Lisa Richards the founder/CEO of RPZL.
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Productivity can be challenging for leaders as they manage all the moving parts of their business such as strategy, logistics and employee relations, balancing with family, outside obligations, friends and more. I am a busy mother of two teenage daughters who are athletes and I run three companies. It is extremely important to learn important ways to improve how much I can do in a day.
Here are my best productivity hacks for staying at work, organized, and able to tackle every item on an ever-growing to-do list.
1. Find a to-do list that works for you.
I have a to-do list that I check daily for each of my three companies. Every morning I transfer the key action items to be completed from each individual company list to a master task list. i am analog; I don’t use electronics for my calendar, to-do list, or checkbook. Everything is on paper. It helps me to keep things in my memory when I write them down, be more productive and make my day go faster.
You can take a similar approach and create a master to-do list for yourself. The key to this is to create subcategories on your to-do list, such as important or time-sensitive items; important but non-urgent matters; and items that need to be done but are not urgent. It seems so simple and obvious, but I find this approach really helps.
2. Schedule meetings in 15 minute increments.
I don’t hold big, long meetings. Instead, I trust the people responsible for the task or job to make a decision. In my experience, too many people in a meeting are not productive because there are too many personalities, too many ideas, etc. Of course, there are occasional exceptions, but I do this so that I can focus on the business and critical action points, and make decisions on the spot if necessary. I make good decisions quickly without wasting time going back and forth. Guess what? If it was the wrong decision, I’ll learn from it.
One way you can cut down on the number and length of meetings you hold is to have as detailed an agenda as possible. Another way to eliminate (some, but not all) meetings is to send a well-organized bulleted email with information and/or tasks to delegate.
3. Don’t micromanage.
I hire people who have the same work ethic and organizational skills as I do. Some, frankly, are better than me at any set of skills, and I let them do their thing. I don’t micromanage and I feel like I get five times more out of the workday.
One way to do this is to talk to your employees about how they work best and structure your interactions with them accordingly. Do weekly or biweekly check-ins help? Would they rather be more autonomous with fewer meetings? Do meetings help them streamline their work and are questions answered? Learning how they work best can help you determine how best to support them, avoid micromanaging, and free up more of your own time.
4. Skip the phone if possible.
I prefer to hold face-to-face meetings and schedule time with friends and family for a fun night out for dinner or coffee to catch up. This prevents me from being distracted by my phone and helps me be present during working hours. To increase your productivity, consider keeping your own phone locked for a few hours, turning off your notifications, or storing your phone in a drawer while you’re at work.
I believe incorporating even a few of these tips can have incremental benefits to the overall flow of your workweek and, in turn, your productivity. As a leader, creating small services can have a big impact when it comes to day-to-day efficiency.
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