The Beginner’s Guide to Productivity

The Beginners Guide to Productivity

What is Productivity?

• Productivity by definition is the efficiency of a person or a system.
  The opposite of productivity is inefficiency, disorganization, and general ineffectiveness. All of us want to be productive and to be able to successfully whiz through our to-do lists on a daily basis. However, doing that is not always easy.
• Being productive at home and at work reduces stress.
• Productivity does not happen by accident but rather is it purposeful and planned.

How to start

• Make sure you have the tools you need to get the job done. This applies whether you are cleaning your house or building the Eiffel tower. You need supplies and manpower. The job won’t get done if you don’t have what you need to complete it.
• Take inventory of what you need and organize your supplies and line up the help you will need prior to starting your day or your project.

characteristics of a productive person

They Have a plan

• To have a productive day or a successful project, you have to have a plan. At the beginning of a work week, sit down and make a list of everything you need to do, every meeting that needs to be scheduled and every call that needs to be made
• Next, open up your calendar, whether is a paper calendar or an electronic calendar, plug in everything that was in your to do list
• Schedule breathing room. Things rarely go as scheduled or as easily and quickly as we think they will when we’re putting them on paper.
• Get help, if possible. Is there someone who can help with the tasks you absolutely do not have to do? Can someone else schedule the meeting rooms or order the party supplies? Productive people find ways to delegate the things they do not have to do.

They Set Goals

• Productive people set goals for themselves whether big or small.
• A goal might be to organize 5 files for the day or it could be to become the next vice president of the company. Regardless, it takes setting working toward goals to make it happen.

productive people put first things first

• Productive people put first things first. They organize their day around their priorities.
• They schedule tasks according to what is urgent and important.
• They avoid wasting time on distractions and interruptions. If at all possible, turn off email, turn off your phone and make yourself unavailable to interruptions.

They take action and follow through

• Productive people take action. It’s easy to sit down and come up with goals or plans but no one wins the prize without taking action.

They make sure they have what they need to get the job done

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productive people take breaks

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Keep the End in Mind

• Put up a picture of your end goal.

The Last Thing You Need to Know about Productivity

to Recap:

• To be truly productive, you need a plan.
• Prioritize your tasks. Put first things first.
• Take action
• Take breaks and reward yourself for a job well done.