What Does It Mean to be Productive?

What Does It Mean to Be Productive? Wouldn’t We All Like to Know That We discussed productivity in this week’s mastermind. I initiated this topic with the group and there was a lot of good discussion. This is a topic that has been in the forefront of my world recently. It comes from some of my recent posts of routines and journaling. One of the things that has become clear to me is that the word productivity is similar to the word success. From a worldly perspective both tend to be focused on things like money, cars, accolades, houses, jobs, etc. It’s not that any of these can’t be linked to productivity and success. Or that they are bad or wrong. It’s that this can be distracting and misleading if this is our focus. Focusing on the wrong things will lead us down the wrong path. Productivity is more than just getting things done. Productivity is doing the right things with efficiency and excellence, for a purpose that matters to you. I liked this definition from a Dave Ramsey, EntreLeadership post about productivity. It asked the question: do you ever feel like there’s more to-do list than day to do it? Some days are crazy—especially when you’re running a business. So how do you manage your day more productively? To have time to catch your breath and do the things you want to do most? By making some important priority shifts and habit changes. This isn’t about a scary or impossible overhaul. It’s about challenging the way you use the 24 hours you have in a day to get stuff done. That challenge begins with how you view productivity. Let’s take a look at what productivity really is and how to rework your priorities so you’re getting the right stuff done. Ever heard that if you treat everything like it’s the top priority, nothing really is? It’s true! We’ve all been guilty of moving from project to project (or problem to problem) without bothering to prioritize. And all we end up with is a big mess and a lot of wasted time. But all it takes to fix the problem is clarity on your daily priority. Notice we said “priority,” not “priorities.” You have plenty of things you want to accomplish in a day, but to boost your productivity, start with the absolute most important task you want to get done. Deciding what to do can be hard. Being productive is not about getting a lot done, it’s about getting the right things done. Here’s a list of tips for being more productive. - Remove things that you shouldn’t be doing - Schedule everything - Use time blocking - Turn off notifications - Set boundaries - Use an assistant - Delegate more - Stop multitasking - Get organized - Stand - Get in sync You can get an expanded explanation of these here. Being productive is easier than it first appears. You need to get clear about who you are and what your purpose is. This is the foundation of your mission. Once you’ve determined this, you can focus on what the first next thing you need to do is. We will discuss more about how to be productive next week. If you have questions, you can send them in the comments below or schedule a free 30-minute meeting.

What Does It Mean to be Productive?

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