It’s a New Year people!!
Happy New Year to all our Leading Ladies around the world. This year, we’re not just getting busy for the sake of it, we are securing a bigger bag, slaying at the same time, getting bigger, better and bolder. Can we get an amen to that?
Let’s get serious. 2019 came with its many ups and downs, but we all scaled through. While many people achieved their goals and dreams, some others were left wishing that last year could have gotten better. If you are the latter, trust us, it’s not too late. 2020 has just begun, this means that you have the chance to pick up the pieces and glue them all back. As a matter of fact, you have a chance to discard old things (after all, old things have passed away), turn a new page and write on it.
One way to make the best use of your 2020 is by being productive and productivity can be achieved by the little things you do. Those little steps you take, those little words of affirmation that you say to yourself, those little things you see, those little outings you make, amongst other things, will ensure your productivity this year.
So how can you be productive?
Make your bed every morning
This might look very little, but spreading your bed every morning is an act of discipline, and discipline is a major factor that aids productivity. You cannot be productive if you are not disciplined. If you cannot be disciplined enough to do things as little as spreading your bed or drinking water regularly, how would you be disciplined to start bigger tasks and finish it? Especially when you don’t need to answer to anyone? So you want to be productive? Start by making your bed every morning.
Pay attention to your mental health
A lot of people take care of their physical health, their businesses, careers and so on, but what about your mental health, do you pay attention to it? Have you been anxious lately, scared of the unknown, been hearing voices in your head? Do you wake up each day with your heart beating hard? You need to seek help! You should realize that you cannot be productive if you are not mentally healthy. This year, let’s pay attention to our mental health, shall we?
Cut down on meetings
Meeting, meetings, meetings, it’s time to agree that we need to cut down on these. There are many ways you can have virtual meetings and co-ordinate your staff online. You can have conference calls, make use of Zoom, Skype and so on to have video calls. Except if there are emergencies that need to be attended to ASAP, there’s no need to spend hours in that conference room arguing over one point.
Perfect is the enemy of good
We all want to do things perfectly and ensure that everything is in order. But perfection can ultimately be your enemy, and that is because your idea of perfection might be an illusion and send you on a rat-chase. This .is not a call for you to be mediocre, it is a call for you to choose your battles wisely. Know when something is good enough and know when you need to put in more effort. Don’t drill away at something that is in respectable shape, move on to other tasks.
Tackle must-dos first
Learn to schedule your post and categorize them according to their urgency, time-frame, and workload. While it is advisable to start with less strenuous tasks and get them out of the way, it is also important to tackle must-dos first. The best way to be productive is to do urgent/essential tasks first, followed by less urgent tasks. This will ensure that you are not rushing your tasks because the deadline is near and getting flustered because you cannot meet up.
Learn, learn and learn
A productive person is someone who is always willing to learn. You cannot know it all, so you have to keep acquiring more knowledge to stay in tune with the ever-changing world we live in.
Take time out
Learn to unwind. Take some time to flex, enjoy life and be on your own. If you are a business owner, take your staff to dinner, have an ‘office bonding’ session. Give them some time off too. By the end of all this, you’ll realize that you are more refreshed and your staff is happy. Contrary to popular opinions, overworking your staff does not make them productive. Know when to work and know when to take a break.
Here we are Leading Ladies, do you have other productivity hacks that work for you? Go ahead and share them with us.
