OK So let’s get real. HP6 #1 was Clarity, then it was Energy, and most recently Necessity. But you can grow in all those areas and still not dramatically advance your life or career, if you don’t learn to master Productivity.
How do we do it? We don’t start by thinking of a to-do list. We think about the VISION we have for our lives and we allow ourselves to be motivated to achieve that vision. We think of the PEOPLE we want to serve and that demands we be productive. Our desire to add value forces us to be focussed and productive. In other words, our mindset is as important as our to-do list. Often we don’t think about just doing random things, we think about fulfilling promises and dreams. Below I’ll share 3 ways to approach increasing productivity:
"One of the worst feelings in the world is to be incredibly busy but feel that you’re not making any progress" - Brendan Burchard
1) Prolific Quality Output
If you want to become successful and achieve a positive outcome in your career, you need to figure out the productive outputs that matter in your role. High performers have mastered the art of prolific quality output (PQO). Busywork is not your lifework, but real work is producing quality output that matters.
Figuring out what you are supposed to produce, and learning the priorities in the creation, quality, and frequency of that output, is one of the greatest breakthroughs you can have in your career.
Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all. Peter Drucker
We should be aiming to spend 60% of our workweek oriented to our PQO. Be that designs, code, strategies, tickets, business cases, consumer meetings, MI, products, paintings, coaching sessions, white papers - whatever - they all play their part, but what is yours??
2) Chart your Five Moves
To become a high performer requires thinking more before acting. Think of the most ambitious dream you’d like to take on, identify what you really want, then ask yourself: “If there were only five major moves to make that goal happen, what would they be?”
There is magic in knowing your Five Moves. By knowing the first major activity, then the second, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth, you have a map, a plan, a clear path forward. This helps you avoid getting distracted. Each time you need to make a decision, you can clearly refer back to your Big Five to see which option keeps you on the right path and on track.
It doesn’t matter whether you know how to achieve your Five Moves at first. The important thing is that for every major goal you have, you figure out the Five Moves. If you don’t know the moves, you lose. Once you have the moves, you can break them down into tasks and hey presto a to-do list that aligns all the way up to your major goal.
3) Get insanely good
To become more productive, become more competent. You have to master the primary skills needed to win in your specific role. So determine the five major skills you need to develop over the next year to grow into the person your vision dictates you will become.
Everything is trainable. No matter what skill you want to learn, with enough training and practice and intention, you can become more proficient at it.
You can get better at practically anything if you keep a growth mindset (the belief that you can improve with effort), focus on your goals with passion and perseverance, and practice with excellence. We are committed to supporting your development, so once you’ve worked out your five, share them to find a way for us to help you.
Work Productivity starts at home
The last point I want to ensure you get from this blog is that productivity is a holistic endeavour and starts far away from the office. Self-care is essential to productivity, and almost everything you do to take good care of yourself increases your high performance. Good sleep, nutrition, and exercise are huge enhancers of productivity. At work, your approach to optimising your productivity, needs to include taking quality breaks – so make sure you use your holiday entitlement and give yourself intermittent breaks throughout the day - every 45 to 60 minutes , a break of just 2 to 5 minutes can help you feel much more mentally alert and energized for your work and life overall.
Next blog I’ll be looking at HP5: Develop Influence.
Until next time...
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