Creating a Culture of Productivity | Reset and Refocus

The delay in major aged care reform is to be appreciated; it provides time for Boards, Executives and Leaders to take stock and reset focus. Aged care has been very fast paced and every Provider we work with has efficiency and effectiveness as a top priority - wanting to be sure everyone is on the right track and not getting lost in the reeds.?

Leaders in aged care, and pretty much every other setting, often face one of the greatest challenges which is being interrupted on a continuous basis. Quite the challenge when responsiveness and being present are considered key attributes of an engaged leader.

So this brought my mind to productivity and how leaders can bring about some simple but effectives productivity hacks to support that reset and refocus.

To do this you need to involve your team:

1. Prioritising the right focus
2. Getting time for deep focus
3. Creating space to get work done

Prioritising the right focus

You probably have? multiple teams — all of which have different objectives. From your strategic team to the? leaders focussed on the operational side, their objectives come with a long list of varying initiatives.?

As a manager, facilitate effective day-to-day prioritisation by defining clear goals and organising a task list for each team member. Then, work with them to mutually understand what’s important, what’s urgent, and what can be delayed so everyone is on the same page and aware of what’s expected of them.

Encouraging your team to implement day-to-day prioritisation practices so they can set themselves up to make the most of their time and accomplish the right objectives. It can look something like this:?

1. Create a task list
2. Determine the importance of each task based on initiatives
3. Tackle intense, high-effort tasks first?
4. Focus on one task at a time?
5. Communicate with your team so everyone’s aligned

Getting time for deep focus?

Leaders, whether you like to acknowledge this or not, you choose every moment how to use your time and it's important to know how to use that time to truly focus on producing that intellectual output. This requires deep concentration and thinking — and a culture that fosters “deep work” periods provides them opportunity for both.?

Deep work is a state of peak concentration that allows you to produce a high-quality level of output with zero distractions. The term was originally coined by Georgetown University Computer Science Professor Cal Newport, who said your brain works at its maximum potential when you’re in a state of distraction-free concentration.?

Basically, it means that in order to be as productive as possible, it’s important to set aside long periods of time each week (or even day) to log out of all communication tools and work without interruption.?

Encourage your team to try this method out by starting with 60-90 minutes of distraction-free minutes at a time. Remember, this doesn’t mean using the time to knock out day to day tasks ?that can easily be performed while distracted — it’s meant to be a space for your brain to stretch its muscles and accomplish the tough stuff.?

To help your team get started, share with them the following five rules:?

1. Create a ritual: Studies show that our brains remember things easier with specific associations — meaning you can build rituals that trigger your brain to know when it’s time to focus. This can include your workspace, times of day, specific materials needed, and more.?
2. Focus on one task: Deep work requires you to decide on one task to work on during the period, and deciding in advance what that task is will prevent you from multitasking.?
3. Reduce distractions: Turn off notifications and put your phone out of sight so you’re not tempted to throw off your flow. Create space in open offices to flag to others you are working quietly and with full concentration
4. Schedule recharge time: Prevent burnout and make your deep work process more sustainable by setting aside time each day to fully disconnect from work.?
5. Track progress toward goals: Set a goal for how many hours you’ll spend on deep work each day, and slowly increase it as you progress to sustain your practice over time.?

Space to get work done?

As a provider of human services , you’re selling your team’s ability to produce a great lived experience to older people. And in order to actually do that, they need a solid amount of time to do what they do best — instead of having each day broken up with blocks of meetings that result in a loss of focus.?

According to a study on meetings by AI company Otter.ai , 35% of employees waste two to five hours a day in meetings — from which no tangible outcome is produced. This likely doesn’t come as a surprise to you given today’s heavy meeting culture, which is probably why the concept of “no-meeting” days is a growing trend among professional services firms.?

Not only are no-meeting days trending, they’ve also proven to have quite the impact. A study by MIT found that when companies banned meetings one day a week, productivity rose by 35%. And when they implemented two no-meeting days, productivity rose by a whopping 71%.?

At Anchor Excellence we try to schedule our meetings on a Friday when it's less likely our clients will need us!

Ready to test the theory? You can get started with your team with the following five steps:?

1. Get everyone on board: Present your challenge and its potential benefits to your team and ask for feedback.?
2. Do a trial run: Start on a trial basis to test if it works for your team and give them a chance to adapt.?
3. Communicate your intentions: Let your broader team and staff know what to expect in terms of communication during no-meeting hours.?
4. Have a strategy for unplanned meetings: You’ll inevitably run into meeting requests on no-meeting days and set a practice for determining what you can reschedule and when it might be necessary to bend the “rules.”
5. Evaluate, adapt: Seek feedback from your team, discuss the results, and ask if they want to make any changes to approach before continuing on.

Like to improve your impactful leadership? Reach out for high performing team workshops, leadership development and mentoring.

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