If I have to describe productivity, I will say “do work”. For more productivity, we need to work faster and for finishing work faster, we need to be focused.
Productivity is totally dependent on focus. More you focused, faster you will finish your work. If you are not focused, you will keep doing same task whole day and still that task will not finish.
What is Focus?
Focus is nothing but opposite of distraction. We keep getting emails, phone calls, messenger pings which distract us from our task to finish. The moment we get email, we immediately stop our work and read that email first. This is distraction, Switching context makes current tasks slower.
You can easily imagine difference between driving a car on a highway and on a road which is full of traffic lights. On traffic lights road, you cannot maintain speed because you need to keep switching between gears. While on highway, once you reach on top gear, you just maintain your speed. So same distance, you cover in less time on highway.
Same happens with your work. If you are writing a code and suddenly a mail pops up in your inbox, you stop coding and start reading that email first. Once you come back to write code again, you probably lost half an hour because you lost your momentum and it will take time to reach to same momentum when you switched your context.
How to Focus?
While starting any task, we need to ensure that we have taken care of all distraction items, like do not disturb sign on messenger is on, email alert is off. Unless emergency, we should ensure that we are sticking with our task to finish. If phone is ringing, let it go on voice mail. You can call them later anyway. It will ensure that you are not distracting and totally focused on your task to finish.
When you will try to focus, your mind will do everything to push you away from your work. You will feel that you want to check Facebook or visit some news websites. You feel thirsty or want to go to urinate or any work which can distract or delay you from your planned task. Believe me, this instinct is only for first 5 minutes when starting your task. Once you cross that barrier, you will feel that you are enjoying your work and no more instincts will distract you.
Once you are done with your planned task, Take a small break, get a cup of coffee, check emails, messenger and phone calls and reply only if urgent. Please note, I said reply if only urgent and jump immediately to next task to finish. It will ensure that you are sticking with your plan to finish your planned tasks first. You can read and reply to all remaining emails, phone calls at the end of day once you are done with your planned tasks.
Plan Your Day
If you have convinced yourself why focus is important then next important step to be more productive is, plan your day.
Every Sunday, I setup my week plan. First, I create a list of tasks which I need to achieve this week. If task is big, I break that into smaller tasks and then estimate each task. Then I check prior appointments, meetings and vacations of that week and calculate available hours of each day of that week. Now I setup my tasks between weekdays (Monday – Friday) based on estimation and priority for available hours. At this point, I am ready with my weekly target. I know that on the fly things will come which may disturb my plan.
Every morning, first activity of day, I review my day plan and sequence tasks based on priority. If in case I have some unplanned priority work, I adjust my day plan to move tasks to next day or for next week. Now I know what exactly I need to achieve today.
Weekly and daily planning helps me to review that how much I am producing every week as well as help me to take necessary steps to be more productive next week.
How to Manage Unimportant Tasks
I always bunch all unimportant tasks together. i.e. I check emails quickly at every few hours and reply important one only. In evening, I read all emails thoroughly and reply in one go. It help me to keep my momentum while replying emails. Same I do for other tasks, I bunch them and finish them in one go in place of doing while I am trying to focus to finish my priority tasks.
Week plan helps you to setup target that what important tasks you want to finish. Daily plan helps you setup sequence of your tasks. Focus helps you to achieve your daily target. Once you start achieving your daily and weekly target, you feel satisfied and then you will focus to find area of improvements to be more productive next week and this cycle continues.