Expert Advice To Make Your Work Day Productive
The day started with virtual office hours. It’s an event called Cup of Pro. Grab your cup of coffee and talk with a Pro about your productivity challenges. No gimmicks, just clear techniques to boost your focus, organization and productivity. With the many changes over the past few weeks our challenges have changed as we navigate this new world and work remotely.
Here are the questions that came up. The challenges are common and ones you may have encountered.
“I use Google calendar, Outlook for emails, Microsoft products, Salesforce. I have notes on my phone, a list of things to do. How do I get more control over where all my ‘stuff’ is?”
It’s best to choose one platform. If you are using Google, use their full suite. If you feel more comfortable with Microsoft, use all the products they offer. This decreases the toggle time between platforms. It lessens the learning curve, and everything integrates and syncs efficiently.
Decide where you want to hold information. If you are working with a team, communicate what information goes on what platform. Choose one or two places that the information will land. You will want to have certain information in your Contact Management Software like Salesforce. You may want to have your list of tasks on a sheet of paper. Choose what feels most comfortable, knowing that technology may not be the best option. Going old school, pen and paper, is great if it’s easy to use. If technology is the route you want to take, make sure you love the interface and way that it supports your work.
We all have a great opportunity to hone in on the way we work so that we can be more productive. Slimming down on the technology that we use, carefully choosing our platforms and gathering up our work in one place can significantly increase our productivity.
“My work feels unfocused and reactive. My business doesn’t warrant that, but I feel like I need to respond to everything in real time. If the COVID-19 outbreak and the quarantine is more long term, how do I get to a place where I’m less reactionary?”
Deciding what is urgent can change from minute to minute with the corona outbreak looming. As we settle into what is our new normal, decide what the issues are that you consider urgent? What does warrant a quick reaction in real time?
Deciding on the specific time you’ll respond to email and other instant messages can help. Scheduling in times of the day that you’ll respond can help in remaining proactive.
Shutting down or closing the tab on emails and programs like Slack can lessen the distraction and need to answer quickly. As the old adage goes, run your day or your day runs you.
In working with a team, creating team norms on what information gets texted, emailed, instant messaged can help minimize an instant reaction. Project management platforms like Trello or Slack can help in supporting communication instead of feeling inundated and under pressure. Consider the stop time your team will adhere to. This means no more late-night emails or calls that are work related.
“I have a bunch of lists with things to do. Some of them are work, some of it is for my home or is personal stuff. It feels overwhelming.”
The first step is to gather up all your tasks and actions. Getting the information on one sheet can be helpful. Then choose three tasks you can accomplish in a day and focus on those. You may be tempted to pick more. Just choose three. You can always go back to your list and work on more to get more done once the first three are done.
If your list is too long, consider separating work and personal. This will decrease the overwhelm. You can tackle what is on the lists depending on the time of day. After 5 p.m. focus on the things to accomplish at home. During the hours of nine to five concentrate on work tasks.
Do you struggle with getting focused, organized and productive? Want your questions answered? Join in the next Cup of Pro on 4/9 starting at 9 am – 10 am EST for a virtual chat. Grab your cup of coffee and meet via zoom with Margo Crawford, Productivity Expert. Get tips and techniques for your productivity challenges.
Margo Crawford is a Productivity Coach with Wave Productivity. If you are struggling to stay focused, organized and productive at work during the COVID-19 outbreak, you are not alone. Margo works with entrepreneurs, small business owners and business professionals to help them get more focused, organized and productive in their workplace. Set up a consultation today. Margo coaches by phone nationally. If you want to get more organized in your office call 602-677-8275 or email [email protected]