Just how productive are you? What’s your productivity tip? How many times do you ask yourself that question and reply with an honest answer? Are you someone that can identify areas where you could improve your productivity by really being honest about what works and what doesn’t? Alternatively, are you someone who thinks they have it all under control, but can often become stressed and struggle to meet deadlines?
Try this little exercise…
Write down this question on a piece of paper.
HOW PRODUCTIVE AM I?
When you use the good old fashion method of pencil, paper and spilling the contents of your mind, you will be amazed how much you may or may not have been deceiving yourself. It’s not a criticism and people handle things differently but it really is time to be honest.
Here are a few things to consider during your ‘mind spill’:-
• Do you multitask?
• How many hours are you working?
• How many of those hours are billable?
• Are you in a position to delegate tasks?
• Do you lose focus easily?
How are you finding those questions? Are you surprising yourself with some of your answers by being completely honest?
When you stop and think about how you spend your working day, it can really be an eye-opener. Identifying areas that could be better spent is the key to a successful business and personal life.
One of the above questions refers to delegating tasks. Now this one is a huge leap of faith if you have never had to delegate before, especially if you have to consider outsourcing some help. However, it’s possibly the most powerful! If you are in a position to delegate then you’ll find that any multitasking or long hours you do will be reduced considerably. You’ll feel more in control and focused on your business and the tasks that earn you the money, those billable hours.
There are Virtual Assistants out there to help you. It’s what we do best and we are here to assist in increasing your productivity and helping you get those results.
When you run a business it’s important to measure your accomplishments. A lot of people can misunderstand success by confusing how busy they are with how productive they are. You may be ridiculously busy, but are you getting results?
The ‘mind spill’ exercise isn’t something to do on just one occasion; you should make it a regular part of reviewing your business. Weekly, monthly, quarterly, whatever works for you or whenever you recognise that things are not quite going to plan, the stress is building up and you can’t see the wood for the trees.
Make that time now to be honest about your productivity. I’d love for you to share with me any specific areas that you didn’t realise were more of an obstruction than an element of production.
Do you know someone who would benefit from performing a ‘mind spill’? If so, take a moment to share this post and help another to become more productive in their life and business.
Whilst running your own business you can forget those little things that keep it ticking over. Sign up for your 5 minute challenge by email for 21 days. Where you can take action daily – for just 5 minutes – or multiples thereof, to build disciplines and take control.
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