(click here to read a summary of this post)

 

If you fancy yourself as a peak performer who strives for excellence – then it’s very likely that you’re afflicted with a particular curse.

A curse that plagues you day and night.

A curse that haunts you at work and on your off-days.

A curse that follows you no matter how successful you may be.

It’s the curse of never being as productive as you want to be.

As achievers, we set a high bar for ourselves – to get as many things done in the shortest time possible.

But reality always finds a way to remind us that we’re not superhuman.

Still, while getting things done can be a constant endeavour – it doesn’t have to be a constant struggle.

To get out of the never-ending loop of being haplessly unproductive – there needs to be a shift in perspective.

Old, unproductive patterns of action are the result of old, unproductive patterns of thinking. 

Having said that, these new mindsets will get you to think differently about personal effectiveness, and how to maximize productivity and peace of mind.

3 Mindsets to Maximize Productivity & Peace of Mind

Mindset #1: Effective people put what’s ‘Important’ before what’s ‘Urgent’

In time management, the two main factors that characterise tasks are ‘Urgency’ and ‘Importance’.

Urgent means it requires immediate attention.

These are the things that shout and scream at us. E-mails, notifications, follow-up calls and last-minute deadlines.

They are the most visible, in-your-face and are usually the stuff other people want you to do.

Urgent tasks also tend to have the least resistance.

Because we constantly react to them.

However, they are often unimportant.

Importance, on the other hand, may not necessarily be time-sensitive… but they have to do with results.

If something is important to you, it means it is aligned with your goals, your values and your mission.

These could be things like learning, long-term planning, building relationships, staying fit and preparing for big projects.

They are things that we know we need to do, but we somehow procrastinate and make way for the more urgent tasks.

And this is why efficiency does not equate to effectiveness. 

Many busy people get things done but never get anywhere.

Just because you’re clearing tasks and being efficient, doesn’t mean you are being effective.

In ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen Covey writes that the truly effective people are those who focus on what’s important first. 

In his book, he quotes the father of management thinking, Peter Drucker, who says:

Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity-minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems. They think preventively. They balance by focusing on the important but not urgent, high leverage capacity-building activities.”  

True effectiveness is having the discipline to never let urgent tasks precede and outweigh the important tasks.

Like Drucker said – to ‘think preventively’.

Effective people take the time to plan their goals because it will prevent them from wasting too much time focusing on the wrong things.

Effective people know that exercise is important because good health will prevent them from getting sick or feeling drained – which will hurt their productivity.

When you get clear on your mission, long-term goals and values, you can have perspective over what’s important and what’s urgent.

From there, your priorities are directed by your expectations, not the expectations of others.

Finally, you’re in control.

Once you know the key difference between ‘urgent’ and ‘important’, that’s when you can start managing your productivity rhythms.

Mindset #2: Know your rhythm and match your schedule to your rhythm

We all have rhythms in life.

Our routines, habits and tendencies are all products of our natural rhythms.

There are rhythms at work, rhythms in relationships, rhythms in health, and rhythms in your finances. You can see your life as music, with different areas of your life playing at different beats and tempo.

But for this example, let’s take a look at work.

Let’s use running as a metaphor.

At work, are you a sprinter, or a marathoner?

Sprinters love the adrenaline rush. They cram as many tasks as possible into a short time frame and then focus their energies intensely within those time frames.

They love getting into that state of flow, or their ‘focus zone’, and complete their tasks decisively within short periods.

Sprinters are also those ‘last minute’ people who are convinced that they do their best work under pressure – when deadlines are drawing near.

However, sprinters are also the most prone to burnout.

Without prioritising adequate rest and recovery time, the sprinter is at risk of being stressed out and developing nagging health issues.

Also, if sprinters are not intentional about their tasks, they can end up ‘sprinting’ in unimportant areas – causing them to be very busy but also very unfulfilled.

Marathoners, on the other hand, may prefer consistency over intensity.

They are best when given adequate time and space to complete their tasks.

Some are methodical and systematic planners who ensure that they don’t schedule too many tasks in one day, so as to enjoy some freedom.

Creative people tend to be marathoners – who sometimes need a leisurely pace or simple distractions to bring out their best work.

The advantage marathoners have is that because they don’t get burnt out as much as sprinters, they produce more results over the long run.

Their consistency makes them reliable.

The downside of being a marathoner is that in the workplace – demands and expectations can be very different. Not every boss, team or project is willing to cater to the unique pace of marathoners.

Marathoners who work in a high performing team may find themselves having to keep up with the team’s pace.

So marathoners need to learn to set clear boundaries and negotiate with others to maximise their productivity.

But what if you’re a little bit of both? Or you don’t fall into either category?

Well, the fact is: it doesn’t matter.

Whether you’re a sprinter or a marathoner, or if you march to the beat of your own drum – the key here is: your schedule needs to reflect your rhythm.

Don’t be one of the many who schedule haphazardly – filling in as many gaps in your planner as possible.

And that brings me to the final mindset.

Mindset #3: Your schedule should be your servant – not your master!

If you’re being enslaved by your schedule – then you’re doing it wrong!

Your schedule should not be a prison.

Just because you have it air-tight and jam-packed with things doesn’t mean you’re being productive.

In fact, it betrays a lack of wisdom in the usage of your time.

Remember that your schedule, calendar or planner is there to help you become more effective.

It pays much more dividends in the long-term to get into the habit of setting a limit to how many things to schedule in a day.

Personally, I give myself a maximum of three major things to do for the day.

So I go about my days with a sense of ease, knowing that as long as I focus on these three things, I would have a productive day.

What naturally happens is that because I only schedule a maximum of three things – I enjoy two privileges:

I have enough time to get important things done.

And I have enough room in between to handle any urgent last-minute tasks that crop up.

So while my schedule is never ‘full’, my days feel fulfilling.

As you progress in life, you’ll naturally take on more responsibilities. But that doesn’t mean that you break the rules you used to follow.

Be firm about prioritising ‘schedule space’. 

Your schedule and responsibilities must always bow down to serve you. Not the other way around.

Summary

Old, unproductive patterns of action are the result of old, unproductive patterns of thinking.

3 Mindsets to Maximize Productivity & Peace of Mind

Mindset #1: Effective people put what’s ‘Important’ before what’s ‘Urgent’.

Efficiency does not equate to effectiveness. Many busy people get things done but never get anywhere.

In ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen Covey writes that the truly effective people are those who focus on what’s important first.

Mindset #2: Know your rhythm and match your schedule to your rhythm.

Whether you’re a sprinter or a marathoner, or if you march to the beat of your own drum – the key here is: your schedule needs to reflect your rhythm.

Mindset #3: Your schedule should be your servant – not your master!

Be firm about prioritising ‘schedule space’.

(click here to read a summary of this post)

 

If you fancy yourself as a peak performer who strives for excellence – then it’s very likely that you’re afflicted with a particular curse.

A curse that plagues you day and night.

A curse that haunts you at work and on your off-days.

A curse that follows you no matter how successful you may be.

It’s the curse of never being as productive as you want to be.

As achievers, we set a high bar for ourselves – to get as many things done in the shortest time possible.

But reality always finds a way to remind us that we’re not superhuman.

Still, while getting things done can be a constant endeavour – it doesn’t have to be a constant struggle.

To get out of the never-ending loop of being haplessly unproductive – there needs to be a shift in perspective.

Old, unproductive patterns of action are the result of old, unproductive patterns of thinking. 

Having said that, these new mindsets will get you to think differently about personal effectiveness, and how to maximize productivity and peace of mind.

3 Mindsets to Maximize Productivity & Peace of Mind

Mindset #1: Effective people put what’s ‘Important’ before what’s ‘Urgent’

In time management, the two main factors that characterise tasks are ‘Urgency’ and ‘Importance’.

Urgent means it requires immediate attention.

These are the things that shout and scream at us. E-mails, notifications, follow-up calls and last-minute deadlines.

They are the most visible, in-your-face and are usually the stuff other people want you to do.

Urgent tasks also tend to have the least resistance.

Because we constantly react to them.

However, they are often unimportant.

Importance, on the other hand, may not necessarily be time-sensitive… but they have to do with results.

If something is important to you, it means it is aligned with your goals, your values and your mission.

These could be things like learning, long-term planning, building relationships, staying fit and preparing for big projects.

They are things that we know we need to do, but we somehow procrastinate and make way for the more urgent tasks.

And this is why efficiency does not equate to effectiveness. 

Many busy people get things done but never get anywhere.

Just because you’re clearing tasks and being efficient, doesn’t mean you are being effective.

In ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen Covey writes that the truly effective people are those who focus on what’s important first. 

In his book, he quotes the father of management thinking, Peter Drucker, who says:

Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity-minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems. They think preventively. They balance by focusing on the important but not urgent, high leverage capacity-building activities.”  

True effectiveness is having the discipline to never let urgent tasks precede and outweigh the important tasks.

Like Drucker said – to ‘think preventively’.

Effective people take the time to plan their goals because it will prevent them from wasting too much time focusing on the wrong things.

Effective people know that exercise is important because good health will prevent them from getting sick or feeling drained – which will hurt their productivity.

When you get clear on your mission, long-term goals and values, you can have perspective over what’s important and what’s urgent.

From there, your priorities are directed by your expectations, not the expectations of others.

Finally, you’re in control.

Once you know the key difference between ‘urgent’ and ‘important’, that’s when you can start managing your productivity rhythms.

Mindset #2: Know your rhythm and match your schedule to your rhythm

We all have rhythms in life.

Our routines, habits and tendencies are all products of our natural rhythms.

There are rhythms at work, rhythms in relationships, rhythms in health, and rhythms in your finances. You can see your life as music, with different areas of your life playing at different beats and tempo.

But for this example, let’s take a look at work.

Let’s use running as a metaphor.

At work, are you a sprinter, or a marathoner?

Sprinters love the adrenaline rush. They cram as many tasks as possible into a short time frame and then focus their energies intensely within those time frames.

They love getting into that state of flow, or their ‘focus zone’, and complete their tasks decisively within short periods.

Sprinters are also those ‘last minute’ people who are convinced that they do their best work under pressure – when deadlines are drawing near.

However, sprinters are also the most prone to burnout.

Without prioritising adequate rest and recovery time, the sprinter is at risk of being stressed out and developing nagging health issues.

Also, if sprinters are not intentional about their tasks, they can end up ‘sprinting’ in unimportant areas – causing them to be very busy but also very unfulfilled.

Marathoners, on the other hand, may prefer consistency over intensity.

They are best when given adequate time and space to complete their tasks.

Some are methodical and systematic planners who ensure that they don’t schedule too many tasks in one day, so as to enjoy some freedom.

Creative people tend to be marathoners – who sometimes need a leisurely pace or simple distractions to bring out their best work.

The advantage marathoners have is that because they don’t get burnt out as much as sprinters, they produce more results over the long run.

Their consistency makes them reliable.

The downside of being a marathoner is that in the workplace – demands and expectations can be very different. Not every boss, team or project is willing to cater to the unique pace of marathoners.

Marathoners who work in a high performing team may find themselves having to keep up with the team’s pace.

So marathoners need to learn to set clear boundaries and negotiate with others to maximise their productivity.

But what if you’re a little bit of both? Or you don’t fall into either category?

Well, the fact is: it doesn’t matter.

Whether you’re a sprinter or a marathoner, or if you march to the beat of your own drum – the key here is: your schedule needs to reflect your rhythm.

Don’t be one of the many who schedule haphazardly – filling in as many gaps in your planner as possible.

And that brings me to the final mindset.

Mindset #3: Your schedule should be your servant – not your master!

If you’re being enslaved by your schedule – then you’re doing it wrong!

Your schedule should not be a prison.

Just because you have it air-tight and jam-packed with things doesn’t mean you’re being productive.

In fact, it betrays a lack of wisdom in the usage of your time.

Remember that your schedule, calendar or planner is there to help you become more effective.

It pays much more dividends in the long-term to get into the habit of setting a limit to how many things to schedule in a day.

Personally, I give myself a maximum of three major things to do for the day.

So I go about my days with a sense of ease, knowing that as long as I focus on these three things, I would have a productive day.

What naturally happens is that because I only schedule a maximum of three things – I enjoy two privileges:

I have enough time to get important things done.

And I have enough room in between to handle any urgent last-minute tasks that crop up.

So while my schedule is never ‘full’, my days feel fulfilling.

As you progress in life, you’ll naturally take on more responsibilities. But that doesn’t mean that you break the rules you used to follow.

Be firm about prioritising ‘schedule space’. 

Your schedule and responsibilities must always bow down to serve you. Not the other way around.

Summary

Old, unproductive patterns of action are the result of old, unproductive patterns of thinking.

3 Mindsets to Maximize Productivity & Peace of Mind

Mindset #1: Effective people put what’s ‘Important’ before what’s ‘Urgent’.

Efficiency does not equate to effectiveness. Many busy people get things done but never get anywhere.

In ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen Covey writes that the truly effective people are those who focus on what’s important first.

Mindset #2: Know your rhythm and match your schedule to your rhythm.

Whether you’re a sprinter or a marathoner, or if you march to the beat of your own drum – the key here is: your schedule needs to reflect your rhythm.

Mindset #3: Your schedule should be your servant – not your master!

Be firm about prioritising ‘schedule space’.