It’s one thing to know how to do your job. It’s an altogether different thing to know how to prioritize your tasks and work efficiently. Being good at your job is much more than knowing how to complete tasks and smile at co-workers.
As a business owner and entrepreneur, I’ve developed a daily pattern for my workday without even thinking about it. I take it for granted and assume that everyone else has this pattern, too.
My daily pattern for productivity at Work
- Assessing
- Quick Responding
- Completing Tasks
- Getting better at
- Responding (round 2)
- Planning
Without my daily pattern, the pile of work tasks can seem overwhelming. Without a daily pattern,
- the wrong things get done first
- more difficult tasks get pushed off and delayed regardless of their importance
- I work harder and get less done
Here is the daily pattern I use to feel confident in my work every day.
Assessing
First, let me say what this is not. This is not diving right into getting work done, responding to emails, or returning phone calls.
This is where I start my workday. I check my email and before doing anything else, I do an assessment. A lot has happened since yesterday’s end of the workday!
- Are there any fires that need to be put out?
- Do I need to rearrange the plan I had in place for today?
- What are the top 2 or 3 priorities today?
One of the most valuable tools I use for this part of my day is the combination of Evernote with the short (and free!) video course at thesecretweapon.org.
Quick Responding
This is the part of my day that is the most dynamic and unpredictable. It’s also the most interesting.
Address anything that can’t wait.
I respond to anything that requires less than 5 minutes of my time. This can be
- a quick email response,
- putting something on my calendar,
- responding to social media comments,
- responding to LinkedIn messages,
- responding to product inquiries,
- or any task that takes less than 5 or 10 minutes to complete.
Responding is a part of the pattern that gets high priority because it often involves communicating with co-workers, prospects, and clients.
Then, I leave my email alone.
Completing high priority tasks
It can be difficult to ever get around to this part of your job. Email and social media will always call for your attention.
I remember when “multi-tasking” was considered a valuable skill to list on a resume.
Ha! Not anymore.
Multi-tasking is the enemy of productivity. At this point, you should not have to wonder, “What should I be doing now?”
Why? Because you planned and prioritized your tasks at the end of the day yesterday and reviewed them at the beginning of the day today.
Try not to check email. Sometimes people will try to engage you in a back and forth conversation through email. That’s okay if they don’t mind the conversation taking a few days. If someone needs to have an immediate conversation with you, then email or instant messaging is not the best way to reach you. Why? Because you are focused on your tasks. Focused = NOT. DISTRACTED.
Immediate conversations require phone calls or texting.
Getting better at
Professional development and training often get crowded out because of the never ending list of tasks. Schedule specific time for learning how to get better at . . . in your day or week. The actual order of this activity in your day will depend upon when you schedule it. Here’s the key: whenever this appointed time comes up, drop your tasks and make this the priority.
More responding
When I am nearing the end of my work day, I stop working on tasks and I get back into responding mode for a short period of time. I do a final check of my email and take care of quick responses. Anything else in my inbox that requires more than 10 minutes gets slotted into my planning for tomorrow’s task list.
Planning
The last part of my daily work pattern is planning for the next work day. This allows me to leave my work behind at the end of the work day. I look at any remaining tasks on my current list as well as new tasks that may have just popped up. While I’m planning, I keep my big goals up front. I remind myself of the overall goals of my business.
If you are an employee, you might remind yourself of the reason you were hired.
The “Stop Doing” list
Planning is the last part of my daily pattern but I’m going to include this last tip that has helped with my productivity in a big way. It’s the opposite of the “TO-DO” List. It’s the list of bad habits that eat into my time. Things like
- checking my email too frequently
- allowing meetings to go on for too long
- checking my personal social media accounts when I should be working
- taking extended lunch breaks
- waking up late
In summary, the pattern of my workday is
- Assessing
- Quick Responding
- Completing Tasks
- Getting better at
- Responding (round 2)
- Planning
Did you like reading this article? If so, leave a comment below. What is a daily pattern you use to be more productive at work?
