Most of us have too much to do and too little time to do it in. At the start of each day it’s easy to feel just plain overwhelmed with the workload ahead of us.
Laura Stuck (“The Productivity Pro“) in her book “What To Do When There’s Too Much To Do” outlines a six-step “Productivity Workflow Formula” designed to help you do less but higher quality work each day.
“There is nothing so useless as doing that which should not be done at all.” ~Peter Druker
More Is Not Better
You can be successful by doing less. Studies have shown that people who work 60-hour weeks are 25% less productive! At the end of your work day today ask yourself, “Was I productive today, or was I just busy?” You should never confuse activity with productivity. Remember you’re not a robot. Long hours just lead to physical and mental fatigue which leads to more mistakes, slower work and wasted time. Instead, do less work but do it better and more focused. Laura says, “The true source of productivity isn’t nonstop output; it’s a refreshed and energized mind.” To focus your energy more effectively follow her six-step formula.
Productivity Workflow Formula
1. Determine What to Do
If you have a very long to-do list decide what stays on your list by estimating the value you offer to your company. For example how much you have saved the company each year or how much it would cost if you left. Then evaluate each task based on your personal value.
- What tasks are most important? – keep tasks that match your boss’s priorities
- What do you care about? – keep that give you a feeling of completion at the end of the day
- Keep tasks that further your goals – remove or delegate any tasks that don’t move your forward
2. Schedule Time to Do It.
Make sure you assign realistic deadlines to each task. Complete the bulk of your work at the times of the day you feel most focused and energized.
3. Focus Your Attention
It is estimated that workers waste 28% of their day dealing with interruptions. If you can’t find a quite place to work use headphones and play calming music to drown out any background noise.
Don’t multitask. Laura wans, “Stop multitasking. It just dilutes your attention and fools you into thinking you’re productive, when you’re really just busy.”
4. Process New Information
Limit the information you process each day. Unsubscribe from mailing lists. Use Laura’s “6-D Information System“:
- Discard – don’t keep paper or emails because you think that you will need them later
- Delegate – reassign to someone else if it does not help with your goals
- Do – act on the item now
- Date – assign realistic due dates to tasks you need to put off
- Drawer – file important items that don’t require immediate action
- Deter – stop unwanted calls or interruptions
5. Close The Loop
Always keep on top of your tasks. Focus on your main goals, keep your deadlines, and communicate information clearly to reduce rework.
6. Manage Your Capacity
Your health should always come first and if you don’t take care of yourself you won’t have the energy to work efficiently. Your productivity will go down. Take regular breaks. Never eat at your desk go for a walk outside or eat in the lunch room. Get adequate sleep. Powernap if you can during the day. Eat healthy. Exercise.
If the above six-steps fails to make you productive then Laura makes a good point that may apply to you, “If you don’t already, learn to love what you do – or change careers. You can’t maximize your productivity if you don’t enjoy your work.”
I highly recommend Laura’s book, “What To Do When There’s Too Much To Do” for more tips to help you deal with overwhelm when you have too much to do.
SOURCE:What To Do When There’s Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 a Minutes Day
read more: Too Much To Do? Overwhelmed?
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