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Increase Your Productivity by Saying Goodbye to Drains and Incompletions
Feeling less productive
Many people feel unable to find time in the day to do their most important work. Research reveals that on average, in an 8-hour day, employees are only productive for 3 hours.
- Look at how you are spending your days.
- Examine the drains and incompletions that often leave you with little to no energy to complete the important work.
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Feeling less productive
Many people feel unable to find time in the day to do their most important work. Research reveals that on average, in an 8-hour day, employees are only productive for 3 hours.
- Look at how you are spending your days.
- Examine the drains and incompletions that often leave you with little to no energy to complete the important work.
Drains and Incompletions
- Drains are the tasks you have to do (commuting, personal admin, email correspondence, meetings, calls). These tasks drain your time and energy that you want to spend on priority work.
- Incompletions are the items on your to-do list that you have not yet completed. They are related to work and personal items (responding to a simple email, or it can be a dream you keep putting off).
Identify drains and incompletions
If you are spending your time, energy, and attention on tasks that don't support your overall goal or priorities, it's time to re-evaluate.
- Set aside 20 minutes on your calendar and minimize distractions.
- List all of your drains and incompletions. Write every last item you can think of, including the light bulb that needs replacing, and the conversation you need to have with a co-worker.
What you can control
Determine what you can control and what you cannot. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, to worry and try to solve what you cannot control.
Now, cross off all of the items you have no control over. Commit to focus your energy on the things you can control.
A plan of action that works
Look at what is left on your drains and incompletions list. Consider if they are all items you do have control over.
- Tackle your incompletions list: delegate or outsource, identify if you’re missing a resource to complete the item and, if so, how you’ll find the resource(s) and put an end to perfectionism that causes you to wait until the “perfect” time.
- Address the drains: set clear boundaries around what you are available for and when, change the way you use your time (i.e. find a way to make your commute more relaxing) and limit time spent on drains that can consume your day.
Motivation for Change
Addressing drains and incompletions can feel overwhelming at first, especially if you already feel tired.
Take action to see results. A short-term investment in completing this task will give you a long-term reward that will dramatically improve your workflow and energy.
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Sustainable Productivity
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Phantom Workload
Phantom workload looks like real work but results in massive unproductivity and even conflict in an organization. The pressure to meet unrealistic expectations causes a vicious cycle of further workload.
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We do it because it's the most visible form of productivity.
It is a way to prove to others that you are doing stuff and checking things off the list.
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At some point, you start to be negatively productive.
Prioritize Tasks by Energy Level
It means scheduling your time according to your natural rhythms:
- Do your most important work at the beginning of the day if you are a morning person.
- Don't feel bad about sleeping in because you stayed up late at night to work if you are a night owl.
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Not respecting your calendar
Treat the meeting with yourself as it was a meeting with a third party. It’s only you who can act on your most important tasks with priority.
Make sure that you set up boundaries for yourself and for other people. Remember to communicate with them clearly.
Such a boundary can be that you leave your office at a certain time each day because your family is your priority. It doesn’t mean, of course, that you can’t work later in periods of high workload.
Multitasking
Ringing phones, text messages, reminders, pop-ups, social media, email.
There’re countless studies demonstrating that multitasking will hinder your work both in terms of quality and quantity.
Resist the temptation to get in the loop and do one thing at a time.
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