Can we Improve Productivity ?

In Agile World , one thing is persistence is "CHANGE" . But are we able to manage and navigate through the changes we face everyday ?

You would agree, sometimes simple business case , which looks very straight forward, may be a 2 step activity , could end up taking a snowbal effect and becomes the largest business usecase taking a year long implementation process.

While we can debate on who is the culprit here - ask your self ,

• Are you a part of Problem ?

Or

• Are you part of Solution ?

Gimmick is have you identified what is the problem , yet. Have you done any deep thinking, and defined what is your problem statement ? Let me start with how well you define - "WHAT IS PRODUCTIVITY? "

What is Productivity?

" Productivity is a measure of efficiency of a person completing a ( A Single task ) task. "

?We often assume that productivity means getting more things done each day.

Wrong. Productivity is getting important things done consistently. And no matter what you are working on, there are only a few things that are truly important.

Being productive is about maintaining a steady, persistence on what you do , not maximum speed on everything.

Often it is a fine balance between

• Task Management
• Time Management
• Emotion Management

Top Productivity Stratergies :

Eliminate Time Wasting Activities by Using the Eisenhower Box: The Eisenhower Matrix is a way to organize tasks by urgency and importance, so you can effectively prioritize your most important work.?

This simple decision matrix will help you?take action, organize tasks, and get more done.

One can distribute the tasklist among the 4 quadrants of matrix and Plan the TO-DO list .The great thing about this matrix is that it can be used for broad productivity plans (“How should I spend my time each week?”) and for smaller, daily plans (“What should I do today?”).

1. Colour-code the Tasks to visualize the important tasks.
2. Limit the Task to 10 per quadrant . This depends on Individual apetite though . Length and breadth fo tasks also plays a role.
3. Make a To-Do List
4. Eliminate or Push back not so important task and Prioritize the mplortant ones.
5. Look for what you can delegate and yet achieve great quality
6. Lastly , Trust you team

Warren Buffett’s 5/25 Rule: How to Maximize Your Focus and Master Your Priorities:

My personal opinion , if you want to live the sense of achievement, it should be holistic - Personal , Professional , Physical, Emotional and Financial .

The philosophy of the rule is deceptively simple.

• Start with a broad range of 25 significant goals, aspirations, and dreams, spanning across various domains of your life — career, personal growth, relationships, health, or financial prosperity.
• Prioritize them, and then focus on the top 5 items while ignoring the rest. Carving out the priority will help to increase your focus, achieve your goals faster, and ultimately become more productive.
• The 5/25 rule is based on the idea that too many tasks and distractions can dilute our focus and lead to less effective outcomes.

By narrowing our focus to just a few key tasks, we can channel our energy and attention toward achieving our most important goals.

But how do we determine which tasks are the most important? Buffett suggests creating a comprehensive list of all the tasks you need to complete, then prioritizing them based on their importance and urgency. This process helps you identify the tasks that will have the biggest impact on your success and allows you to allocate your time and resources accordingly.

Once you've identified the top five tasks on your list, it's time to focus on them exclusively

Eat the Biggest Frog First :

Eat the frog is a time management strategy used to accomplish two main goals:

1. Achieve constant progress on your top priorities, making them easier to manage
2. Build resilience and momentum into daily schedule, by taking away the most difficult or worrisome tasks on your agenda first

How do we start our day at work ? Most of the time washing the dirty laundries in Public . Then think on the critisims you recieve. So how do you start your workday ?

It's actually quite simple: all you have to do is identify the tasks that are your biggest priorities and that also weigh most heavily on your consciousness. These tasks are your "frogs." They can often feel big and ugly and unpleasant, but the good news is that, once you clean them off your plate, the rest of the day won't be so bad.

Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.

How to eat the Frogs ?

• Prioritize the WOrk to identify the Frog .Select something that can be completed in a few hours.
• If More than 1 frog exists, eat the biggest frog first ??
• Work on your tasks early in the morning .
• Once completed, work on less critical task

So next time you have a jar full of frogs, sort them to fetch the one would need more time and complexity . Stay assured, it's as easy as you start untanggiling a messed up yarn bundle .You just need the one end of thread.

The Pomodoro Technique :

Pomodore techinique mostly talks about how effectively one can manage their time to maximize the productivity

The Pomodoro Technique includes five basic steps:

1. Decide on the task you need to do
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes
3. Focus only on your task until the timer rings
4. Take a five-minute break
5. After every four Pomodoros, take a longer 15–30 minute break

Pushing yourself to work consistently for too many hours can create mental fatigue and contribute to mental exhaustion. In the 5 min Pomodoro Break , you can completely detach yourself from the task and detox your eyes- look out of the screen, leave the desk and come back and resume the task . Your brain will be more processed and able to think effectively .

Looking for more articles about productivity? I have a full list at the bottom of this page.

Simple Ways to Be More Productive Every Day

Step 1:?Manage your energy, not your time.

If you take a moment to think about it, you’ll probably realize that you are better at doing certain tasks at certain times.?What type of energy do you have in the morning? Afternoon? Evening??Determine what tasks each energy level and time of day are best suited for.

Step 2:?Prepare the night before.

If you only do one thing each day then spend a few minutes each night organizing your to–do list for tomorrow. When I do it right, I’ll outline the article I’m going to write the next day and develop a short list of the most important items for me to accomplish. It takes 10 minutes that night and saves 3 hours the next day.

Step 3:?Don’t open email until noon.

Sounds simple. Nobody does it. It took me awhile to get over the urge to open my inbox, but eventually I realized that everything can wait a few hours. Nobody is going to email you about a true emergency (a death in the family, etc.), so leave your email alone for the first few hours of each day. Use the morning to do what’s important rather than responding to what is “urgent.”

Step 4:?Turn your phone off and leave it in another room.

Or on your colleague’s desk. Or at the very least, put it somewhere that is out of sight. This eliminates the urge to check text messages, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. This simple strategy eliminates the likelihood of slipping into half–work where you waste time dividing your attention among meaningless tasks.

Step 5:?Work in a cool place.

Have you ever noticed how you feel groggy and sluggish in a hot room? Turning the temperature down or moving to a cooler place is an easy way to focus your mind and body. (Hat tip to Michael Hyatt for this one.)

Step 6:?Sit up or stand up.

When you sit hunched over, your chest is in a collapsed position and your diaphragm is pressing against the bottom of your lungs, which hinders your ability to breathe easily and deeply. Sit up straight or stand up and you’ll find that you can breathe easier and more fully. As a result, your brain will get more oxygen and you’ll be able to concentrate better.

Step 7:?Develop a “pre–game routine” to start your day.

My morning routine starts by pouring a cold glass of water. Some people kick off their day with ten minutes of meditation. Similarly, you should have a sequence that starts your morning ritual. This tiny routine signals to your brain that it’s time to get into work mode or exercise mode or whatever mode you need to be in to accomplish your task. Additionally, a pre–game routine helps you overcome a lack of motivation and get things done even when you don’t feel like it.