I have a lot of work that I need to get done over the next few months and recently I realise that my current work structure wasn’t going to get it done. So, I decided to experiment with some changes to improve my productivity. I took out my pen and paper and I started writing down several things I could try to improve my productivity. When I felt that I had captured everything, I took a break before returning to evaluate the likely effectiveness of each idea. Of course, I couldn’t be certain how effective any change was going to be until I made it but I used my intuition and experience to make a qualified guess. Then when I had determined the best changes to improve my productivity; I set about putting them into action.
Note: these changes have worked for me so far but the only way you will know for certain what will work for you is to experiment.
I have a lot of work that I need to get done over the next few months and recently I realise that my current work structure wasn’t going to get it done. So, I decided to experiment with some changes to improve my productivity. I took out my pen and paper and I started writing down several things I could try to improve my productivity. When I felt that I had captured everything, I took a break before returning to evaluate the likely effectiveness of each idea. Of course, I couldn’t be certain how effective any change was going to be until I made it but I used my intuition and experience to make a qualified guess. Then when I had determined the best changes to improve my productivity; I set about putting them into action.
Note: these changes have worked for me so far but the only way you will know for certain what will work for you is to experiment.
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5 Changes to improve my productivity
5 Changes to improve my productivity
The following are the 5 changes I made to improve my productivity. To date, they have been successful and I am very pleased with the results.
The following are the 5 changes I made to improve my productivity. To date, they have been successful and I am quite pleased with the results.
1. Changed my view
1. Changed my view
I work from home and my desk was facing the wall. This was due to the size of the desk. It is incredibly large for a home office desk and I was worried that turning it around to face the windows would take up too much space in the room. After all it wasn’t just a matter of turning the desk around; I needed to leave enough room between the desk and the wall to fit my chair; with some extra room for moving around comfortably.
Another reason for doing this was for recording purposes. I have to record audio and videos and with the desk facing the wall, my microphone was facing the window and picking up all the traffic noise. By turning the desk, I would also be pointing my microphone away from the window and hopefully picking up less traffic noise.
This change to improve my productivity has worked a treat. The quality of my recording has improved significantly but the benefit from changing the view is beyond measure. Seeing the sunlight, even on an October day, works wonders for the mood. It is much easier to stay working at my desk and I just get a lot more done. I am not a Feng Shui expert but if your desk faces a wall, I would urge you to change it, if possible.
Related article: How to maintain perspective when things go wrong
I work from home and my desk was facing the wall. This was due to the size of the desk. It is incredibly large for a home office desk and I was worried that turning it around to face the windows would take up too much space in the room. After all it wasn’t just a matter of turning the desk around; I needed to leave enough room between the desk and the wall to fit my chair, with some extra room for moving around comfortably.
Another reason for doing this was for recording purposes. I have to record audio and videos and with the desk facing the wall, my microphone was facing the window and picking up all the traffic noise. By turning the desk, I would also be pointing my microphone away from the window and hopefully picking up less traffic noise.
This change to improve my productivity has worked a treat. The quality of my recording has improved significantly but the benefit from changing the view isn’t even quantifiable. Seeing the sunlight, even on an October works wonders for the mood. It is much easier to stay working at my desk and I just get a lot more done. I am not a Feng Shui expert but if your desk faces a wall, I would urge you to change it, if possible.
2. Added variety
2. Added variety
If you are a regular reader, you may have noticed that I no longer produce just text based articles on the blog. I have recently added audio articles where I talk you through a tip. Of course, this was made much easier by changing the desk around, as detailed above. But there is a much more important reason for this which makes it one of the great changes to improve my productivity.
That reason is that it takes less time to produce audio articles. I don’t have to be as detailed with language and I don’t have to type it up or proofread it so thoroughly because there is only a small amount of text on the page. I just have to choose the topic, make some bullet points I want to mention, hit record and talk. After that, there is a very small amount of editing before publishing. I can produce two audio articles much quicker than I can produce one text based article.
This allows me to save a lot of time while adding more quality, more variety and more value for my readers.
If you are a regular reader, you may have noticed that I no longer produce just text based articles on the blog. I have recently added audio articles where I talk you through a tip. Of course, this was made much easier by changing the desk around, as detailed above. But there is a much more important reason for this which makes it one of the great changes to improve my productivity.
That reason is that it takes less time to produce audio articles. I don’t have to be as detailed with language and I don’t have to type it up or proofread it so thoroughly because there is only a small amount of text on the page. I just have to choose the topic, make some bullet points I want to mention, hit record and talk. After that, there is a very small amount of editing before publishing. I can produce two audio articles much quicker than I can produce one text based article.
This allows me to save a lot of time while adding more quality, more variety and more value for my readers.
Simple changes can massively improve your productivity
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3. Changed the structure
3. Changed the structure
I took an honest look at the structure of my working week to see how I could move things around in a way that allowed me to do everything I needed and wanted to do while improving my productivity. I knew that I could make changes to improve my productivity just by ensuring the same activities were done at more appropriate times. In fact, the only big new thing I added was a return to the gym after almost two years recovering from injuries.
The following are some of the structural changes I made to improve my productivity:
I took an honest look at the structure of my working week to see how I could move things around in a way that allowed me to do everything I needed and wanted to do while improving my productivity. I knew that I could make changes to improve my productivity just by ensuring the same activities were done at more appropriate times. In fact, the only big new thing I added was a return to the gym after almost two years recovering from injuries.
The following are some of the structural changes I made to improve my productivity:
- I stopped reading first thing in the morning. I moved that reading to night time when I am in bed. This helps me to fall asleep quicker.
- I go to the gym at 7:30 am three times per week. This has also improved the quality of my sleep and increased my energy.
I go to the gym at 7:30 am three times per week. This has also improved the quality of my sleep and increased my energy.
- I now have all my articles for the week created by lunch time Wednesday, leaving the rest of the week for product creation.
I now have all my articles for the week created by lunch time Wednesday, leaving the rest of the week for product creation.
- I record video courses and audios on Monday afternoon and in the evenings.
I record video courses and audios on Monday afternoon and in the evenings.
- I do a lot less work. There were many things I was doing that I just stopped doing. I didn’t really think about it; I just stopped doing them.
I do a lot less work. There were many things I was doing that I just stopped doing. I didn’t really think about it; I just stopped doing them.
There are two distinctive parts to my business:
There are two distinctive parts to my business:
By improving the structure of my day and my week, I have finally found a way to comfortably fit both in to my schedule without creating a bundle of stress.
Resource: The Modern Professional's Guide to Organisation and Focus
By improving the structure of my day and my week, I have finally found a way to comfortably fit both in to my schedule without creating a bundle of stress.
4. Dropped the end result
4. Dropped the end result
I am a perfectionist by nature, I have an inner fear that people will disapprove of what something that I do, say or create. I have ditched the perfectionism in most areas of my life but I had to accept that I still had that mentality in my business. I found myself constantly putting things off because I was convinced it wasn’t perfect.
It has taken some time to get rid of this mentality but I am gradually getting there. The biggest change I have made is to drop the end result. What I mean by this is that I stop focusing on the end result because the end result is not within my control. I cannot control how many people like an article or purchase a product. All I can do is to do the best job I can with the time, knowledge and resources available to me. Some of what I do will be well received while other stuff will sink like a lead balloon. But so be it.
What I have found since making this mindset change is that I am more focused, work quicker and I am more excited by and in love with my work than I have been for some time.
Related article: The problem of perfectionism
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I am a perfectionist by nature, I have an inner fear that people will disapprove of what something that I do, say or create. I have ditched the perfectionism in most areas of my life but I had to accept that I still had that mentality in my business. I found myself constantly putting things off because I was convinced it wasn’t perfect.
It has taken some time to get rid of this mentality but I am gradually getting there. The biggest change I have made is to drop the end result. What I mean by this is that I stop focusing on the end result because the end result is not within my control. I cannot control how many people like an article or purchase a product. All I can do is to do the best job I can with the time, knowledge and resources available to me. Some of what I do will be well received while other stuff will sink like a lead balloon. But so be it.
What I have found since making this mindset change is that I am more focused, work quicker and I am more excited by and in love with my work than I have been for some time.
5. Ditched the deadline
5. Ditched the deadline
I have so much to do over the coming months that if I think about it all it can be overwhelming. I have never done many of the things that I am now trying to do so it is virtually impossible for me to set accurate deadlines.
When you set inaccurate deadlines, you end up causing yourself stress. You tend to underestimate how long things will take because you don’t know everything that is required to complete the project. Then when you fail to meet the deadline, you feel bad and your confidence takes a nose dive. In addition, every time you think about all the projects you have to complete, you overwhelm yourself and you wonder how you could possibly get it all done by the relevant deadlines. Getting stressed and losing confidence like this reduces your productivity which causes you to fall further behind.
So, if you haven’t done it before and you have no real idea how long it will take; don’t set a deadline as it serves no beneficial purpose. And if you must set a deadline, allow plenty of contingency time. I assure you that except for my recurring weekly tasks, I have not deadlines at present and yet I am making more progress than I have ever done before.
Note: I am not against using deadlines where they are necessary and/or where there is good reason for them.
Discover quick strategies you can implement to improve your productivity with Quick Fixes for Your Productivity.
I have so much to do over the coming months that if I think about it all it can be overwhelming. I have never done many of the things that I am now trying to do so it is virtually impossible for me to set accurate deadlines.
When you set inaccurate deadlines, you end up causing yourself stress. You tend to underestimate how long things will take because you don’t know everything that is required to complete the project. Then when you fail to meet the deadline, you feel bad and your confidence takes a nose dive. In addition, every time you think about all the projects you have to complete, you overwhelm yourself and you wonder how you could possibly get it all done by the relevant deadlines. Getting stressed and losing confidence like this reduces your productivity which causes you to fall further behind.
So, if you haven’t done it before and you have no real idea how long it will take; don’t set a deadline as it serves no beneficial purpose. And if you must set a deadline, allow plenty of contingency time. I assure you that except for my recurring weekly tasks, I have not deadlines at present and yet I am making more progress than I have ever done before.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I recently realised that my current productivity approach was not going to allow me to complete all the work I need to get done over the coming months. So, I decided to make some changes to improve my productivity. After some careful consideration, I identified the changes which I believed would work for me and I implemented them. Thankfully, I have seen some great results. This is something you really should consider doing if you find yourself in a slump. None of the changes I made were complicated or excessive and yours don’t have to be either. A few small changes can make a world of difference. You just need the courage to be honest with yourself and experiment.
I recently realised that my current productivity approach was not going to allow me to complete all the work I need to get done over the coming months. So, I decided to make some changes to improve my productivity. After some careful consideration, I identified the changes which I believed would work for me and I implemented them. Thankfully, I have seen some great results. This is something you really should consider doing if you find yourself in a slump. None of the changes I made were complicated or excessive and yours don’t have to be either. A few small changes can make a world of difference. You just need the courage to be honest with yourself and experiment.
