It’s no secret that one of the biggest contributing factors to achievement is productivity.
We know this, so we are not going to spend time dissecting that “key to success”.
What we are going to do is look at 3 particular “areas” if you will, that I call the 3 E’s. These 3 areas believe it or not, may just have a whole lot to do with just how to increase your productivity.
No fluff, let’s get to it!
Area #1 is your ENVIRONMENT.
Think about, where it is that you are trying to be productive.
What does that area look like? How does it make you feel?
Listen, if I walk into my office and see a ton of clutter, I’m not exactly going to feel inspired.
Clutter is a total hindrance to our productivity. Oh, and not just the physical clutter either, you can read my thoughts on that here.
Let’s not neglect our people environment either. Yep, those that we surround ourselves with can make a difference in how much we actually get done too. (this includes social media) And here’s the kicker, they don’t necessarily even need to be present! What they say and how they treat you can stick around in your mind and affect your mindset long after you’ve left their presence.
So be conscious that your physical, mental and people environments can be significant contributing factors to your productivity.
Area #2 is your EXPERIENCE.
Once you’ve assessed your environment, now it’s time to get real and honest about your experience.
I’m going to throw another “known” out there at you…ready? Work smarter, not harder. Yet, for many of us we are no where near as productive as we could be simply because we lack the experience.
Hear me out on this one. We are sooo good on deciding to go after some big goals, but we fail to recognize our experience level in factoring in a realistic time-frame to achieve them.
What if we looked at our level of experience and marked out “stretch goals” on our way to the big goal instead of just working harder?
If I want to have a book to a publisher by the end of this year – BIG goal, I know, but I have to get real and honest about my experience and how that factors into my best possible productivity.
The less experienced me would try and bang that sucker out at spurts of inspiration. (Which I also know the old me well enough to know that “inspiration” would come by way of deadline – so I’d probably write the whole thing by October!) How good do you think that book would be?
BUT…knowing what I know now, tells me to factor in my experience and some serious stretch goals. My blog writing experience helps me map out realistic word counts, time of day that I write best as well as when to edit and review my work for best content.
Awareness of your experience when it comes to tackling a big goal will greatly increase progress and productivity.
Area #3 is your Execution.
Do we really need to elaborate on the importance of this factor? Probably not, but in case it’s not as obvious to everyone…
Productivity is not about how much you do as it is what you actually get done. I’ll wait while you read that again.
In other words…focus on how much you get done vs. how much you actually do. That, my friends is the secret to increasing your productivity
Got it? Good. Now use these 3 E’s to increase you actual productivity.
Working to recognize & improve my 3 E areas to increase productivity right there with ya,
Clutter-free spaces, cultivating your gifts and completing your work helps to not only make progress toward your goals, but keeps your inspired and productive. (oh, cute puppy faces help too!)
Need more help with improving your productivity?
Try this cheat sheet to goal setting.
