Personal Effectiveness

Jun 01, 2024

Mastering Personal Effectiveness: Key Takeaways “From Procrastination to Progress”

What we usually expect normally when it comes to Personal and Productive effectiveness?

Time Management: As a consultant, you are often working on multiple projects or clients at once, so effective time management is crucial to ensure that you meet deadlines and deliver high-quality work.
Effective Communication: Developing good communication habits, such as active listening and giving feedback, can help you build stronger relationships and achieve better outcomes in both personal and professional contexts.
Simplify to Amplify: Breaking larger goals or projects into smaller actionable todos can help make them more manageable and increase the likelihood of success, and using tools such as task lists, project management software, or productivity apps can help you track and prioritize your actionable todos.

We always expect something, and yet we ignore these common thinkable key factors which can or might limit our effectiveness at workplace or at home as well, e.g.

Environments and other tools not working.
Not having time to eat, drink or stand up for a bit.
Micro-management and hostile working environment.
Frequent context switching.
People we are cooperating with and people who don’t answer our emails, invitations.
Fear to do mistakes in work, which can keep us frozen.
Misunderstanding of tasks and roles in a team.
Not knowing enough about what to do and Multi-tasking.
wrong or weak prioritization of tasks
Lack of Sleep, limited sources and information.
Unplanned distractions, a.k.a. time stealer’s!

Remember, procrastination is also one of the effectivity and time stealer BUT, the question here is why do we do the procrastination? and here are some reasons why people actually do procrastinate:

Fear of failure: Procrastination can be a way to avoid the anxiety or uncertainty that comes with starting a new task or taking on a new challenge. By putting things off, we avoid the risk of failing or not meeting our own or others’ expectations.
Perfectionism: Some people procrastinate because they are perfectionists and feel that they cannot start a task until they have all the information, resources, or conditions just right. This can lead to overthinking and analysis paralysis, which can delay progress or even prevent starting the task altogether.
Lack of motivation: Procrastination can be a symptom of low motivation or interest in a task. If we don’t feel excited or invested in a task, we may put it off or find other distractions to fill our time.
Lack of confidence: Procrastination can also be a way to avoid confronting our own insecurities or self-doubt. If we don’t believe in ourselves or our abilities, we may avoid taking on challenges or pursuing goals that we fear we cannot achieve.
Overwhelm: Procrastination can be a response to feeling overwhelmed or over committed. If we have too many tasks or responsibilities to juggle, we may put off starting any of them until we feel more in control or have a clearer sense of what needs to be done first.
Poor time management: Procrastination can also be a consequence of poor time management skills, such as failing to plan, prioritize, or schedule tasks effectively. If we don’t have a clear plan or timeline for our work, we may struggle to make progress and end up putting things off until the last minute.
Distractions: Procrastination can also result from being easily distracted, whether by social media, email, or other notifications. If we allow ourselves to be interrupted frequently, we may find it hard to stay focused on one task for an extended period and end up putting things off or multitasking instead.

and here are few tips and tricks which you may use to break the procrastination cycle

Break tasks into smaller steps: Large tasks can feel overwhelming and lead to procrastination. Break them down into smaller, more manageable steps that are easier to tackle. This makes it easier to get started and helps build momentum towards completing the task.
Set specific goals and deadlines: Setting specific goals and deadlines can help create a sense of urgency and accountability, which can motivate us to take action. Write down your goals and deadlines and keep them visible to help stay on track.
Use a timer: Use a timer to create a sense of focus and urgency. Set a timer for a specific amount of time and commit to working on the task for that time period. This can help increase productivity and reduce distractions.
Eliminate distractions: Distractions, such as social media, emails, or notifications, can lead to procrastination. Try to eliminate or minimize these distractions as much as possible while working on a task. Turn off notifications or use apps that block access to distracting websites or apps during work time.
Practice self-compassion: Procrastination is a common problem, and beating yourself up about it can make it worse. Instead, practice self-compassion and recognize that everyone struggles with procrastination from time to time. Be kind to yourself, acknowledge your efforts, and focus on making progress rather than perfection.

Also, one more things which really is a myth of efficiency called “Multi-tasking”

The idea of multitasking has become increasingly popular in modern society, with many people believing that it allows them to accomplish more tasks in less time.

However, research has shown that multitasking is actually counterproductive and can lead to decreased productivity and increased stress levels.

The human brain is not designed to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and attempting to do so can result in cognitive overload and decreased performance.

Multitasking is actually contra to Productivity because it splits attention, forces shortcuts, leads to mistakes and overall hinders performance and productivity (Especially with more complex tasks) increases time to complete tasks when accounting for the time to “shift mental gears” and Negatively impacts team work and increases the chances for miscommunication, missed deadlines, and poor work quality. If everyone in the group is distracted, there is little to no chance of coming together and producing the best work possible.

A solution to this problem is to focus on single-tasking and prioritizing tasks based on importance and urgency.

This can be achieved through techniques such as time blocking, where specific blocks of time are designated for specific tasks, and the Pomodoro technique, where work is broken down into 25-minute intervals with short breaks in between. Delegation and outsourcing can also be effective strategies for reducing workload and freeing up time to focus on high-priority tasks.

By adopting these strategies, individuals can improve their productivity, reduce stress levels, and achieve better outcomes in both their personal and professional lives.

Techniques, Tips and Tricks for Personal Effectiveness

Know and prioritize your most important task

Prioritize tasks, which helps you make meaningful progress toward your goals;
Resist the temptation of “checking off” the easy, more mindless tasks at the start of your day – they generally have lower impact

If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first” –Mark Twain

Play to your personal powers

When are your high energy/efficiency times?
Organize your high impact tasks around the times when you feel the sharpest (ex: If at best in morning, and High attention to detail/high brain power tasks in morning and more second-nature type, rote tasks for the afternoon)

Try a to-do list and perform an audit

Start with a brain dump, then organize in lists, grids, your email calendar, whatever you like!
Prioritize (consider effort and impact)
Audit the tasks: (1) What doesn’t need to be done? (2) What could be done by someone else? (3) What could be done more efficiently? (4) What wastes other peoples’ time?
It’s completely reasonable to build in your personal tasks here – this is for you (not a client deliverable)!
Remember to practice effectively managing expectations as needed

Time box and create urgency for yourself.

Work has a tendency to expand to fill the time available for its completion, and Consider the Pomodoro Technique.

Minimize distractions as much as possible

Think about what distracts you and choose to address/account for this to limit disruption costs like added stress.

Finnally: Remember, time management is really self management.

No one can manage time. We can only manage ourselves, our focus, attention and what we do with the time we have.
It’s essentially a game of choices. Practice making different ones if you find that your productivity is suffering, or your work/life is out of balance.