a whole new possibility. It will change the way you think. It will change the way you work. It will even change the way you act.
But, most importantly, it will completely turn your entrepreneurial life around.
Because productivity is so much more than just working late nights and filling your workday with tons of projects to keep you busy. It’s about doing quality work. Getting work done that will phenomenally improve your performance and help you rise to the top.
It’s about completing the tasks that will make a difference and dumping all the rest.
Productivity can dramatically increase results (and income), if only you let it. But how do you unleash it? How can you make productivity do your bidding?
The Five Crucial Elements of Productivity
There are certain factors in your everyday routine that affect how productive you are at a given time – and, if you can harness all five elements, time is yours for the taking.
- Energy: Girl, you need energy. Without it, you risk falling asleep at your keyboard. Energy is that wide awake feeling you get after running a marathon. Sure, your body might feel tired, but after running all that way, your mind will be alert – ready to take whatever comes your way. You often feel energized after a nice long shower or taking a dip in the pool. And, if you must, energy is that feeling you get right after a pot of coffee burns down your throat. Energy is the key to productivity. In order to unleash it, you need energy.
- Motivation: Just like energy, motivation is required if you ever hope to get any work done in a decent amount of time. While you always can force your way through tasks – you won’t like it. And what’s the point of doing something you have no interest in doing? That’s right – there isn’t one.
- Focus: You’ll need to be 100% focused on your work in order to make the most of your time. When it comes to focus, distractions are evil. They’ll try to prevent you from doing what needs to get done. So, whenever you start work, turn off your cell phone, have any Web browsers closed (if possible) to prevent accidental Web surfing, and remove objects in your workspace that are prime distraction fuel.
- Experience: Sometimes, your inexperience with a certain task will hamper productivity – since you aren’t adept at that particular activity. Don’t let that stop you though! The more practice you have, the more skilled you become and the faster you’re able to complete similar future tasks.
- Habit: Time is not created equal. Some hours will be more productive than others. When you’re the most productive, you’re at your productive peak, and you’re able to do twice as much work than usual because all the productivity elements will be working in your favor.
However, knowing the crucial elements that unleash your productivity isn’t enough. In the next article in this series will cover how to put these very elements to use by optimizing your workspace.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Great tips and advice Christina. I think everyone running a business wants to be more productive and accomplish more with their time. I agree with your 5 elements of productivity, especially number 4 – experience.
When you’re inexperienced you will waste your time doing things that won’t really make an impact in helping you succeed. Once you become more experienced you know what tasks are more important and need more of your time. Thanks for sharing Christina I learned a lot.
Thanks John! I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
Experience can make a huge difference in how productive you are when completing a certain task. However, in order to get experienced in something, you’ll need to first take the time to practice. While obtaining the experience may take longer than you’d like, the end results are amazing if you give it enough time.
You can also outsource, though I think it’s still good to know what you’re doing before you start asking others to do the work for you.
Christina
#4 is a really important point. Dealing with inexperience can hamper productivity in a lot of ways.
This is an area that DIYers struggle with constantly. Should you try and manage your own website if you have no idea what you’re doing, to save a couple hundred bucks? Not necessarily. If that “project” turns into a four month thing in which the site is basically unusable, it’s ended up costing much more than was saved.
Outsourcing what we can’t do for ourselves is a major contributor to productivity, I think!
Cheers,
Tia
Hey Tia,
You make a good point! Outsourcing can prove useful if you want to save time to work on other tasks. And it’s definitely worth the price if you can get a lot more done in the time allotted.
However, I also believe that you should always try to attempt the task initially to get a feel of what needs to be done before outsourcing. That way, you know a job well done when you see it, and you can help your VA if he/she ever runs into any trouble along the way.
Christina
Your five points are right on Christina!
I especially like your point about experience. Sometimes I find people that I work with avoid doing things because there is a learning curve involved, or they don’t feel experienced enough. In inevitably this leads to procrastination and lags on productivity.
The paradox is the only way to be the learning curve and get faster at a task is by DOING it!
I’d also like to add that it’s important to work at your own rhythm. You know, if you rock it in the am then charge in the morning, if your a night owl then party all night long (working of course). Embracing your bodies natural energy cycles helps a lot too!
Thanks Marlee!
I must admit – Sometimes I do the very same thing. But in the end, I strongly believe that without overcoming that initial fear of doing something new and learning along the way, there can be no growth.
As for working at your own rhythm, I 100% agree. If you find that you’re most productive in the mornings, then, by all means, work in the mornings. If working nights is your thing, no one is stopping you! You should do what you’re comfortable with, for only then will you reach your full productivity potential.
Glad you liked the post!
Christina
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