In order to stay at the top of your professional game and reach the level of success that you want, mastering productivity seems to be critical. Have you noticed how the most successful entrepreneurs share this trait? They always seem to have more hours in the day. Our photographer and blogger, Lauren highlights how you can too….
Beware of shiny object syndrome
Creative entrepreneurs and those building exciting new start ups are often prone to this syndrome, which means that you tend to abandon projects half way through to chase after something new and exciting that has just caught your eye. You don’t tend to know which ideas or projects have real potential as you’re always off onto the next thing. This really drains your productivity and means you lack focus. To help avoid this common trap, make sure you fully commit to your decisions by always following them up with action. As soon as you take action on a goal, you’re committed.
Use your LinkedIn profile as a business card directory
What do you do when you go to a networking event and feel really pleased to have met someone brilliant that you think could become a great contact? Do you stick their business card in a drawer and then end up frantically trying to find it a few weeks later when you’re dying to contact them about a great new idea or project? If this is you, you probably know this is not a productive way to work and means you could be losing out on vital connections. Using your LinkedIn profile is a perfect way to solve this problem. As soon as you meet someone, connect with them on LinkedIn by sending them an introductory message with the name and date of the event where you met, so you can both remember how you’re connected. Then when you need to get in touch, they are already right there in your LinkedIn contacts.
Focus on what’s important
You work flat out all day, you’re completely sapped of energy and yet you can’t put your finger on one significant thing you’ve achieved. Sound familiar? It could be that you’re mixing up urgent tasks with important ones. Calls, texts and emails are all urgent as they require immediate attention, but are they actually important in the bigger picture? Will they help you achieve your long term goal? Take a look at the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, which is a simple grid that features in lots of business coaching courses. It shows you how to rank tasks according to importance, so you can stop fire fighting and take back control of how you spend your time.