Productive Day recently celebrated 21 years in business. For more than two decades now, I’ve helped busy C-suite leaders, business owners, and professionals bridge the gap between their current workday and the workday they’ve always wanted—and needed—to achieve more success and enjoy more time and freedom.
Over the years, many things have changed, but I’ve found that there are 5 tried-and true strategies that have endured, because they ALWAYS work.
These strategies help clients become more efficient, effective, and productive so they can gain 1-2 hours back in their workday, spend up to 50% less time in their email Inbox, and increase their efficiency and productivity by up to 300%—all while reducing stress by up to 90% and enjoying more personal time.
These are timeless strategies that have helped my clients shift from workday STRESS to SUCCESS, and you can use them, too.
Strategy #1: Centralize Tasks
You can do this with just ONE simple shift. Instead of using paper to-do lists—whether in a planner or on legal pads, spiral pads, journals, notebooks, or Post-it notes—the best way to manage tasks is to use a centralized, digital task management approach.
This means you’re compiling ALL tasks into a SINGLE inventory—ONE central, digital task list—no matter the source of the task or when you plan to take action on each one. Be sure to use the task list offered in your email system (not the to-do app on your phone) and then sync it with your phone.
This list can include everything you need to do, have to do, want to do—even dream of doing—all in one place. Not all in ONE DAY. All in ONE SYSTEM.
👉 Pro Tip: limit the number of tasks to be accomplished per day.
Strategy #2: Get Email OUT of the Inbox
Don’t let email hold you back. Because that’s what it’s doing. It’s wrecking your ability to use time wisely, to make progress, and to SHINE.
Did you know that email is NOT best managed while it’s still sitting in the Inbox? Take control of your email by doing these four things today:
- Set up one or more folders for the older years.
- Get ALL older emails OUT of the Inbox.
- Use email folders for specific projects and categories. (Hint: don’t create too many folders! There is such a thing as “over-organizing.”)
- Go through the recent three months of email, getting honest about what you’ll REALLY need/use/want in the future.
👉 Pro Tip: Email management is task management in disguise. It’s also information management in disguise. ALL of what you receive belongs in other, BETTER systems for the best management of each item you receive, whether information, events, or a task.
Strategy #3: Protect Your Time
Gaining more time in your day to get things done doesn’t result from keeping time, making time, getting time, looking for time, or finding time. Everyone already HAS time. But not everyone knows how to PROTECT it. Therefore, it’s essential to learn how to protect your time from interruptions, distractions, and from being over-scheduled.
There are exceptions, of course, but for the majority of the time, you get to CHOOSE how you spend your time. You don’t HAVE to accept every intrusion just because it occurs and some interruptions can be prevented altogether.
Remember this: You get what you tolerate. So, get tough about protecting your time. Schedule time NOW on your calendar so other people don’t steal it and you won’t give it away so fast. You NEED time to move tasks and projects forward and keep up with email.
👉 Pro Tip: Negotiate your time more often. Limit your availability a bit. Set expectations with co-workers so they know when you’re available and when you’re not. You and your priorities are important too.
Strategy #4: Create Systems You Can Trust
If you’re looking for too long to find things you need to finish tasks or reply to emails, it’s time to streamline your systems so you can find information fast and start saving that time.
Did you know that your ability to gain more time in your day doesn’t result from managing time itself? Or your calendar? Gaining more time actually rests on how well you manage everything ELSE in your workday and that means tasks, email, and information.
When these are not managed well, HUGE amounts of time are lost from your workday, because you’re spending too much time looking for things you KNOW you have, but just can’t find. And that’s just ONE way time is lost. Much more time is lost in these processes than you can imagine.
However, time CAN be regained by streamlining your systems and making sure they’re ship-shape for storing reference information and for managing tasks. So, start reviewing the systems you use and make sure you TRUST them to contain the information they are meant to contain and to help you find what you need when you need it.
👉 Pro Tip: When working with reference information, the less you keep, the less you have to manage. So, be VERY selective about what you decide to keep.
Strategy #5: Save Time and STOP Looking for Short Cuts
If you have workday issues and challenges, you may be on a constant HUNT for tips, tricks, tactics, short cuts, and hacks, HOPING you’ll find a quick solution and get some relief. Many promise the moon, but the sad truth is that short cuts and hacks will NOT be able to solve your workday challenges. They don’t work and they don’t last.
Most tactics, short cuts, apps, and hacks only address ONE part of your work and they’re only band-aids that do more harm than good, allowing your biggest issues to live on—or get worse!
The number of productivity tactics, shortcuts, and hacks is DIZZYING, and when they don’t work, the cycle of stress, anxiety, frustration, and overwhelm will start all over again. And each time, your confidence erodes a little bit more and you believe in yourself a little bit less… again and again and again. Soon, you start to believe that NOTHING will work… and that you CAN’T fix it.
This matters because SELF-DOUBT IS THE #1 KILLER of reaching ANY goal.
👉 Pro Tip: Instead of searching for tips, tools, tactics, short cuts, apps, or hacks, save time and become the most productive person you know by using a SYSTEM for workload management.
