Productivity… its a lie… sort of.
The first step to moving actually being productive, is to stop believing all the promises and guarantees. The promises that your life will be easier and that whatever tool, widget or software will make things faster. Stop believing and lets start evaluating.
You’ve heard the phrase, “Less is more.” Lets apply it.
This is a continuation of my previous post: “Not efficient, but still making money”
I’m not saying,
- All technology is bad
- All software is useless
- Marketers are liars (we’re not, I promise!)
- Advertisers make stuff up
- Ditch your mobile
- Get rid of the white board
I am saying though, that you have to begin evaluating what things actually make a difference in your day to day work life. Its worth having the right tool for the right job. Always.
The most important aspect of this post is this:
The evaluation of the tool and ensuring it is actually worthwhile and then building a lifestyle around that tool.
Case and point: Quickbooks.
Quickbooks is the lifeblood of most small businesses and even some larger ones too. For Quickbooks to work, you have built your accounting, invoicing, receipts, payroll and any other services you have needed all around that tool. Its saved you time, money, energy, space on storage so everything isnt paper, etc.
Productivity tools like OneNote, Evernote, Taskify, Check List apps, DropBox, Basecamp, sticky notes, whiteboards, cork-boards, binders, Trello, and so many others are only as good as the user and the lifestyle that is put into it. You have to build a dedication to the lifestyle and commit to the fact that this is going to be your system.
The thing that prevents someone from being productive, is the constant switching and jumping of productivity platforms and systems.
A great example is a former co-worker of mine we’ll call Payton. Payton was wonderful to work with, could multi-task, and got the job done. I know that for sure Payton could have been at least 5x more productive and I say that with all realistic expectations. Payton constantly wanted to switch phones, get new apps, tried different tablets, tried different laptops, different office organization systems, etc. Even after trying tons of different ways to be productive, Payton is still trying. Still looking for that magic bullet. If a system didt work perfectly, troubleshooting would occur. If troubleshooting would’t work, then an app or system switch would happen. It just never payed off.
Today’s action step:
Delete or throw out any apps or paperwork or systems that you have laying around your office. If its a system or app your not using, get rid of it! That’s all for today! It sounds simple but it can be pretty difficult. Remember though, “less is more.”
In the following blogs, we’ll talk about practical steps that are pretty general, but WILL improve your productivity and organization skills.
Next blog post: Second Steps – Being Productive
As always, if you want to talk more about this and or schedule a consulting meeting, feel free to:
Call 509-240-9735
Catch me on twitter at: https://twitter.com/YourAdAgency_
Email me Adam@PullmanMarketing.com