The law of supply and demand is not only concerned with the economy. It is equally essential when it comes to productivity. The more tasks you are responsible for, the more minor (and more valuable) your time will be.
“Productivity is never an accident. It’s always the result of a devotion to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
-–Paul J. Meyer.
The average level of productivity for all US workers has shifted upward. Still, it is the average American, not the top CEOs, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists, who are constantly looking for creative ways to achieve more. So what are the strategies and practices that these highly successful people incorporate into their professional and personal daily routines?
1. Don’t Screw up Your Sleep Schedule
It’s essential that from the beginning, you must focus on sticking to your regular sleep schedule.
Screwing up your sleep schedule is terrible. It is good to go to bed and to wake up at the same or similar time. You can add a 30-minute nap between your working hours. It might help with your productivity.
Just because you don’t have to wake up at your regular time to get ready and commute doesn’t mean it’s healthy to stay up late and drink wine while binge-watching your latest television addiction.
2. Set Daily Goals
Know what essential goals you want to work on each day.
You can sit every morning with a blank piece of paper and ask yourself, “How am I going to build my company today?” Doing so will help you identify the most important tasks you can accomplish throughout the day ahead, and saving your list lets you track your progress as you check things off.
How many days have elapsed with you looking back and going, “Man, I’m not even sure what I accomplished today.” Obviously, everyone has to spend time doing some degree of monthly or repetitive labor, but the work you do each day should contribute to your future success in some way or another.
Sometimes, using a list will help keep you on track and motivated because you’ll be able to take it one day at a time, rather than being overwhelmed by a bunch of unthinking thoughts or running from one thing to another trying to figure out how to spend your time.
3. Set Strict Limits On Meetings
If there’s one thing business leaders hate more than anything else, it’s outside meetings. They try to limit them as much as they can or just avoid them altogether.
A lot of time is wasted in meetings. Agendas are forgotten, topics are misplaced, and people get distracted. While some circumstances require workshops and more detailed presentations, a meeting on a single topic should rarely last more than 5-10 minutes.
You can limit meetings to eight people and maintain a ‘no agenda, no attendance’ policy. If the meeting host doesn’t already share a plan that clarifies what the meeting is about and what they need, you do not need to attend that meeting. For meetings you attend, make sure a designated notator can share their notes and action items later.
4. Spend 40% of Your Work Time on the Future
Find out:
- Which fields are already filled with the right person?
- In what areas can a person grow, and what can you do to encourage that person to grow to be ready for the new role?
- What is the position which is currently filled, but the person is not in the correct seat?
- What can you do about it soon to better prepare to meet the future? Which positions do not exist today but will need to be filled later?
Give priority to answers to these questions. Objectively map the human side of your company’s future.
5. Get Tunnel Vision
Try to focus only on the top few things that are really going to move the needle. Most people focus on 100 things they should be doing, which can be overwhelming and result in failure to accomplish anything really important. So you need to focus on those three to five things that you absolutely have to do.
6. Stay Connected to Other Managers
CEOs spent a lot of time with a broad group of senior leaders (32% of them with internal constituencies on average), often referred to as the top 100 (plus or minus).
Top 100 managers are often the driving force for execution in an organization, and direct contact with the CEO help align and motivate them. These leaders are also crucial to succession planning: Some will be candidates to replace most senior executives.
Given that people often belong to the younger generation, some may even eventually be candidates for the CEO’s successor. So getting to know them personally can prove to be very helpful.
Not surprisingly, CEOs should spend less time with lower-level managers (14% on average) and even less time with rank-and-file employees (about 6%, on average).
Also, the effective CEO needs to be careful to maintain a human face in the organization. They must remain accessible and find ways to engage meaningfully with employees at all levels. It keeps them in touch with what is actually happening in the company and helps them model and communicate organizational values to the entire workforce.
Relationships with employees at multiple levels also build the CEO’s legitimacy and credibility in employees’ eyes, which is essential to motivating and gaining their support.
Conclusion
Mindfulness and meditation have been proven to increase productivity and reduce stress, helping you stay aware of how you’re spending your time and be more present when you make decisions. However, another significant benefit lies in getting a productivity killer—especially multitasking.
Even something like keeping push notifications on or leaving your inbox open while you try to work can kill your ability to focus. By practicing mindfulness, blocking out unproductive activities from your schedule, and using digital marketing tools to audit your work habits, you can do more without overworking.