BECOMINGMORE

PRODUCTIVEIt’s not about just getting stuff done, it’s also about

accomplishing work that is meaningful for both you

and your organization.

Overview: Working Smarter

Organizations are continually looking to increase

employee productivity for both cost and resource efficiencies,

providing workers with the latest platforms and apps to help

manage, track, monetize tasks, and determine profitability. Just take a

look at the plethora of task management, calendar, note-taking, time-tracking

and project management tools we have at our disposal – from Slack to Asana,

Basecamp, G Suite, Trello, Evernote, OneNote, Toggl, Time Doctor, and more. And we’re

still asking, “Did you get it done?” “Where is the proposal?” “How long will it be before you

finish?” and the ever-popular, “Can I have it now?”

Employees also want to feel more productive and accomplished at the end of each day, week, month,

year, and that the work they do has both personal and corporate meaning and value. This shared desire has

been further complicated in the age of the coronavirus with so many individuals working remotely at home. While

some feel they are getting more done away from the office, others have had to deal with increased distractions,

interruptions, and responsibilities, putting a kink in their productivity.

In our white paper, “Becoming More Productive,” we provide several recommendations to help get your mojo on track, including

shifting your mindset and taking a look at how you work:

Change How You View Your Work

Focus on Your Most Valuable Activities

Perfection Can Be Overrated

The Power of “No” (or at Least, “Not Now”)

Stop Multitasking

Handle Distractions, Interruptions

Give Yourself Extra Time

Turn Negative Events Into Learning Experiences

Leave Open Space to Take a Moment

1

Change How You View Your Work

Each day, you start out ready to tackle the projects at hand;

however, before you even finish that first cup of java you’re

already running behind, distracted by phone calls and focused on

low-priority, low-value tasks. While we all work differently and keep

varying hours depending on our jobs (especially in today’s new normal of

remote work) and the industry in which we serve, there are certain guidelines to

keep in mind that will help bolster productivity.

Focus on Your Most Valuable Activities (MVAs)

In his “Productivity Tips” series, productive leadership author and speaker Dave

Crenshaw suggests we pinpoint and then focus on the Most Valuable Activities

(MVAs) we perform at our jobs. These activities are those that are most difficult to

replace if we don’t do them. To determine how much time you spend on your MVAs,

do the following:

The percentage of time you spend on your MVAs should be at least 60%. If it’s

less, budget time in your calendar for these activities. Begin by increasing the

time you spend in those activities by 25%.

Unfortunately, many individuals, Crenshaw says, tend to focus on their Least

Valuable Activities (LVAs), as these are easier to accomplish. LVAs include

secondary activities to our primary job functions, for example, running errands,

completing paperwork, filing, etc. Schedule LVA time so it doesn’t interfere with

your most profitable work. If you own your business, determine if you can assign

these tasks to another individual. If you’re an employee, talk to management to

see if you can outsource some of these activities. Salespeople, in fact, often find

themselves buried in activities such as paperwork that takes them away from

prospecting and customer interactions and, ultimately making sales. This is unprofit-

able for both the salesperson and the organization.

Jot down the number of hours you work in an average workweek; include

travel time to and from work, and time spent working at home.

Add up the estimated number of hours that you spend on your MVAs.

Divide those hours by the number of hours you work to determine the

percentage of time spent on your MVAs.

2

Employee Productivity Management Hacks

Automate your project management tools as much as possible.Identify tasks that take up too much time.Schedule tasks.Prioritize tasks.Batch similar tasks. Finish what you start.Determine when you are more productive.Know where you’re going, have clear goals.Learn how to say “no” gracefully.Delegate.Clean your desk.Treat projects as a learning tool.Take control of notifications, emails.

2

Perfection Can Be Overrated, Get in the Way of Results

You read this right. If you are someone who needs

everything to be absolutely perfect in order to complete a

project, you may be getting in your own way. Make no mistake—

being a stickler for details is great, but when it’s an obstacle preventing

you from moving ahead, it becomes your Achilles’ heel.

For example, let’s say you have a PowerPoint® deck you need to complete for a sales

presentation and the deadline for it has come and gone because you simply are not

satisfied. Perhaps the color is a bit off, or the screenshots are not exactly the same

resolution. If you can’t fix it yourself, don’t hesitate to ask for help, or move on.

What is more important: the end result, which is getting your presentation in front

of the prospect for the sale, or spending more time getting the color exactly the

way you want? Don’t let your drive for perfection impede the endgame. Accept that

there is always room for improvement and focus on the finish line.

To quote Shakespeare, “Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.”

The Power of “No” (or at Least, “Not Now”)

It’s okay to say “no.” Successful leaders do. Warren Buffett, in fact, has been quoted

as saying, “The difference between successful people and really successful people

is that really successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.” Steve Jobs once said,

“People think focus means saying ‘yes’ to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not

what it means at all. It means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud

of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things.”

These leaders and others understand they can’t overcommit themselves; there are only 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, and

they are only one person. They also realize work-life balance is important.

Remind yourself that you can’t do everything. Time will always win. This means learning to say “no,” or at the very least, “not now.” You’ll

actually accomplish more by focusing and doing less.

3

- Warren Buffett CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

3

“The difference between successful

people and really successful people is that really successful

people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”

- Warren Buffett CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

Stop Multitasking

You may think you’re getting a lot done by going from

one project to the next or talking with a colleague on the

phone while working on a proposal and emailing—all at the

same time. But you’re probably not getting any of those tasks done

efficiently, and you’re definitely not giving these activities the proper

attention they require. Your ability to get things done depends on how well

you can focus on one task at a time, whether it’s for five minutes or an hour.

In fact, contrary to popular belief, Earl K. Miller, a neuroscience professor at the

Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, said, “Multitasking is not humanly possible.” In an article in the New

York Times on productivity, Miller said, “When you multitask, you tend to make

more mistakes. When you toggle back and forth between tasks, the neural

networks of your brain must backtrack to figure out where they left off and then

reconfigure. That extra activity causes you to slow down, and errors become more

likely. People are much more efficient if they monotask.”

How to Monotask

Remove temptation: Don’t go on social media (there are apps to actually

help with this, which block access to parts of the Internet for specified

periods). Limit personal phone calls to the end of the day.

Work on just one screen/device: Put away your cell phone. Yes, really!

Move around: If you find yourself losing focus, get up and walk around.

Work in intervals: Set a timer for five or 10 minutes and commit to

focusing on your assignment for that amount of time. Then allow

yourself a minute of distraction, as long as you get back to your task for

another five or 10 minutes.

3

- Warren Buffett CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

4

Inspire work with a sense of purpose. Help your employees understand what they’re working toward by sharing company goals and progress on a regular basis.Let employees know how their contributions support the company’s vision.Recognize great performance. Your employees will appreci-ate the recognition and you’ll increase their commitment to the organization.Hold more efficient meetings.Embrace technology for better workflow management.Encourage workplace connections. According to recruiting firm Robert Half, employees who have estab-lished a sense of camaraderie with their co-workers are 2.5 times more likely to be happy on the job than those who do not.

Supporting Employee Productivity

Handle Distractions, Interruptions

It makes sense that the more you minimize interruptions,

the more you’ll get done. But that’s easier said than done,

particularly when you have multiple people calling you to take care of

something— call a client, create a presentation, do a job estimate, explain

a project, etc. Or, you’re getting an influx of urgent emails or text messages

that need your attention and are hard to ignore.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, discovered that it typically takes an office

worker more than 23 minutes to get back on track after an interruption. Here are some tips to

help handle distractions and interruptions:

Give Yourself Extra Time

If you have a project to complete by a certain deadline, be sure to schedule enough time in advance. Oftentimes, we may not have the

luxury of extra time due to client demands but, when possible, build in time to ensure you can check your work and meet the sched-

ule. It’s more productive to have the extra time needed to review your work than having to go back and correct mistakes or expect a

third party to make up the time on his or her end.

25

Block out time for specific tasks. If you get interrupted, let the person know you will have to get

back to them as soon as you are done.

Manage expectations. If you’re working on a big project and need to focus on it, let your colleagues know

this in advance.

If possible, schedule a time to manage your email. Set your own personal rules, based on what’s realistic for your

workplace culture and what’s most helpful for you, as to how often you check and respond to your email. You need to be

flexible: If there is an urgent project coming up that requires your attention and collaboration, you may need to temporarily

abandon your routine.

Set limits on when and how often you’ll use your cell phone and social media. Yes, this is hard to do in a world where we are

tied to our phones and want to see the latest posts on events as they happen. But you’ll gain a lot of time by turning off your

cell phone and taking a break from social media.

Establish boundaries with family members if you are working at home, understanding that you’ll never eliminate all

interruptions.

Turn Negative Events into Learning Experiences

Shake off a negative experience as soon you can so that

you can move forward productively. You may have upset a

colleague, a customer or supervisor. Address his or her concern, find

a solution and learn from your experience. You can’t control everything

and if you remain stuck in a negative headspace, it will impact your

productivity. Shift your focus on what you can control and where you can make a

difference. Reset your mindset—take a walk, exercise— and return to work refreshed.

Leave Open Space to Take a Moment

Take some time in your day for yourself for balance, to recharge. We’re not hamsters running on a wheel.

You can’t be productive if you’re constantly running on fumes and stressed out. Self-care is important for your

personal wellbeing as well as the health of your organization. Taking time for reflection and introspection is

valuable and productive. Research shows that when we’re idle, our minds wander—allowing for creativity to enter your

headspace. Some of the greatest innovations and ideas came from individuals who took some time out.

Conclusion

Becoming more productive also involves taking a look at your personal values, defining what they are and making sure they are aligned

with the work you do and that of your organization.

Sources: “Productivity Tips”/Dave Crenshaw, New York Times, Forbes, Rise Up

26

23172 Plaza Pointe Dr. #205

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

(800) 736-9741

(949) 472-2700