This past month has been all about productivity and how to accomplish more of what creates value in less time. Let’s start with a quick review of the first three of what I call the Gems of Productivity.

 

  1. In the morning before you do anything else- set your intentions for the day and Write Out Your Agenda First.
  2. Script Out an Ideal Day and Ideal Week. What does a perfect workday look like for you from start to finish.
  3. Schedule Clean Uninterrupted Blocks of Time.

 

If you have applied any of these and stuck with them, you are well on your way to being more productive. Remember above everything productivity is about consistency not perfection. See if you can apply any of these strategies for a few weeks and watch your productivity soar.

 

Now onto Productivity Gem #4

The 3 D’s

Do It, Delegate It, Delete It

 

Many of you have an email inbox that is over-flowing or mounds of paper piling up on your desk that need your attention. If that is the case the first of the 3 D’s is just Do It.

Do It, means if you can take care of in in less than five minutes just do it, take care of it, reply or respond to it, file it in a digital or real filing cabinet. When you can do it, you can remove it from your plate and cross it off the to-do list permanently. Remember, your inbox is for sending and receiving emails, not for storage. Make sure you have a place to store all your emails so you can remove them from the inbox and feel productive.

 

Delegate It, if you have the ability to do so. You may have team members or admins that have the ability to take on some of your tasks. Maybe this is someone that is looking for more responsibility, or someone you have been depriving of the opportunity to learn and grow. If you have the ability to delegate the task then do so. If you happen to be an individual contributor you may still have the ability to Delegate to others in the sphere of your business operation, but that requires learning to give up some control which is another topic all together.

 

The last D, which happens to be my absolute favorite. Delete It!

Just get rid of it, toss it in your email trash bin or if it’s a physical item, toss it in the real trash bin. Cleaning out your old emails and old files has to be one of the most rewarding experiences in the modern workplace. Just Delete It.

 

So that’s the Four Gems of Productivity to help you stay on top of your game and get more done in less time. As I mentioned earlier, there is no such thing as perfection when it comes to productivity and managing your days and weeks. This is about applying these simple Quarter Turns, consistently unit they become part of your daily habits and routines.

Remember you aren’t paid for perfection in your job, you are paid for results and these Four Gems of Productivity are a great start to getting those results and gaining a real sense of accomplishment.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed productivity month and I’ve appreciated the huge response I’ve received from these short videos. If you happen to have a topic that you think would be relevant to Quarter Turns, please share them with me.

Until next time

 

Cheers to you and your continued success

One Quarter Turn at a Time