Working World

Feeling anxious and overwhelmed has become the new normal for too many of us. We’d love to feel energized and excited about work every Monday, instead we’re weighed down with dread. We know the second we step foot into the office we’ll be hit with 20+ tasks to add to our to-do list and an inbox full of emails begging for an immediate response.

“The psychological weight of unfinished tasks and unmade decisions is huge,” says Jason Womack, a workplace performance expert, executive coach, and author of the new book Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More. “The first step to changing the way you get things done is to accept that you’re never going to get it all done.”

Womack advises that you’ll always be updating your to-do list by crossing off completed tasks and adding new ones…and that’s okay. When you improve the way you approach the things you need to get done, both on the job and off, you’ll stop wishing things were different and start really making new things possible.

Read on to learn more about the essential good habits you can create through- out 2012 and make it your most productive year yet.

1.  Create Blocks of Time.
Ask yourself this: How much time do I really spend each day clicking through e-mails and making my to-do list? The answer is probably a lot. When you spend your day making giant to-do lists or flagging “urgent” e-mails, you’ll never get any real work done. Instead look at your day and figure out where you have blocks of time to really focus and engage on what needs to be done.

Time blocking and prioritization are two important keys to daily productivity, says Womack. Look at your to-do list, figure out where you have blocks of time to act on those items, and then prioritize. “I keep my defined ‘work’ actions to 15 to 30 minutes each,” he says. “These are the ‘chunks’ of time I can use to stay focused, minimize interruptions, and work effectively.”

2. Welcome Interruptions.
You might also designate specific “Interrupt Me” times during the day or week. This lets people know that you’ll be working “head down” for larger blocks of the day and encourages them to “think-bunch-interrupt” so you get more done at once, instead of getting interrupted multiple times per day.

3. Power Up Your Locomotive.
Ever watch a freight train start to move? That first forward jolt takes the most energy; keeping the train rolling is much easier. Do some small things to get rolling on getting caught up, then pace yourself. You’ll probably find it’s much easier to keep rolling along at a comfortable clip.
   
4. Plan for “Bonus” Time.
Always be prepared for “bonus time.” This is a great ongoing strategy for increasing productivity. Bring small chunks of work with you wherever you go. Then, while waiting for a meeting to start or for a delayed flight to depart —Womack calls these unexpected blocks of free time “bonus time”— you’ll be able to reply to an e-mail or make a phone call.
    “I can promise you that sometime during the next month, someone is going to arrive late for a meeting with you, cancel a meeting, or otherwise keep you waiting,” says Womack. “When that inevitably happens, you can look over your to-do list and pick something — anything — to work on.”

5. Shorten Meetings.
If meetings at your organization are normally given a 60-minute time length, start giving them a 45-minute time length. You’ll find that what you get done in 60 minutes you can also achieve in 45 minutes. You’ll also gain 15 extra minutes for each meeting you have. “Usually, we fill the time we expect to fill,” says Womack. “Give yourself less time and you’ll get it done in less time. The shorter time frame really gets you focused.”

7. Take Baby Steps.
Divide your projects into small, manageable pieces. Take one step at a time and don’t worry about reaching the ultimate goal. Make use of small chunks of time. Set milestones, decide actions, and make progress faster.

8. Check Your Progress.
Implement a weekly debrief. Take time after every five-day period to stop, look around, and assess where you are in relation to where you thought you would be. Look at three key areas: 1. What new ideas have emerged? 2. What decisions need to be made? 3. How do I track this information? “Not only does the weekly debrief help you hold yourself accountable, it allows you to course-correct if necessary,” notes Womack. “Things usually don’t go the way we expect them to, so these weekly debriefs give us the opportunity to ask ourselves, Does this still make sense? And if not, what does?”

9. Forecast Your Future.
Forecast your future. Open your calendar to 180 days from today. There, write three to four paragraphs describing what you’ll have done, where you’ll have been, and what will have happened to your personal/professional life by then.

“We build up such a sense of dread that what we have to do seems insurmountable,” explains Womack. “Once you get started with something small and manageable, you almost always realize ‘Hey, this isn’t so tough after all.’ And soon you find that you’re making real progress — and it feels good.”  

Author of Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More, Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA, provides practical methods to maximize productivity.