Maximise Time & Stop Leaking Productivity
With the commencement of our current cohort of students undertaking the Strive & Thrive Course in Private Practice, one of the biggest issues being raised repeatably is time, or more specifically the lack of it. Reality says we have 24 hours max, and for mental and physical well-being most of us need to sleep around 7.5 - 8.5 hours (+ extra hour if you are pregnant). We discuss many strategies on during the Strive & Thrive Course but as I see it, there are two sensible ways to immediately improve your efficiency.
Maximise Productivity
To do this you first need to determine when you are most effective mentally (lark or owl) and use that time for high demand activities. I am generally a lark. At the moment I am on a 2-week sabbatical from the clinic and focus on writing for my Ph.D.: Introduction, Literature Review and a manuscript based on some Master's results. I have structured my day into 2-hour blocks (check out the Pomodoro Method as a concept and adapt for you) with the morning and afternoon blocks focused on the heavy lifting task of writing. For breaks (30 -60 mins), I have meals, do farm jobs, and undertake some intense exercise late afternoon.
Stop Leaking Time (say no or delay the unnecessary)
As the day progresses and I am losing clarity, I move towards lighter tasks. Up until this point all other programs on my computer are off and my phone elsewhere. In the evening I open up Mail, do web-based research and creative things (like writing this email). In essence, I structure my day to get the hardest mental tasks done early, cutting out all distractions and focus only on that task - all else is leaking energy and therefore time.
Multitasking
Oh, and my thoughts on multitasking are that when it comes to deep memory and constructing written arguments that flow and combine different ideas, I don't think you can multitask successfully. (See Deep Work by Carl Newport for more).
When I am doing jobs outside or exercising, then it is different. This is a chance to catch up on your favourite podcasts and music. You probably have a few health and life hacks, so here are five you might find interesting along the theme of entrepreneurship.
Accelerate Your Business Growth
The Accelerate Your Business Growth podcast is a twice-monthly show that provides advice and tips to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Al in the name: this podcast is all about and for entrepreneurs. The host Travis Lane Jenkins is a serial entrepreneur who talks to other entrepreneurs in order to provide listeners with advice on an array of topics related to running a business.
Entrepreneur on Fire is an interview podcast. John Lee Dumas interviews a new entrepreneur every day to provide listeners insights and advice that come from a wide variety of experiences.
As mentioned above - having ideas and then executing them requires an entirely different skill set. Beyond the To Do List covers tips and tricks for getting things done. If you’re great with ideas but struggle with execution, this is a good podcast to check out.
Ambitious Entrepreneur ShowAnnemarie Cross hosts the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show, which tackles a wide range of topics important to entrepreneurs, from cybersecurity to negotiating to social media and beyond. The episodes provide general knowledge that many new entrepreneurs are likely to benefit from.