Focus Maximizers
The burnout is real. We can come up with a lot of great ideas for being
more productive, but it won’t be helpful if you get burnout and quit. Here are some
helpful hints to help you manage your time and hopefully decrease your chances
of burnout.
Compact Your Daily To-Do List
Created
a to-do list is an important part of time management, but often we create too
large of a list with unreasonable expectations for the day.
Create
your list with the top 3-5 most
important things to accomplish that day. That goes on the top of the list.
Next,
you list out a few items that can be done that day but are not as important or urgent.
you list out a few items that can be done that day but are not as important or urgent.
Create
your to-do list for the next day right before you leave for the evening. When
you get to the office in the morning, you will be ready to start!
Deep Work
Cal
Newport describes Deep Work as “the ability to focus without
distraction on a cognitively demanding task”. If you have an important task or
project at work that requires a lot of brain power, set aside a few hours on
your calendar that you intend to not be bothered unless it is a real emergency.
During
this time, shut down your email applications and put your phone on do not
disturb. In fact, put your phone in a safe place as far away from your reach as
possible. Minimize all possible interruptions during this time.
Set
up intervals during your day to check email outside of this period where you
will solely focus on one task.
Find Your Peak Work Period
This may be different for every person. For some,
this may be the first thing in the morning once you get to the office. This is
the time of day where you are physically and mentally more focused.
Trying to get an important report done right
before bedtime may not be optimal because you are tired and distracted by
things going on at home.
Create a routine around this time period where you
perform the day’s most important tasks during that time period. Creating
routines will train your body to be ready for being productive. Leave the tasks
that do not require the same amount of focus for later in the day or during
your less optimal period.
Focus on the Result, Not the Task
The key here is to commit to finishing the work.
Focusing on just performing a task may result in having to perform the task
over again, wasting more time.
Start tracking the about of time that you are
spending on tasks.
Chances are we are not estimating the amount of
time it should take to complete it. Focus on what it is that you want to
complete.
By focuses on the end goal, we can make sure that
the things we are doing are meaningful and make the best use of our time.
Set Deadlines
Although setting deadlines may sound stressful,
they are helpful in setting healthy boundaries. We tend to be more productive
and focused when there is a time limit. When there is an on-going project, try
to make some short-term deadlines to work towards.
Break large goals into smaller projects. For
instance, if you want to write a book, set a smaller goal to write the
introduction paragraph this weekend, and next weekend write 10 pages for
Chapter 1. It is rewarding when you feel you have completed a goal on time!
Use Productivity Tools
Use this helpful list of tools that are designed
to help you focus on what is important to accomplish for the day.
n Evernote: Take your notes with you
wherever you go. It is cloud based so you can access your notes from your
phone, home, or office. If you can’t jot down your idea, try using the voice
memo on your phone to remember to jot your ideas down later.
n Dropbox: Dropbox or any other
cloud-based storage like OneDrive or iCloud will also help keep your most
important documents close by for review and sharing at any time.
n Asana: This is a great project
management tool for individuals and businesses. You can plan you plan and organize
your work or choose a plan that will help you collaborate with a team.
n Rescue
Time: This app helps track time
spent on different applications to give you a sense of how you are spending
your time. The paid version will even help to block distracting websites while
you are working.
Productivity is more of a Journey than a Destination
As an entrepreneur, you may feel that if you can get that speaking engagement,
hit your sales projections, or open your brick and mortar shop that this event
will signal your success. However, it is the commitment to the process that
makes you successful.
It’s getting up every day and doing something toward your goal. If you
want to become great at anything, you must practice it every day. You must love
not just the outcomes, but the process in creating the outcomes.
Have some Fun!
Don’t
forget to reward yourself. In project management, we have celebrations after
completing big projects. Schedule that vacation or put that concert on your
calendar.
Having
something to look forward to is a great motivator for getting your goals
accomplished.
No comments:
Post a Comment
comments are welcome....
also you may enjoy visiting our webpage at
https://affiliatemarketingessentials.com