2 Easy Productivity Hacks to Lead Better and Grow Faster

Elite performance requires productivity. But, too many leaders are wasting time and worrying that they don't have enough of it to accomplish their gargantuan goals. It comes at a cost--in terms of both the wasted time and the time worrying about not having enough of it.

The best leaders have habits that save them time. They have practices that allow them to get more done with the same amount of time that we all have. When it comes to leading better and growing faster, top leaders use productivity hacks to fit leadership development and personal growth into their already jammed schedule.

The following two hacks aren't necessarily about getting more done; they're about learning to be a better leader when we don't feel like we have enough time to learn new things and develop as a leader. These hacks are easy, and anyone with a commute to work or house choirs they need to complete can use them right away.

Leading Better & Growing Faster Hack #1

The best leaders turn their vehicle into a laboratory. They are constantly listening to books and podcasts. Research demonstrates that our commute back-and-forth to work is one of the most dreadful times of our day. The reason is that it can feel like a complete waste of time when we don't have enough of it in the first place.

The key is to stack your podcast episodes and audio books in a way that keeps you busy learning while you're on your way to or from work. Whether that's a subway ride, a nice walk, or time in your car, you can learn while you're on the go. You may be thinking that you like to listen to the radio or a talkshow, and that's fine too. But if you're trying to lead better and grow faster, you might need to give that up. And, most people are casually listening to music and shows that they don't even care about. If you're strategically listening to music you love so that you can relax, be my guest. But if you're "wasting" that time as many of us do, turn it into a hack for leadership growth.

Leading Better & Growing Faster Hack #2

Great leaders turn their house choirs into leadership lessons. Just as you can do with your commute, you can do the same with your vacuuming and decluttering routines. Have you ever spent an entire Sunday just preparing for the week? What are you listening to while that's unfolding? Sure, if you're blasting your favorite Grateful Dead album, it could be fun. Most folks just ruminate while they're doing mundane tasks.

How about the lunch preparation time? Same thing. Fit leaders spend a lot of time on meal-prep and even packing lunches for the kids. What if that was also time to learn and grow as a leader by using podcasts and audio books? By the way, house choirs are another one of the leading causes of unhappy times in our lives, leaving us with an empty feeling about our time when we could be filling our cups.

Final Thoughts about Leading Development

A final argument for the use of these hacks is that your capacity to lead better is contingent on your capacity to learn better. Your leadership is limited by your ability to grow. Without an investment in yourself, it only becomes more difficult to invest in others.

Want more leadership hacks? Follow theschoolhouse302.com for blog posts, books to read, podcasts, and more.