Becoming More Productive is Not All About Your Professional Life.
When we hear about productivity, we naturally think it’s related to our work. Improving our output in the most efficient way, so we can get more work done in the least amount of time. And for many, this means being given more work to do.
This leaves us with no incentive to improve our overall efficiency at work. Why would I want to improve my efficiency when all that happens is I am given more work to do without an increase in my income?
Personal productivity is not about becoming more efficient at work, so your boss can give you more work. Personal productivity is about doing the job you are employed to do so you have more time for the things that you want to do.
This is an important distinction to make.
In the post-pandemic world, the way we work has changed and will continue to change as we go through experimentation in the way we do our work. Many people who believed they couldn’t work from home a few years ago have discovered it is not impossible. Companies have seen the cost benefits of fewer people coming into a large office space. Now they can downsize their property portfolio and save money.
Travel costs have been reduced; In 2019, according to a leaked internal document, American Airlines received $150 million from Apple for flight costs. While that may not be a considerable amount for Apple, it certainly is for many companies. That cost can be almost entirely removed by turning to Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
With these changes, we should look at how we manage our days. Of course, work will take up a large part of our time during the week, but if you improve your productivity, you will give yourself more time for other things — things you want to do.
There are a few areas that you should be turning your attention to; areas traditionally neglected. Your health and fitness (including your mental health), personal development, relationships, lifestyle, and life experiences. Imagine if you built a more balanced life that ensured you got your work done, had time for a bit of exercise each day and some quality time spent with your family and friends without the cloud of a work issue hanging over you.
All this is possible if you proactively pay attention to how you spend your time each day rather than leave things to chance.
Start by designing a “perfect” week using your calendar. How would you spend time if you were given complete control over your day? If you did not need to clock into work, you were given tasks to complete and how and when you completed them was in your control; how would you structure your day?
Would you begin the day slowly, with a two-hour block dedicated entirely to you? Or would you prefer to start by getting your work done, so you could spend the afternoon with your kids or exercising?
Until you sit down and design what a “perfect” week would look like for you, you will never be in a position to make it a reality. Not developing a week for you leaves you at the mercy of others, and they are not thinking of what’s best for you.
One way of helping you is to use a scheduling service such as Calendly (if you work for yourself). If you work in a company, be proactive by blocking times out on your calendar. For example, I have clients that block Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, so they are not invited to meetings.
You already have a surprising amount of control over your time. You just need to exercise some of that control.
I advise clients to think about their personal lives first. That’s the life that will remain with your entire life. Your work life is limited — it starts in your twenties and ends around the time you reach sixty. Your personal life is the life that will have a significant impact on how you spend your final years. Neglect your health today, and you’ll find yourself with limited choices about what you can enjoy doing later in life. Mismanage your relationships, and you’ll be very lonely later in life.
Your work life will end suddenly with a thank you and goodbye. Your personal Life never ends.
What are the things you want to do for yourself?
What would you like to spend more time doing?
What would you like to spend less time doing?
These questions will help you move in the right direction. They are designed to get you to think about yourself in a non-selfish way. There is nothing wrong with putting yourself first. It is one of the fundamental ways of being happy. When you are happy, you positively affect people around you. Happiness is infectious.
However, you will be chained to your work if you don’t improve your productivity. It will invade your personal life because, like a vacuum, work will fill the space you have not filled with your personal life — your real priorities.
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