The Essential Guide To Getting More Done
Ever feel like time is escaping you and you have nothing to show for it? Tracking your daily habits can help you see where you are spending your time and learn how to be more efficient with it moving forward.
In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown takes it one step further by explaining that being productive isn't a matter of doing less, but rather doing more in less time.
So let’s look at a few key ways he suggests to put that theory into practice. (By the way, the book is an EXCELLENT read for overwhelmed over-achievers—and you know who you are.)
Unlearn helplessness.
Whether you tend to find yourself feeling paralyzed to do nothing or obligated to do everything, both will put you in a position of feeling helpless. (Pssst. A neverending To Do List is a popular symptom). Prevent this feeling by only committing to the tasks that ACTUALLY add to the forward progress of your top priorities. Say no to everything else. Which leads to…
Own your hours.
McKeown points out that “if you don’t control your schedule, everyone else will,” and he’s absolutely right. Take more ownership of your calendar with these tips:
Choose specific days and times when you will be available for meetings (i.e. interruptions), and be ruthless about it. If someone says they are unavailable during those times, hold firm. See what happens when you do. If that is too difficult, try the opposite approach and block off days when you NEVER hold meetings. And ruthlessly protect that.
Add a 50% buffer after all meetings. NOTE: this isn’t because you expect meetings to go over their scheduled time (we’ll work on that later). A little breathing room between meetings allows you to tackle follow-up tasks while they’re fresh AND keeps you fresh for your next engagement.
Begin with a better ending.
Accelerating your business success comes down to the not-so-subtle difference between aspiring and achieving. By all means create the vision—but don’t lose sight of the action steps required to reverse engineer it into reality. The best lives and businesses are built on—and with—purpose. Take the time to suss them out, all the way to the happy ending. And then do what you can to stick to the plan.
If it’s not a hell yes, then it’s a hell no.
We love Derek Sivers’ “hell yes” or “hell no” approach. It leaves ZERO room for confusion or wobble. If you really don’t want to do something, delegate it or delete it. Period. McKeown uses his “90% Rule”— Grade every task on your list (based on the criteria of the chances of it bettering your day, life, and success) between 0 - 100, if anything scores under a 90, ditch it.
Here’s a glimpse of what happens when you live a HELL YES life.
You have exactly enough time to get the right things done. Do you know what those right things are?
Check out our Courses of Action tools and membership for an accelerated DIY approach to wildly efficient and proficient productivity—and breathtaking results in business, life, and self.
Bill covers topics like this (and then some) on LinkedIn all the time—connect and join the conversation!