A lot of people, including myself, will create goals for the New Year around work productivity.
Productivity is the amount of work an individual or group accomplishes within a certain amount of time. Greater productivity means you complete more with less time or effort. You can measure accomplishments by the quality of the work, the number of tasks finished, or the amount of product created.
Why is productivity important?
1. People with higher levels of productivity can reduce their stress levels.
2. Increasing your productivity may help your overall health and wellness.
3. Greater productivity helps boost your engagement with your work.
4. Improving the quality or quantity of your work can increase your body's production of endorphins.
Check out some tools, and models below that can help with this.
Do you use any of them? Do they work for you?
Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the late 1980s by then-university student Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo was struggling to focus on his studies and complete assignments. Feeling overwhelmed, he asked himself to commit to just 10 minutes of focused study time. Encouraged by the challenge, he found a tomato (pomodoro in Italian) shaped kitchen timer, and the Pomodoro technique was born.
First, break down complex projects into smaller, actionable steps. This ensures that you make clear progress on your projects and helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Second, combine small tasks that will take less than one Pomodoro. For example, "vacuum floor," "book dentist appointment," and "read article" could go together in one session.
Finally, once a Pomodoro is set, it must ring. The Pomodoro is an indivisible unit of time and should not be interrupted by incoming emails, team chats, or text messages. Instead, any tasks or requests that come up should be noted to return to later.
In the event of an unavoidable disruption, take your five-minute break and start again.
Eisenhower Matrix
This method, presented by Dwight D. Eisenhower, helps organize tasks by urgency and importance so that you can tackle your most critical work first. In a 1954 speech, Eisenhower quoted an unnamed university president who said, "I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent."
Quadrant one is for urgent and important tasks that must be done now and affect your long-term goals.
Quadrant two is for important but not urgent tasks that can be scheduled for later. Use time management techniques like the Pareto principle or Pomodoro method to tackle these.
Quadrant three is for urgent but not important tasks that can be delegated to other members of your team. This is a great way to manage your workload and give your team the opportunity to expand their skill set.
Finally, quadrant four is for unimportant, non-urgent tasks that can simply be deleted from your list.
By organizing your tasks into these four quadrants, you can prioritize your workload and focus on what really matters.
3-3-3 Method
What exactly is the 3-3-3 rule? This technique comes from Oliver Burkeman, author of "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals". He advocates planning each workday around a 3-3-3 model, first devoting three hours to deep work on your most important project.
It’s a method of breaking down tasks into manageable chunks of time. The idea is to work on a task for 3 sets of 3 minutes, taking a short break in between each set.
By doing this, you can eliminate distractions and maintain focus while also giving yourself regular breaks to recharge.
2 Minute Rule
In a world where time is money, the 2-minute rule has emerged as a revolutionary concept that can significantly impact personal and professional productivity. Understanding the essence of the 2-minute rule, its roots, and its applicability is crucial for individuals seeking to enhance their time management skills and streamline their daily tasks.
The 2-minute rule is a simple yet effective concept that involves taking immediate action on any task that can be completed in 2 minutes or less. By doing so, individuals can avoid procrastination, reduce mental clutter, and increase their productivity. The 2-minute rule has its roots in David Allen's book "Getting Things Done," where he suggests that if a task can be completed in less than 2 minutes, it should be done immediately.
The applicability of the 2-minute rule is universal. It can be used by anyone, regardless of their profession or daily routine. Whether you are a student, a working professional, or a stay-at-home parent, implementing the 2-minute rule can significantly enhance your time management skills and help you achieve your goals.
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