With Christmas just around the corner – a notoriously busy time of year for everyone – learning how to work smarter, not harder is of the utmost importance. From demanding social calendars to high-priority end-of-year tasks, I think it’s safe to say that we all have a lot on our plate. So, how do we ensure we’re using the time we have available to us, in the best way possible?
We asked you to share the small changes that have had a positive impact on your output, here’s what you had to say:
- “I realised that my week had become a bit disorganised with no clear structure. Despite having been self employed for eight years, I still have a 9-5 mindset which sees me at my desk by 10am every day. I unpicked the white knuckle grip on that and started to explore how my week might change if I designed my Monday differently. So now, instead of rushing to my desk, I start with a weights session followed by a yoga class and then go to do my weekly shop straight after (there are never any queues!). I then start my day around 12:30pm and do all my admin on Monday afternoons – previously, I would leave this until Friday and it just kept rolling from one week to the next. Just this ‘doing it my way’ approach has led to a great leap in my productivity.” – Marion Bergin, Filmmaker, Photographer, Creative Director
- “Keeping a clean workspace – constantly de-cluttering both my physical and digital workspace. The fear of missing out (FOMO) means that I can’t delete emails until I check in case there might be something of interest in them! I also unsubscribe to emails that are not giving any more. Lastly, have a good stash of nice pens in different colours to doodle and take notes with. It keeps meetings interesting!” – Maureen Hennessy, Founder & Chief of Multitasking of 4see
- “One of my favourite techniques is the Eisenhower Matrix, a deceptively simple yet powerfully transformative tool. To begin, divide a page into four quadrants: urgent/important (top tasks like tax deadlines—time to don your superhero cape and calculator), urgent/not important (delegate tasks like website tech updates and let your hosting provider handle it), not urgent/important (schedule for later, like a day of creative exploration—PJs allowed, even encouraged), and not urgent/not important (reassess tasks like bio tweaks—“Chief Everything Officer” already says it all!). It takes less than five minutes to do, yet as you sort your tasks into these boxes, priorities become crystal clear, and any feeling of overwhelm fades away. By addressing those urgent important items first, I’ve been able to complete three to four really impactful tasks each day in a way that feels good and sustainable, bringing a great sense of accomplishment. To further enhance this method, try pairing it with the Pomodoro Technique. Set a timer for 45 minutes of focused work, followed by a 15-minute break to stretch, enjoy a cup of tea, and refresh your mind. I typically aim for three to four of these 45-minute ‘power blocks’ each day. The result is a peaceful way to move through work without succumbing to stress and ensuring a steady progression forward.” – Irina Sorokina, Lead Data Analyst at EPAM Systems
- “Power hours. I turn off my emails, put my phone on aeroplane mode, and get my head down for 45 to 60 minutes. It’s amazing what you can get done with no distractions! Another tactic for our ‘remote first’ team is that we all join a Teams call for 60 mins. We all bring a task (or tasks) that we’ve been procrastinating or putting off, type into chat what we need to get done, then go on mute and turn our cameras off. At the end of the hour, we all have to report back what we’ve gotten done… it works like a charm!” – Tracy Gunn, Completions Specialist & Handover Platform 55
We also asked IMAGE Business Editor and coach Leonie Corcoran for some of her own tips and what she shares with her clients.
“Energy matching to task batching – it’s a game-changer. In short, we all know certain tasks require a certain energy and others require a distinctly different approach. But did you know that shifting from one energy to the other, to deal with these tasks, means you lose approximately 20 minutes in the shift? So, instead of losing that time and giving yourself a hard time, simply audit your tasks and batch the ones that require the same type of energy. For example, analysing a financial spreadsheet requires a very different energy to having a sales call with a prospective client. Try to label tasks and batch them so you are not clashing within the same hour-long period. Then ensure you take a break (I am a fan of the Pomodoro method too) and shift energy as needed.”
“Layering onto energy matching, you can start to leverage your infradian rhythm. What is that? Well, here is another top-line explanation: you have probably heard of your circadian rhythm, the 24-hour biological rhythm that is inherent to all of us – men and women, old and young. It impacts everything from levels of hormones in the blood and body temperature to metabolism and even reaction times. For men, this is the main rhythm that impacts their day. For women, however, we are also affected by our infradian rhythm, which is a monthly cycle that governs six key systems of the body: the brain, metabolism, immune, microbiome, stress and reproductive systems. ‘Infradian’ simply means longer than 24 hours and it creates a 25% change in a woman’s brain chemistry. Twenty-five percent! Over the course of the month, there are four distinct phases – follicular, ovulatory, luteal and menstrual. Each of these phases has hormonally-governed strengths which can assist you to map your energy and match tasks accordingly. For example, in your follicular stage, you will generally have lots of energy so it’s the ideal time for communicating, collaborating, selling and pitching. It is not ideal for analytical or ‘finishing’ work, which is best suited to the luteal phase (I’ve written about this in more depth here if you want to dive a little deeper).
“Lastly, replenishment. We are not machines, we are human. I even have a bit of an issue with the word ‘productivity’ being used when it comes to humans. We are natural beings and like all natural beings, we need time to rest and replenish as well as time to ‘be out there’ and ‘doing’. Without one, we cannot do the other with ease. So, I strongly advocate for knowing what replenishes you and prioritising it alongside your rest.”
Photo by Alax Matias via Pexels