Do you find at the end of your day that you still have a million things to do and you didn't accomplish any of it? Sometimes, it is useful to take the day apart piece by piece, see where we spent our time and then we can address where we were unproductive. Here are some areas to evaluate in your day.
Were you constantly interrupted with questions from your team? Could it be that you do not have systems in place so that everyone knows what to do and when? While it is frustrating for you to be constantly interrupted, think how frustrating it could be for your team. Take a look at the questions being asked, then you can hone in on where things are unclear. This is where you can begin creating the processes that will take care of the questions and the frustration.
Did you attend way too many meetings that day? Were they run efficiently? Did they end with goals accomplished and next steps in place? If not, begin by making it clear to all attending the purpose of the meeting and the expected outcome. Create an agenda and distribute it to everyone prior to the meeting, so attendees still have time to add items. Then make sure that the right people have been asked to attend. Depending on the meeting, invite those who fit with the purpose of the meeting. If you are looking for new ideas, specifically invite the creative people. If you have a project that needs a plan or has a plan ready to be executed, then invite the people that do that well. Some meetings might require all of the above to happen and would benefit from a variety of people. In general, the less people in a meeting, the more productive it will be and the more likely the outcome will be achieved.
At some point in the day, did you find yourself on Twitter or Facebook? Did you look at the clock and an hour had passed before you knew it? Assuming here that your social media is to promote your business and widen your network then it should be part of your work day. Set a time of the day to look at your social media,. preferably at the end of the day, or when your brain power is low. Set a timer on your phone, so you don't let the time just slip out from under you.
When we look at where our unproductive time is spent, it usually isn't just one area of our day that sucks up our time, but pieces here and there. Decide on one thing that you can change to be more productive, and commit to it for the week; whether it is starting processes for your business or organization, helping to improve meeting facilitation or being more conscious about time on social media.
At the end of the day instead of being surprised that you got nothing done, you will be amazed how being aware of how you spend your time will improve the quality of your time spent.
