A Short Post About Productivity
I am often asked how to be more productive and work more effectively. In a challenging work environment, the question goes further: how to live a life with less stress and more happiness. It’s also a challenge for me, especially right now, since I’m just starting my new career as a startup and scaleup advisor — a completely new work routine.
The answer to the first question is relatively simple: define goals and have a plan.
So here’s what I do
- I am now no longer part of an organization (with dependencies) but still use OKRs, which help me keep focus and not lose sight of the bigger picture.
- Every Monday, the first thing I do is set my weekly goals (the small steps that lead me to my quarterly goals).
- After that, I plan the week around existing appointments and enter those tasks I want to accomplish as appointments in my calendar. It’s quite a relief when I don’t have to keep all those little things in my mind.
- Friday is my buffer day. That means no appointments, and I do what’s left, read, do research or have a swim. And do the weekly shopping. You DON’T need to do this on Saturdays anymore. We live in times of remote work!
- For scheduling appointments, I use Calendly. It’s not free, but it saves me a team of a whole team of psychotherapists.
But what happens to my quality time?
I enter all the critical stuff that adds quality to my life into my calendar — just like business appointments. INCLUDING recurring events like dinner with the family, cooking, running and swimming, and reading time.
So far, this works best for me, although it doesn’t sound that romantic.
How do you deal with productivity and your work-life balance? I’m eager to learn more about your approach.
👉👉👉 Let me know if this article was useful for you by hitting the applause button and/or leaving a comment below. It would mean a lot to me.
