We may not realize it, but our brains burn through much energy and attention trying to hold on to ideas, tasks, etc. that it doesn’t want to forget. That’s why every task, commitment, and event should be written down or saved.
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In my last post, I introduced work batching as a strategy to help busy professionals save time by batching together similar activities into a single workflow. Time batching is effective because it builds structure and boundaries around blocks of time so that you can dive deep into specific tasks without the interruptions that commonly break up your workflow.
Batching works for both shallow and deep tasks. Shallow tasks, such as replying to email, data entry, and completing forms, require lower levels of productive energy. Deep tasks, like writing a proposal and preparing a presentation, require high levels of productive energy and high focus for longer periods of time.
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Read More“Thank you for sharing these helpful tips about taking breaks. Somehow, I was already taking a walk, reading and eating during my breaks. I intend to continue doing them. However, I may explore listening music which I rarely do. Sometimes, one feels a sense of guilt when one takes a break. It is reassuring to know that it is beneficial.”
For everyone who "sprung forward" over the weekend, it'll take some time for your bodies to adjust.
Even if you slept in, its still on its old schedule.
Here are some quick tips to help it adjust:
Stay consistent with your eating, bed, and exercise times
If you need to nap, keep it short
Breaking often to get more done may seem counterintuitive. I mean, who would think that that taking additional breaks would help you be more productive? Especially when you’re so busy as it is, and your to-do list is packed with things that must get done.
But hear me out. Because even if you pride yourself in your work ethic and your ability to concentrate for prolonged periods, your brain, your mind and your to-do list will thank me.
There are many reasons that we should be taking regular work breaks. Here are some of them.
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One of the biggest time wasters occurs when we repeat work that can be easily automated or duplicated (think: copy and paste.) This is true in every industry and position. Amongst coders, work repetition was so prevalent that it inspired the creation of the “Don’t Repeat Yourself” technique (or DRY Principle,) which discouraged the recreation of reusable code. While DRY, was made famous by coders, it is easily applicable to non-programmers as well.
Many of the things that we do often – such as replying to emails, crafting correspondences, writing articles, briefs, or proposals – unnecessarily take up large chunks of our day. At its core, DRY is about saving time by reusing work that’s already been done and materials that’ve already been prepared so that you don’t have to continually repeat the same work time and again.
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As a teacher and, later, in my role of school administrator, I was often concerned with all my materials being “just right.” My worksheets needed to not only properly engage students in the content, but they had to be visually pleasing and properly formatted.
As head of school, I would carefully edit each newsletter and the student handbook, among other things. If my name was on it, it needed to be “perfect.” Of course, this approach took much of my time and limited my effectiveness in other ways.
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So often, we get excited about a new process but lack the tools, commitment and/or mindset to see it to completion and long-term integration. This is particularly true when there are multiple elements to it and a number of people involved.
Just because we decided to become more productive and took initial action toward that end does not guarantee long-term success or maximal productivity.
The goal of this fourth step is to empower you to keep going in the face of expected setbacks and maintain the requisite level of well-being required for succeeding over the long haul.
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All our talk about productivity assumes that you ensure there to be enough energy in the tank needed to get all your stuff done. After all, you can only do as much as your energy levels permit. Sure, you can trick your system for a bit with caffeine and other stimulants, but that approach is neither healthy nor sustainable.
The strategies that I share to help you maintain high energy levels throughout the day will come as little surprise. We all know that what we eat and how we care for our bodies are central to being able to engage in our work at consistently high levels. Yet so many of us fail to practice what we know, which results in low energy and a sense of underperformance.
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