Why being productive is key to success
This week’s Guest Blog is from Helen Winder Managing Director of Transire Ltd – here are some of Helen’s thoughts on Productivity.
The word ‘productivity’ conjures up countless images of hard-working people, products and services being developed, constructed and delivered, innovation, entrepreneurship and success.
Richard Branson, for example, is one very productive man who’s started over 400 companies. This household name not only talks the talk but makes things happen!
We all aim to be as busy as we can possibly be each day, week, month and year, but how many of us can honestly say we are completely productive with our time? There is a big difference between being ‘busy’ and being ‘productive’.
Being productive will help you feel happier, engaged, a sense of achievement, and fulfilled in your work and life. A dictionary definition of ‘productive’ is; ‘the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services’.
Being productive is the key to success. As a productive person, you use time and resources wisely and measure success in financial rewards in the form of income, increased sales and overall business growth.
Productive people create tangible results, promotions, services and to get their business noticed in the community. They focus on the aspects of business they excel in, and delegate or outsource the other tasks. By letting someone else take care of other aspects such as ghost-writing their blog, answering their phone calls and responding to non-urgent emails, they free up more precious time for other areas of business and life.
I frequently meet business owners who strive to achieve more productivity. Struggling to balance too many projects, losing sight of goals, procrastination, problems in personal life or staffing, lack of sleep and exercise are all factors that contribute to lack of productivity.
All that is required is a shift in the mindset to be more productive. Being organised, having good time management and sticking to-do lists help in the drive towards increasing productivity.
Knowing that things do not happen all at once, but they will happen with time and perseverance is imperative to your success. Identify steps to take to reach your goals. If what you are doing now is not helping you reach your goals then it can wait. Eliminate, postpone, or delegate those tasks to someone else internally, or outsource an expert to assist you.
Distractions creep into our professional and personal lives and as a result we often find ourselves unable to complete tasks to a level we are overly-satisfied about. This can cause frustration and lead to more unproductiveness.
We all have distractions in our work, and the trick is to manage these so you do not become less productive. Keep a list of setbacks, adding to it as they arise and dedicating 30 minutes to addressing them at a certain time each day, or pass them on to someone else who can assist.
The secret to being productive is to stay focused and ask yourself the following questions frequently:
What is the most valuable use of my time right now?
What can I do today that will make me money?
What can I do today to get my product and service into the community?
What can I delegate or outsource to free up my time for other tasks?
Have you got any tips for increasing productivity? Share them here.
Short Bio
Helen Winder is the Managing Director of Transire Ltd. Helen works very closely with all the clients of Transire and is always looking ahead to ensure they meet their personal and business goals. Through her own experiences in business she also acts as a sounding board when needed. Connect with Helen on twitter: @helenwinder and @transireltd or visit http://transireltd.com