Given the continual email bombardment that we’re under and the constant demands on our time, it’s no surprise that our productivity levels as individuals (and as a nation) are nose-diving. I went in search of some answers with the ‘Productivity Ninja’, +Graham Allcott.
So Graham, what is your definition of productivity?
GA: Achieving what you want to achieve for the least possible effort. Efficiency plays into it. Lots of people have lots of ambition but it’s how you manage your attention to get to those things and avoid those distractions. How do you measure it? Lots of people spend a lot of time moving all their stuff, obsessing about the perfect email. Ultimately, did you achieve what you wanted to, whatever your definition of success might be?
Give us a few top email/inbox management tips.
GA: The ultimate aim is to keep your inbox to zero. What most people find is that their inbox takes on five different jobs, for example where email lands, for reading stuff, waiting on somebody else, sending email reminders to yourself etc. The idea of inbox zero is to create a few folders (to action, to read, pending etc.) so that you get to the stage where there is never any reason to leave anything in your inbox.
Onto email etiquette – any advice in this area?
GA: The way to look at it is how do we make email etiquette as compelling an idea as say getting your inbox to zero? What we find is that people tend to copy others in their organisation, particularly more senior colleagues, depending on the company culture. So one way would be to discuss bugbears with these people, facilitate a dialogue and set some ground rules. One tip is to leave the subject line until last and to make it as appealing and functional to the person on the receiving end.
You’re not a fan of multitasking, are you?
GA: Multitasking is rapidly refocusing one thing onto another, which is tiring. What I’m saying is that sequential monotasking – bringing each task to its natural conclusion point – is a much better way to operate. The cult of being busy takes over so you need discipline to scream out the distractions. Get comfortable with imperfection and comfortable with failure, leave emails to focus on other things, allow yourself permission to do that, get permission from your boss so that response times allow you to manage email imperfectly. Open plan offices are possibly the most distracting environment, so get out as often as possible and create a space that’s conducive to focusing. For example, there’s an app that recreates a coffee shop environment.
And finally how do we become productivity ninjas?
GA: The short answer is to read my book and apply the nine characteristics mentioned! Everyone can get there, no one is perfect and we can all improve on our journey to becoming more productive. The extra work that we’ve all had to take on during the recession has inevitably led to us biting off more than we can chew. So, it’s about changing our relationship with work and being as comfortable with what we’re not as with what we are doing.
Manage your time more efficiently - two top tips
1) Think more about energy and attention levels, what I call “proactive attention” in my book. People often start with their biggest priority but ignore their energy levels – you need to schedule your work accordingly, so for example you focus on the big staff when you’re most alert. The trick is to know when your good attention comes.
2) A simple ground rule – don’t keep anything in your head, write it down, put it onto paper, for example when you have ideas along the way, always jot them down.
Graham Allcott is the author of “How to be a Productivity Ninja: Worry Less, Achieve More and Love What You Do”. You can find out more www.thinkproductive.co.uk. Graham’s book is available on Amazon.co.uk.
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