Being productive these days seems like a herculean effort. There are so many things that can take our attention off what we ought to be doing. This by no means reduces our deliverables by the way. This means that we have to fight to navigate managing our time and managing our focus.
Most employees are interrupted every 3 minutes and it takes 23 minutes to get back to focusing on what they were doing.
The internet in offices is used for so many things other than work. Facebook alone costs employers $28 billion every year.
How can we be productive beyond 2 hours 53 minutes__which has become the average productivity time for most employees? Well, we had a chat with our CEO and asked him how he manages to stay on top of things.
We have articulated them into 7 points of action. Take a look at these productivity tips.
“Pencil Things Down
The act of writing stuff down can have a very powerful effect. Writing things down with our hands can also supercharge our productivity.
I write down my tasks very early in the morning, it’s like a traditional to-do list and it still works for me, many years after I’ve started doing it.
A lot of the time, when I feel like the day is getting away from me, I just consult my list and get back on track.”
“Get Meetings Out of The Way Early
If I can, I prefer to schedule my meetings for the earliest work hours of the day. Meetings should guide activity, they shouldn’t become a heavy activity. We have so many communication channels available to us now. We can communicate without having to drop everything we’re doing to get into a meeting.
The earlier and shorter the meeting, the better for me”.
“Everything Must Have A Bigger Picture
As humans, we are guided by what we presume to represent the bigger picture. Our Goals, Our Philosophies, and Our Beliefs. Whether we’re aware or not, these are things that guide how much effort we put into our activities.
When you’re trying to build a career or get a degree, every task you undertake leads up to that ultimate goal. You’re more effective when you’re aware of how your current task fits into the bigger picture.
When Chinedu (MAX Co-founder) and I decided that we wanted MAX to build Africa’s mobility infrastructure, it wasn’t going to be inconsequential to say that. To date, it guides everything we do at MAX, it all fits into that vision”.
“Design Your Space
It also helps if your workspace is designed to facilitate productivity. If there are things I think I would need for what I’m working on, I keep them close by. This goes for both legacy and digital resources.
I also don’t like to get interrupted so I make a preemptive effort to minimize interruptions as much as possible. I don’t reply to messages during peak work hours that I could just as well reply to at the end of the day.
Prioritizing tasks also helps. I try as much as possible to take care of the most important or difficult tasks first, before moving on.”
“Get A Rhythm Going
It’s good to have a balance when you’re taking on tasks. You don’t want to burn out on uber long hours, but you don’t want to take too long a break that you lose your focus.
Balancing both is optimal. I’ve found that an hour or two of work followed by a 10 to 15-minute break works best for me. It has the perfect flow.”
“Collaborate When You Need to
Collaboration is a big thing for me. I like to get a separate perspective to drive things. It makes the ideas for whatever I’m working on fresh. I’ve also found that when various people bring in their expertise on a project, that project is richer for it.”
“Sleep Optimally
Getting the right amount of sleep is important for anybody. Parts of our brain are able to regenerate during sleep so you don’t want to take sleep for granted. That being said, I don’t believe in having too much sleep.
I try to calibrate my sleep hours by sleeping and waking up at the same time every day. Of course some days, I have to take care of things until very late, but I try to ensure I’m never more than an hour off.”
Conclusion
“In view of the week as a whole, I try to focus on my schedule on the weekend, preferably on Sunday. This way I get a clear picture of what my week looks like.
On Monday I focus on organization and devising, for myself and my teams. I want the work to be seamless, and if everyone is working with the same blueprint, we can work like a well-oiled machine.
Tuesday to Thursday is usually for business review activities and learning. I nudge and motivate everyone towards ideation at the tail end of the week. Friday I look at marketing activities and then on Saturday, I spend time with the family. It goes on like that into the next week.”
We hope you find some or all of these tips helpful. Finding the right balance between work and rest is key to being happy at work, and research has shown that happy workers are more productive. This way you can make the perfect cycle and be more fulfilled at work.
