Do you ever get to Friday afternoon and think ‘what the hell did I do this week’? You may have been chasing your tail busy, but it feels like you didn’t finish one ding dang thing.
You maybe guilty of one or more of these productivity killers.
7 Things Killing Your Productivity
1. Not Making A Priority Based Plan
Have you heard the balls analogy (insert 6th grade giggle here)? It goes like this, when you’re juggling all of the balls – you have to know which ones are rubber and which ones are glass. You have to know what to drop & what to keep in the air. That’s what a priority based plan is for. It allows you to plan with a realistic view of your time, and it also prepares you for the plan to go down in flames. I’m not being a donny downer, I’m just saying.. you need to plan for things to come up.
That’s what a priority based plan does. It pinpoints what has to get done, and what you want to get done. That way you know the rubber balls from the glass – and can go about your day accordingly.
2. Being Unrealistic About Your Time
Let’s build off number 1 shall we… if you have created a plan that assumes you have 42 hours in a day, you are guaranteed to fail. All women are super woman – BUT – we cannot make more time. We can only be intentional with the time we are given. That means we can’t create our plan for the day, or our ‘to do list’ with the assumption we have more time than we have.
Map out your schedule before you start adding to dos. And be realistic with the time you will have for the day. Make your plan accordingly.
3. Not Working With Routines
I get push back with this one sometimes, I get bored if everyday looks the same. Here’s my answer – ok, and? Everyday doesn’t need to look the same. If you just keep a running list of what needs to get done, you can choose what you feel aligned with that day… but if you don’t have some type of structure to your week, you aren’t making the best use of your time.
Consider a loose time blocking schedule, that may look different day to day or week to week – but create a structure that allows you to plan. At least loosely.
4. Leaving It Until Morning
Are you using your evenings to prepare for your mornings? Mornings are usually hectic – no matter what we do. It doesn’t matter if you get up at 4:45 am or 8 am, usually mornings come with the most gotta get it dones. What is it that you can do in the evening to make your morning smoother?
Set out your clothes, get the kids clothes set out, pack backpacks, pack lunches, set the coffee pot, lay out your journal… what ever you can do for tomorrow’s you to make it easier… do it.
5. Following Shoulds Instead of Purpose
That list of tasks you do for your business daily or weekly… why are you doing it? Can you match it up to a goal or gain you’re working towards? Have you kept track of what’s working in your business, what’s helping you grow? Stop consuming what others are doing, and start focusing on what’s working for you.
Consider tracking your gains, and how you got there. Did you make a sell, how did they find you? Did you sign a client, what got them interested? Do more of that, and less of what you think you should be doing.
6. Not Setting & Keeping Boundaries
If you say yes to everything – you’re actually saying no to something else. Because you will sacrifice something. You can’t just tack time on to the end of the day. Know what your boundaries are. Create a CORE 4, and make sure you have allotted time for each of those before taking on anything else.
If you’re asked to do a collaboration in business.. be sure it aligns with what you’re doing, where you are, and your goals before accepting. It is ok to say no. I recommend it.
7. Overworking
Working too much is actually counterproductive. Your work will suffer. Your mind will suffer. Your purpose will suffer. Rest is productive. You don’t have to earn your rest. Align in your entire purpose, and be sure you are meeting your CORE 4. You can do things like turn off notifications, or ‘clock out’ at a certain time to help yourself make the switch.
Have you been doing any of these? Are you ready to be more productive, and create growth in your business? I launched the On Purpose Entrepreneur Club this month – and it is perfect for the busy working mom to get the support she needs to create growth in her business. Click here to learn more about this membership.
Leave a Reply