Seven Ways to Higher Productivity

The starting point of higher productivity is clear goals. For a goal to be effective in guiding behavior, it must be specific and measurable. It must be believable and achievable. It must be written out and time bounded. The greater clarity you have with regard to your goals, the more you will get done and the faster you will accomplish what you do.

The second key to high productivity is clear, written plans of action. Every minute you spend in planning will save you as many as ten minutes in execution.

Make a list of every single step of the task, or of your day, before you begin. Always work from a list. Think on paper. Working from a list keeps you on track and gives you a visual record of accomplishment. The very act of writing out a list and referring to it constantly should increase your productivity by at least 25 percent from the time you start doing it

Third, set priorities on your list. Think the list through before you begin the first task. Use the 80/20 Rule continually. Identify the 20 percent of activities on your list that can account for 80 percent of the value of your entire list. Begin your work on the items in the top 20 percent before you do anything else.

The most important measure of the importance or value of any task is the potential consequences of doing it or failing to do it. An important task or activity has significant consequences. An unimportant task has few or no consequences at all.

Completing a critical assignment for your boss or for a major customer is a top priority because the consequences of failing to do it can be significant. Having lunch with a coworker is an activity of low value because the consequences of doing it or not doing it are insignificant.

There are seven additional ways to increase your productivity, performance, and output, either alone or in combination with others.

1. Work harder at what you do. When you work, work all the time you work. Don't waste time. Don't look at the workplace as a place to socialize with your friends. Instead, when you come to work, put your head down and work full blast for the entire day. This practice alone will enable you to double your productivity.
2. Work faster. Develop a sense of urgency. Get on with the job. Don't waste time. Develop and maintain a fast tempo in your work activities. Deliberately move faster from task to task. You'll be amazed at how much more you'll get done just by deciding to pick up the pace in everything you do.
3. Work on higher-value activities. Remember that the number of hours you work is not nearly as important as the value of the tasks you complete, the quality and quantity of results you achieve. The more time you spend on higher-value tasks, the greater results you will obtain from every hour you put in.
4. Do things you are better at. When you work on tasks at which you are especially skilled and experienced, you can accomplish much more in a shorter period of time than could an inexperienced person. In addition, work at getting better at the most important things you do. Nothing will increase the quality and quantity of your output faster than becoming excellent at performing the most important tasks that are expected of you.
5. Bunch your tasks. Do several similar activities all at the same time. By writing all your letters, filling out all your expense reports, or preparing all your proposals at the same time, you get better and faster with each task. You move more quickly along the learning curve. Each subsequent task takes you less time. You can reduce the amount of time it takes to perform a particular task by up to 80 percent by doing several similar tasks one after the other.
6. Simplify your work so that it is easier to do. Consolidate several parts of the job into a single task so that there are fewer steps. Eliminate lower-value activities altogether.
7. Work longer hours. Notwithstanding my points elsewhere regarding time off from work, it is true that if you start a little earlier and stay a little later, you will be more productive. By starting your day earlier than the average person, you beat the traffic into work. By staying a little later, you leave after the traffic. By doing both, you can add two or three hours to your productive working day without really affecting your lifestyle. These extra hours are all you need to become one of the most productive and highest-paid people in your field.