Key Messages
Achieve More With Less Stress: The Art Of Productivity
If you’re looking to maximize your productivity, then look no further than the Extreme Productivity Book.
It helps you to understand that increased productivity doesn’t have to mean exhausting yourself; in fact, it can be the opposite – if you work smarter, then you can finish tasks faster and spend more time on things that really matter to you.
This book is full of great advice on how to simplify in order to be productive and get more done with less effort.
You’ll learn how to plan your work effectively, improve focus and concentration, cut out time-wasting activities, and why working fewer than eight hours a day can actually make you more productive.
So step up your game – crank your productivity up to the max with this amazing book!
Plan Ahead For Long-Term Success By Setting Priorities And Monitoring Your Time
When it comes to achieving your highest productivity, it’s important to prioritize your tasks and invest your time accordingly.
Start by breaking down tasks into aims, objectives, and targets; this will help you to prioritize the work that matters most.
Aims are long-term goals, such as expanding your business network or landing an executive-level promotion, which can take up to five years.
Objectives, in contrast, are more mid-range goals such as a re-branding project for a shoe line which usually require between three and 24 months.
Finally, targets are typically projects that take three months or less, like writing progress reports or finishing a major project.
Prioritizing aim’s objectives and targets that both you and your employer agree on is key – focus on these tasks first before moving onto ones that solely concern you.
To ensure optimal productivity in tracking how you allocate your time is also essential!
In doing so you might find out exactly why you’re failing to prioritize properly: maybe there are too many unimportant meetings taking up too much of your valuable time!
That said, understanding where that’s happening allows you to address the issue promptly – meaning no more time wasted procrastinating!
Using Mini-Deadlines To Beat Procrastination And Meet Your Goals
Are you tired of procrastinating on your tasks? If so, then one way to break the cycle is by setting mini-deadlines and holding yourself accountable.
This method works because it splits up a huge task into manageable chunks that allow you to finish your work step-by-step, long before the due date.
To ensure that this approach is effective, make sure that you set deadlines at the same intervals.
For example, if you have to write a 6,000 word report in four weeks, plan out so that you will write 2,000 words a week for the first three weeks and spend the final week proofreading and editing.
Then it’s time to make yourself accountable for meeting these deadlines.
Tell your boss about your task breakdown and when each deadline should be reached; plus, don’t forget to invite them to a calendar event for additional reminder!
That way, you are more motivated and pressured on finishing each target ahead of time.
Besides keeping yourself accountable with your boss or colleagues, don’t forget to give yourself rewards after reaching a deadline!
Treat yourself with some nice meals or interesting books after a successful completion of a mini-deadline – this not only motivates you further but also celebrates all of your accomplishments!
Don’t Let Simple Tasks Pile Up: Use The Ohio Principle And Get The Small Stuff Out Of The Way Quickly
When it comes to tackling low-priority tasks, it’s important to remember that being too perfectionist can only lead to a waste of time.
After all, trying to be perfect on simple and unimportant tasks is ultimately not what matters most.
You should be focussing on achieving perfection for your top-level work since that is the kind of task your boss will look at.
That’s why it’s important to fight the temptation to do perfect work when it comes to low-priority tasks, and instead use the OHIO principle (Only Handle It Once) so you can get through these quickly and move onto something more pressing.
For example, if an email invitation arrives in your inbox, quickly scan it and then decide if it’s worth doing with just one glance.
Don’t spend ages scrolling back – make a decision in an instant!
This will save you both time and energy so you can focus on the more meaningful projects that are deserving of perfectionism rather than going overboard with small things that don’t require such attention.
Being cognizant of this will help you prioritize smarter so you stay productive at all times while still making sure that the quality of your highest priority work doesn’t suffer because you’re investing time into menial tasks.
Adding Structure To The Writing Process For Improved Output And Efficiency
Developing quality writing with efficiency requires both structure and quiet.
To establish structure, begin by brainstorming related ideas about the subject matter and then proceed to categorize these thoughts further.
For example, when creating a pitch on making an organization more environmentally friendly, you may recall such topics as company profile, product package redesign, energy costs and LED lighting.
It can be helpful to group these items into categories of intangible gains, waste and energy, as well as profits and losses for further clarity.
Finally arrange this information into a logical order in an outline that connects your main points with an introduction and conclusion.
Besides having structure however, productivity in writing also needs a sense of peace to accomplish focus while removing distractions at large.
You can achieve this by using the early morning or late evening of an office environment without colleagues around or finding privacy while traveling on a commuter train or plane ride.
Structure and inspiration are essential elements in completing our best work – take your time to find success in both!
Stop Valuing Hours Worked Over Results Produced: Create A Culture Of Productivity Instead
The truth of the matter is, when it comes to important projects, it’s not the number of hours you spend on them that matters – it’s what you do with those hours and the quality of your work.
Think about it – would a customer or a coworker really be impressed if you took eight hours to produce a poorly-written report, or three hours to write an excellent one? Of course not!
What counts is the product you deliver and not the amount of time it took you to do it.
That’s why it’s important to prioritize productivity over putting in long hours.
Unfortunately, many workplaces still favor long hours over actual results.
There is a tendency among managers to value overtime and weekend work more than actual outputs from employees.
But these are all irrational values that hurt workers and organizations alike.
It’s up to you ensure this culture does not take root in your workplace by avoiding making remarks that emphasize working longer more than producing results.
So avoid labeling someone who left early as “banking hours” or giving snide comments when somebody comes late like “Finally here!”.
This way, you create a healthier environment for yourself and for everyone else too.
Besides this advantage, reducing excessive amounts of time spent on tasks grants people more leisure time with their family and friends or even time for physical activities; are all comforts greatly appreciated by anyone at any job.
Balancing Work And Life: Find Time For The Ones You Love By Prioritizing Flexible Working Hours
If you want to be productive at work and free up more time for yourself, then it’s important to prioritize your personal life and act accordingly.
That means setting standards and rules for yourself, such as always being home by a certain hour or declining late meetings when possible.
Spending quality time with family is essential, so make sure to stick to any goals that you set.
Building trust with your boss is key – if they see that you are reliable and trustworthy, then chances are they will allow you the flexibility of going home earlier or making up lost time within the week.
One way to ensure that your personal life doesn’t suffer due to work obligations is to look for a job with flexible working hours.
A survey in 2008 revealed that the availability of flexible work hours was one of the top deciding factors for potential employees deciding on a job offer.
Having a job where you can have flexible timing allows you the freedom to take care of personal matters without having to worry about missing out on major events like a kid’s play or an ill partner.
Wrap Up
The Extreme Productivity book has a simple message: efficiency is key to productivity.
If you want to become a faster and smarter worker, it’s important to set clear goals, prioritize your tasks, avoid procrastination, break big projects into smaller tasks and define your working hours.
So to wrap up this book summary, the key actionable advice is to read faster in order to boost productivity.
But reading faster doesn’t necessarily mean reading more words per minute; it means reading fewer words in total.
Instead of ploughing through an entire book from top-to-bottom, try skimming through the introduction and conclusion first, then skim the body for the specific information you need.
This way you get the most important points and save yourself time!
