50 tips to power up your

PRODUCTIVITY

Creating exceptional results through people.

The Power of Productivity

Produced by Leadership Management Australasia

These 50 Tips to Power up Your Productivity have been sourced from over 45 years of LMA teachings, development and research.

INTRODUCTIONIncreased productivity is at the heart of what drives all development and increases in performance and profitability. A combination of intelligent planning and focused efforts, productivity is something that can be continuously improved.

Being more productive means you can get more out of each and every day. It means you can do more in less time and with less resources. It means you can become the most efficient and productive version of yourself so you can achieve things you once considered to be in the too hard basket. It’s about changing habits, attitudes and patterns. In sum - it’s not easy!

Harnessing the power of productivity can drastically change the way you feel in your job, in your home life and in your own development. We all want to feel more productive and in control of our personal and professional lives. The question at the heart of this desire is ‘how do I become more productive?’

Throughout this eBook you will find insights on how to become more productive by focusing on three key areas: Time, Energy and Attention. The following pages will take you through some of the key teachings of LMA gathered from over 45 years of experience and development in our research and teachings.

Read through the Time tips to reduce the time you spend on low priority tasks. Check out the Energy section to find tips on how to give yourself an extra boost through those harder days. Finally, the Attention section will give you some hints on how to focus better and achieve highly where you need to.

We hope that you find value in the insights and information throughout this eBook, if you have any questions or require any further information then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,

Grant SextonFounder & Executive ChairmanLeadership Management Australia / Leadership Management Australasia

www.lma.bizinfo@lma.bizTel (Aust) +61 3 9822 1301 or 1800 333 270Tel (NZ) 0800 333 270

Produced by Leadership Management Australasia

50 Tips to Power Up Your Productivity

2. Run your day as a consistent routine

1. Check emails in the afternoon

Protect the peak energy hours of your morning for your most productive work.

Get used to working to a particular routine in your daily working life if possible. For example, have your meetings set for the afternoon and aim to schedule high pay off activities in the morning.

3.Engage in SMART

goal setting Use SMART thinking to

find a way to reconsider your next goal

in a way that is specific, measurable, attainable,

realistic and tangible.

TIME

4.Learn how

to say ’no’ to some requests

The desire to be liked by everyone can be counter-productive to productivity

when there are many things on the go. Being able to politely decline to be involved

with a task is a skill well worth learning.

5.Outsource where possible

Where appropriate, outsourcing can help increase the efficiency of your own working schedule by allowing you to primarily focus on your high pay off activities.

TIME

6.Master the art of delegation Effectively delegating to staff and co-workers is beneficial to your workload and to those being delegated to. You’ll have more time to focus on more difficult tasks, and the person you delegated the task to will feel more trusted and valued.

7.Use your commute time more effectively

Try your hand at learning a language, catch up on reading or listen to an informative podcast.

The more you feel you’ve done for yourself before you get to work, the more you will be able to concentrate

on the tasks at hand for the day.

8. Work from a written plan based on your priorities and HPAsOnce you have determined your high pay off activities, schedule your days and your week based on priorities for the short and long term. Effective prior planning will allow you to be in control and have a higher percentage of your time proactively allocated.

9.Use a Discussion PlannerAccumulate items for discussion with people

in your workplace. Group several contacts and interruptions together so that one time period is

devoted exclusively to communication matters and disruptions are minimised.

10.Write tomorrow’s to-do list tonight

Have a visual of today’s completed to-do list in front of you. Mark what you haven’t done and make it an

imperative task for tomorrow. You’ll be more aware of what needs doing for the next day if you aim to follow this

daily process.

11. Make appointments with yourselfMake friends with Google Calendar or similar timesharing calendar software – use it to block out time that you need to work on material.

12.Do the things you

fear or are dreading first

The sense of accomplishment will keep you going

for the rest of the day and will help you complete your

remaining work.

TIME

13.Know in advance what you need to produce

Seek clarification if you need it from managers or supervisors.

Nothing is more frustrating than spending time on a

project and finding out it wasn’t the current thing to work on.

14.Utilise the three D’s approachDo it, Delegate it or Dump it.

Operate with the two-minute rule in mind – if it’s something that can be done in two minutes, do it.

Delegate it if possible. Dump it if it’s not worth your effort or someone else’s time.

15. Break down larger tasks into smaller tasks

Work daily on tasks that are important, but not urgent so you are making headway with long-term projects every day.

16.Procrastinate with purpose

A small repose from a difficult task is sometimes extremely healthy in the long run. Have a list of things that are productive in terms of procrastination. Maybe

spend time researching something that is connected with a project you are involved with, look up a healthy recipe for that night or look at

some beautiful images.

ENERGY

17.Clean out the office clutter

Mess creates stress. Keep your working space as clean

as possible to keep focused when at work.

18. Win the battle of the sleep-inGet up at the same time every day, including on the weekends. You’ll feel less run-down on Monday mornings if you get into a regular early morning routine.

19.Limit multi-taskingConstant interruptions, which is effectively what

multi-tasking is, brings on higher levels of stress and cognitive overload.

Try to focus on one task at a time to maximise your collective efforts on tasks.

20.Try and get it right first time around

21.Get FitGetting active on a regular basis will flow

over into your work life. You’ll feel less sluggish, more alert and healthier in general.

ENERGY

22. Introduce a ‘sounding board’

The sounding board can act as an opportunity for those around you to express a particular issue or concern and be heard, while also maintaining the structure of the week in the workplace.

23.Capture all creative ideas Encourage fellow employees to all use a similar list tool to capture all

creative ideas throughout the regular working day. Have a ‘Creative Development’ spreadsheet accessible for all to add to when they feel

the desire to record their creative thinking.

To limit the amount of editing and reworking time, focus on getting a task right the first time. To do this you may need to obtain more information from a colleague or a client. However, the extra effort you put in at the beginning will be worth it.

24.Try out some skill share sessionsEncourage management to support

regular skill sharing sessions in order for your fellow employees to

learn from each other.

25. Drink plenty of water through the day

To maintain energy levels throughout the day ensure you drink at least 2 litres of water per day.

26.Use your weekends to plan ahead

Use Sunday afternoon and evening to plan the week ahead, take time to

exercise, stretch, see friends. Plan the week ahead either mentally or

with a personal diary.

ENERGY

27.Think about your ‘extra’ time Could you use that time between tasks better? Whether it be at airports or travelling to meetings, think about how you could use this time better.

28.An indoors plant will

lighten the environment you are working in.

Place something alive in your environment

29. Be thoughtful about lunchUse your lunch time to have a break from work, really walk away from the desk environment. Use it to build relationships between co-workers, actively seek out people who you haven’t spoken to regularly

30.Reward yourself for

doing the right thingsWhether you have worked hard on a small or large job, reward yourself in your own way. Take a brief walk outside or grab something you wish to snack on. Celebrate the wins no matter how small they may seem to feel revitalised.31.

Don’t take on other people’s problemsYou are there to support your colleagues, but don’t be tempted into taking on their personal or professional burdens. It will lead to resentment and negativity in no time.

32.Set up a sensible emailing folder system

Make your day-to-day organisationeasier with a comprehensive

email filing system.

33.Expose yourself to natural light every day

Take the time to expose yourself to sunlight and fresh air, particularly in the morning. It will wake up your

internal body clock and get you energised for the day.

ATTENTION

34.Limit the number of meetings you need to attend in a weekIf you do need to meet up with colleagues or clients, try meeting in different locations and situations. Why not conduct meetings while on the go or simply standing up?

35.Use Imperative/Important Lists

Establish a list of all work and tasks that need the most attention. Identify those that must be completed and place these in the Imperative List. All important work

that could be done that day or the next day or two can be placed in the Important List.

36.Set reasonable time limit for meetingsMake sure each meeting you attend or run has an agenda and try to stick to it.

37.Set a time limit for the

important tasks It may seem counterintuitive, but knowing that

a deadline exists for a project means you are less likely to drag it out across days, weeks

and potentially months.

38.Apply the ‘Pareto Principle’ to your work input and outputThe Pareto Principle states that in most situations roughly 80% of effects come from only 20% of causes. In applying this principle to productivity, the top 20% of your to-do list or High Payoff Activities should result in 80% of results, meaning you’ll get more out of your day by focusing your attention and effort accordingly.

39.Take regular breaksEvery 20-30 minutes, get up and get active. Even if it’s just standing up and having a brief stretch, it will

improve your ability to stay focused.

40.Find a way to relax

Find your own way to limit the stress and the baggage of day-to-day life.

Some hints here http://zenhabits.net/

ATTENTION

41.Limit mindless internet surfing

This is probably the biggest time hole of the modern workplace. Resist the urge to aimlessly surf the internet while at work. If you are feeling restless take a short break from your screen instead

42.Tell other people around you about your goals

People in your personal and work life will help keep you on track

and accountable for what you want to achieve.

43.Get stuff out of your headKeep everything potentially meaningful out of your head. Put it in a schedule, in a document where you know it belongs

44.Set challenging but reasonable

target dates

45.Reflect at the end of each week – what has been achieved,

what is still remaining. Categorise the remainders in terms of importance and handle first thing on Monday morning

Get a restful sleepTry and spend the last two hours before bed not engaging with any electronic devices

46.Batch similar

tasks togetherIf you have two writing based tasks for the day, try and complete

them at the same time. You’ll use your brain power most effectively when it is in a particular mode and concentrating.

47. Spend some time with your email disconnected

If it is very urgent, people will find another way to reach you. Regularly disconnect in order to focus on larger tasks.

ATTENTION

48.Focus conversations on actions and resultsWhen you are meeting with someone, shut off your phone completely, it shows commitment to this person and to the content of your meeting over potential distractions.

49.

50.

This will keep you mindful on the work for the day. Try it for one morning a weekday to start off with and

see how your concentration levels increase.

Turn your phone off during the day

Be passionate about your workIf you enjoy what you do working at it is easier. Your motivation to improve is innate rather than forced.

PRODUCTIVITY IS NEVER AN ACCIDENT.

It is always the result of a commitment to excellence,

intelligent planning, and focused effort

Paul J. Meyer

PRODUCTIVITY IS NEVER AN ACCIDENT.

It is always the result of a commitment to excellence,

intelligent planning, and focused effort

Paul J. Meyer

For further information, please call

Australia 03 9822 1301

New Zealand 0800 333 270

info@lma.biz

www.lma.biz