6 Ways to Help Gauge Your Productivity

Are you productive or are you constantly busy? There is a major difference. Both types of individuals can get their to-do-lists done and can stay up to date on their schedule. However, the person that is truly productive will focus on things that have a greater impact on their lives and those around them.

Check out these six ways to help gauge your productivity:

1.     Do you know your purpose?

Productive people set goals and stay aware of their daily schedule. They have a plan and mission for both the short and the long-term goals they’ve set. Productive people have a purpose and take pride in carrying it out.

2.     Do you support your goals and have a system?

While you want to achieve your long-term goals and be successful, you need a system in place to pull that off. Track your progress and figure out benchmarks to help you stay the course. Your system should include marketing, sales, operations, productivity, costs, and be able to meet deadlines.

3.     When do you feel most productive?

Are you a morning person or a late afternoon ninja? You may have a typical day job schedule, (9 am -5 pm) but that doesn’t mean you are productive the entire time you’re at work. Figure out when you are most productive. Then you must prioritize your tasks based on the importance they hold in your plan.

4.     Are you a multi-tasker?

Studies have shown that multi-tasking does not equal productivity. If you are a multi-tasker, you may be more busy than productive. Give each task your complete focus rather than a scrambled version of trying to get too many things done at once.

5.     Would you consider yourself indecisive?

If you struggle to make decisions, you may be wasting time thinking or over thinking about the situation. Be decisive and save yourself time. Ask yourself this question: Will this take me closer to reaching my goal or further away? If it takes you closer, proceed.

6.     Are you a time tracker?

Those that track what they do can have a more realistic picture of how they spend their time. This will eliminate the time wasters and increase your productivity as a whole.

Review each of these to gauge your productivity and see if you are in line with your goals.

Send us your comments right now… we would love to hear your thoughts about this article.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence In One Step

People are generally more reactive than proactive which often can be a good thing. For instance, avoiding an accident while driving with quick reflexes, or your reflexes when a spider lands on you. (I know I personally move like Bruce Lee when one gets on me)

However, there are times when you allow emotions to govern your actions. For instance, think about how you react when you get a difficult email, an unfair assumption, or the moment when you get blamed for an issue at work that you don’t agree with.

A little reflection in these situations can help us to increase our emotional intelligence.

To define, Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and use the power of emotions to facilitate high levels of collaboration and productivity. It is the foundational competency every leader needs to grow. Emotional intelligence, in essence, is the ability to effectively manage emotions. Emotions precede actions. When you are happy, you smile. It is not the other way around. Emotional intelligence is what drives our actions. This can be learned or trained, and if you work at it, you can have an outstanding outcome.

One tip to increasing your emotional intelligence is known as “the pause.”

If you take a bit of time to just pause, like a few seconds, you will handle situations differently.

Your reactions will adjust because you take a few moments to simply pause and reflect. This will take some work because we are programmed to react quickly.

Added stress or irritations can govern our behaviors & ability to think clearly. The pause will help correct the over exaggerated reactions that often ensue.

Pausing is a good habit to practice and master. You’ll see that success will follow when difficult situations need to be handled.

How to use the pause for the win

The pause will work best if you take a moment to stop and genuinely think before you speak. While this doesn’t sound hard, you’ll want to be sure that you give it some practice. It won’t be second nature for most people.

Ways to pause

Try to do the following in order to utilize the “art of the pause” skillfully:

1. Go for a walk
2. Take a few deep breaths
3. Resist the desire to act out rudely
4. Stop and reflect
5. Give yourself some space between the situation, even if it’s an email

Nothing about this is self-centered. It is actually good for you and those around you. The benefits will be seen in your decision making both personally and professionally.

Further reflection

After you have used the pause, take some time for reflection. Ask yourself some questions such as:

• Why would I have felt that way?
• What is the purpose of that type of attitude?
• How can I handle things better in the future? 

Now write it down.

When you have a successful pause for a situation, take some time to write it down. This will help make the pause a habit.

The pause is a wonderful way to increase your emotional intelligence and stand out in the workplace as one that is proactive rather than reactive.

Send us your comments right now… we would love to hear your thoughts about this article.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.

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Send us your comments right now… we would love to hear what is working for you.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professional.