Happy start of spring 🪻,
With the longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures you may feel like getting up earlier to start your day. If that works for you, go right ahead! If an earlier start is not an option for you, then here are a few small but mighty changes you can make to claim back time.
In the spirit of working smarter, not harder, here are my favourite productivity tips that help you free up time in your calendar to get things done, get some fresh air and bring calm to the chaos.
1) Eliminate unnecessary meetings
Think of it as a spring clean for your calendar!
Most people I know have a calendar filled with back-to-back meetings with very little time left to focus on their actual work tasks like writing proposals, doing analyses, writing code and creating campaigns.
Open your calendar and – being very honest with yourself here – select the meetings that feel like an absolute waste of your time. Then delete them.
If this is too hard, try these steps:
Identify the meetings:
- During which you check emails, LinkedIn, Instagram or do anything else other than pay attention → delete the invite
- Which feel like they don’t add any value to your day → delete the invite
- Where you feel like you can’t add anything valuable → delete the invite
If it’s still too hard, move onto the next step
2) Be selective with how you spend your time
I know that there are some meetings which you feel you have to attend because not doing so would not look good. In these situations, here’s what you can do:
- Identify what’s valuable in those meetings and actively participate so you feel it’s been a good use of your time
- Ask for time on the agenda to share something that will be valuable to others
- Can you think of a way these meetings can be made more meaningful and valuable to everyone? Can they be shorter? A different format? Rotate who hosts and attends?
3) Block time for focused work
If your calendar is empty, people WILL fill it with meetings and other requests.
Look at your to-do list: when are you going to get this work done? In the time that’s left between meetings? This will dwindle from several hours on Monday to fewer and fewer time slots as the week progresses.
Block time for tasks as soon as they become your responsibility, so you can ensure there’s time to get them done.
This helps you communicate with stakeholders when they can expect results and allows you to shuffle things around depending on priorities and availability. Making time for focused work is essential and I’ve found that 1-2 hour blocks are the minimum you’ll need to do some deeper work and have time to think & do the thing.
4) Turn off notifications
Honestly, I don’t know how some people get anything done given the constant buzzing of their notifications as well as the pop ups on their screen. It is super distracting and my biggest recommendation is to turn them all off completely.
If you’re in the middle of writing code or creating a presentation, do you really need to know that your company just published a new white-paper for the Financial Services industry? Or that deliveroo has a special offer coming up?
Switching off notifications results in a more peaceful environment and really removes distractions. Turn off the sound and previews so you only get ‘interrupted’ when you choose to.
This includes slack and teams.
Side note: it’s also more respectful to others who can hear these pings and buzzers in the background during a meeting and can see your eyes dart across the screen.
5) Put your phone away
This is the ultimate game changer for productivity and it’ll take you right back to the year 2006 when you felt so much less distracted.
Put your phone in your bag, backpack, drawer, a different room. Out of sight, out of mind.
Pockets aren’t a great choice because it’s still right there.
Put it out of reach and feel your productivity and focus increase dramatically!
That’s it for now. My 5 favourite productivity tips and all without losing any sleep.
Have a great week!
Eva