Have you read any productivity books or blogs lately? Productivity is a HOT topic and one that we can all learn from. But, with all of the information circulating about increasing your productivity, you might be wondering where to start!
If quitting your multitasking habit or only checking your email three times a day is too scary, I have one exercise that is easy and can make a huge difference in your work! This practice is all about finding the best time of day to work on certain tasks—finding your time.
Pay Attention to Your Body Your first step towards finding your time is to begin noticing and paying attention to your body. For example, do you wake up early to respond to emails, but already feel exhausted by 9:00am? That’s a sign that you should either sleep later or save emails for the afternoon. On the other hand, are you the most creative after eating lunch, around 1:00pm? Then, start scheduling your creative projects for the afternoon. Are you catching on? By scheduling specific tasks for the time that you’re best suited to work on that project, you will save time, frustration, and you’ll create better work!
Be Patient & Practice. Finding your time will take some practice and patience—this is OK. Spend a few weeks experimenting with your tasks and scheduling. Maybe you’ve always wanted to exercise in the morning, so you give it a try but you’re ready for a nap by lunch time. Recognize that what you want and what you need might be different, so try switching your workout to the afternoon. You won’t find the perfect time the first time, but don’t give up!
Be Flexible. If you’re lucky enough to be a leader and have a team who reports to you, be flexible with their needs. As you may know, I am the founder of Be Inspired Salon in Madison, WI and my team of stylists are ALL millennials. After building my team, I quickly realized that their work preferences differ—often significantly—from mine. Sometimes as leaders, we expect others to follow in our footsteps simply because we did it this way and we know it works. However, I’ve learned to compromise, set boundaries, and be flexible. If you have an employee who wants to come into the office at 6:00am and leave at 2:00pm, be open to their needs! Don’t get stuck in a traditional mindset at the expense of happy and productive employees.
Are you ready to find your time? Give it a try, and share your results and other productivity tips with me on social media!