6 Ways to Boost Your Effectiveness
There are days when I feel overwhelmed with my to-do-list. Many business owners and professionals have shared similar experiences with me. All of us would like to be more effective each day with our available time.
Thomas Jefferson said, “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much can be done if we are always doing.”
This year I had the pleasure of hearing John Maxwell teaching about the 3 R’s. John urges us to manage our to-do-list by knowing what is required, what gives us the greatest return, and what gives us the greatest reward. Using the 3R’s I looked at six areas to improve my effectiveness. Since we all want to improve, some of these will apply to each of us.
1. Become more organized. In today’s world we are bombarded by information, including emails, books, magazines, web pages, photos, videos, and our own thoughts. The more adept we become in storing and recalling information, the less time we will need to process the information. Save only the information you need, not all the information you receive. Develop a system that minimizes the time to process and store information where it can easily be found. Our organization systems need to reflect the goals which we aim to achieve.
2. Improve daily routines. Everyone has daily routines. The most visible are the motions we go through after we wake up in the morning and prepare ourselves for the day. These actions are efficient because we have practiced them every day. We may have different routines for different days of the week, or different routines based on the time we have available. Strive to make minor improvements in your daily habits and routines, and include the actions you want to improve on a daily basis.
3. Know your current priority. Getting and keeping focus on your priority will add tremendously to your effectiveness. Distractions can seem to be the norm, since there can be so many that interfere with a normal day. Every day know your priority. Stay focused on that priority until it is complete. Handle interruptions by putting them aside until your primary task is complete.
4. Use all your available resources. We tend to keep our tasks to ourselves, and we could achieve more by proper delegation. Write a list of your common tasks using two columns. The first includes things that only you could or should do. The other list are the tasks that others could do. Work to delegate the second list.
5. Evaluate what you will give up. To do more of something, you need to do less of something else. Make a two lists, current projects and someday projects. Keep your list of current projects to a manageable and effective size. When you complete one, move a project from your someday list to your current list. Eliminate any project from your list which is not aligned with your long term goals.
6. Relax, enjoy, and have fun. I admire people that find their strength zone, and align their life to work within it. They become experts at what they do, and they enjoy doing it. Even if you don’t have perfect alignment, you should become aware of how you can spend time effectively in the activities you enjoy. Save part of each day for these activities. It will keep you motivated and refreshed.
It is difficult to measure your effectiveness, but it is usually easy to tell when you are not being effective. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
About the Author
Mark Brown is a founding partner with the John Maxwell Team, and the co-owner of New Roads Leadership.
He has over 35 years of corporate experience and 10 years as a corporate executive.
Mark is now dedicated to provide coaching, 360 degree assessments, and mastermind facilitation to help business professionals accelerate their success and expand their potential.
Contact Mark at: http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/markbrown/