I was chatting a potential client this morning and she said, “Angie, I’m so busy, I literally don’t have time to stop and get organized. And the funny thing is, I know that part of my lack-of-time problem is that I’m disorganized.”
Indeed! What a destructive cycle.
If you are seriously curious about how to break the cycle of “too busy, no time” take a look at the Top 10 ways you sabotage your productivity each and every day:
- Buzz, bing, ding, ring = distract, react! Every one of us reacts to a ringing phone, email alert, and text message buzz. It’s distracting in the most damaging way.
- Refresh, refresh, refresh – checking email every 5 minutes. When we do this, the problem becomes twofold: (1) we develop this habit – and feel anxious when we can’t get our “fix” and (2) we are literally “teaching” our clients and customers how quickly they can expect us to respond.
- Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe – to everything you think might have the answer or information you need
- Open Door policy – if your door is always “open” it means everyone else’s priorities and needs are always more important than your work, your To Do list, and your priorities
- Obligations and Agreements – one is voluntary, meaning you consciously choose. The other is life-draining and time-sucking!
- 24/7, 365 info, info, everywhere – information is growing at a staggering 65% per year – conquer your overwhelm now or fall deeper behind (Darn Google for indexing EVERYTHING…)
- OPP’s – Other People Problems. Don’t let them run your day and rule your To Do’s – this goes hand-in-hand with the “Open Door Policy”
- Next? – not knowing what’s next, what’s important vs. urgent. Total time and productivity killer.
- Winging it – Not scheduling what’s important – there’s seems to never be time to get to the important stuff, is there?
- Being indecisive – and darn slow about it, too, which causes clutter, piles, and email overwhelm.
We live in a crammed world – people, information, numbers, offers, opportunities, emails, and more. Here’s my system for increasing your productivity:
- Slow down.
- Think.
- Choose.
- Decide.
- Act.
You already know you sabotage your productivity. If you’re convinced there’s no time for you to slow down and evaluate solutions, I assure you you’re wrong. And I can shed some light on the issue. When you’re ready, simply reply to this email and say so. “Angie, I’m ready.”
I’ll reach out to you and handle the rest.
Sincerely,
Angie