Focus. Or lack there of is the number one productivity hack that I see day in and day out with mediocre performers. Leaders desperately struggling to get things done however falling further behind due to their lack of focus. Like a new puppy that is romping in the grass chasing after a ball, then a butterfly, then a squirrel, then it’s own tail!
Some studies say that an average performer in most organizations is between 20% and 25% productive on an average day. Productivity hacks for most people look like: excessive time spent reading and chiming in on emails that have little to do with themselves, attending meetings that have no objective and drone on way too long, or creating and carrying out processes that are not designed for the comfort of customers or for the team members’ productivity.
For senior leaders, productivity hacks usually come in the form of meetings that have no relation to strategy or execution.
Solution? Here is my 4 Point List…
- Stop the Insanity of email. Do not reply to an email that you are merely CC’d on. Do not ‘BCC’ anyone. Encourage others to send emails that are short and to the point. Stop writing the sequel to “War and Peace.” One or two lines only. Better still, say what you need in the ‘Subject’ line.
- Banish Useless Meetings. All meetings need to have an objective stated clearly up front. Outlaw the standard ’60 Minute’ meeting (the really important stuff always gets done in the last 10 minutes anyway so get to it right away by having a 15-Minute meeting). Take the chairs out of the room and have the meeting standing up. I do this regularly and “Wow!” things get done!!!
- Go for a Walk. I have always found that amazing focus and clarity comes to me when I actually get up from my office and go for a walk. I discover cool ideas to improve on a plan, a process or even resolve a problem.
- Develop the Mental Toughness of a Karate Master. DO NOT take meetings or do anything else that is a distraction from what you want to achieve. However, that first takes a crystal clear picture of what your plan looks like. Most (I’d say at least 97%) of the people I meet do not have a personal plan that they are working. Instead, they bump and grind their way through an average day working to the beat of someone else’s plan (which is probably not well thought out either). Know what you want and execute on your plan to do it. Wax-on, Wax-off!
I hope this helps you to be more productive and more focused in your endeavors. If you have any questions at all, or would like to get my free monthly newsletter, e-mail me at: info@robert-murray.com.
I’d love to hear what you do to focus and be more productive?
