The evolution of technology has provided dozens of tools to organize our workload. Yet most leaders and managers feel overwhelmed each day with numerous intrusive (and unnecessary) activities that derail our greatest asset — our mind power.
Our natural balances are instinctively thrown into overdrive by the constant dinging from our devices. Our focus and subconscious become victims to email spam, habitual meetings, and peppered IM communications.
With all the noise and distraction, where is the time for actual work?
“In 2021, Adobe conducted a survey and found people in the workplace spend on average 3.1 hours per day sending and checking their emails, amounting to 15.5 hours per week – this compounds into a shocking 20 full weeks a year, simply checking emails.“
Just imagine everything you could accomplish or how you could rest and recharge your leadership with an extra 20 weeks a year.
Let’s take a moment to consider a few simple systems that can help you to rewire the way you approach productivity.
First, let’s start by taking inventory of the activities that consume the majority of your time per day. This is how we can assess common productivity pitfalls, and I can share with you a few hacks I use to create a productivity framework. The goal is to help you to harness your focus and take back more of your time, so you can lead with confidence.
- Is your calendar full of meetings? If so, identify how many are recurring.
- Are you bombarded with email communication? If so, isolate how many emails are for work vs junk/solicitation.
- Do you have a clear set of priorities that you work towards each day? If so, define what your “to-do” list would look like with clear priorities each week.
- Do you wrestle with organizing random thoughts? (I call these “bubble thoughts”- things you think about in conversations) If so, create a system to capture them and tackle them when you have margin in your day.
Now, let’s go a little deeper and consider how you take action on your email work, in order to execute a more successful workflow. I use the 3D’s to help me hone my thoughts and execute with greater efficiency.
- Delegate- Using the WAIT acronym– think of whose action it is you want to respond to and potentially delegate.
- Delete- Do your emails need to be deleted when you have accidentally used your work address for, well everything? I am guilty of this one and believe me, hitting delete is a winner every time.
- Deliver- Last but not least, what message do you need to deliver to your leaders? Inspiring ones, details on next steps, or requests for action items.
Instead of falling victim to your day, I want you to confidently direct your focus and gauge your responses so that you can move forward in the areas that matter most for your team.
It is possible to rewire your productivity and align your day to “get stuff done” (GSD). Keep reading Part Two for a deeper dive into the productivity framework.