Productivity is a wellness strategy; choose the right tool to buy back space to invest in yourself, explains Heather Denniston
As Assistants, productivity is hardwired into your DNA. You put it frontstage on your resumes and call it out during interviews, but many Assistants think of “productivity” as a push to do more faster rather than an opportunity to improve your health.
Unfortunately, many managers push for the “more in less time” productivity style, failing to understand that philosophy’s connection to burnout and overwhelm. When we push teams to the edge of burnout, productivity naturally takes a tumble, and more time is spent on spinning wheels and infighting than on getting work done effectively and efficiently.
From a wellbeing strategist perspective, I have seen the devastating impact of simply pushing for more. What if we looked at productivity differently?
Productivity as a Wellbeing Strategy
Productivity is an effective tool for buying back bandwidth and white space in our days. When we train to be more effective and efficient in our work, we unlock space to invest in our health and wellbeing.
The secret benefit of improved productivity is that with every minute we free up through more effective time use, we can spend the leftover time currency on healthy, self-supporting activities. As a result, the more optimized and healthier we are, the more focused, effective, and productive we naturally become – the best kind of vicious cycle.
So, how can we approach productivity as a hack for our personal wellbeing?
Task timer
We are wired for competition. It is part of our genetic makeup for survival. Implementing a deadline has been shown to ramp up our output and support deeper focus. But there is a caveat. Do not use the timer on your phone. Purchase a simple “task timer” on a battery to limit the risk of getting distracted. These task timers cater to our brain’s natural focus factor by creating a countdown to a deadline. You might also consider the Pomodoro technique of 20-minute focus blocks with 10-minute active breaks.
Phone time-out
My dear friend works at the Canadian embassy. When she enters work, all phones must be locked in a small personal safe outside the office. She hated it at first, but then she noticed something – an incredible increase in productivity. The reason we get addicted to looking at our phones is because that little palm rectangle provides a quick hit of serotonin, like a hug or kind words. The problem is the hormone dump is short-lived and leaves us wanting more, so we pick up the phone again and again and again. Sometimes, we need to save ourselves from ourselves. How much time could you be away from your phone without starting to sweat? Five minutes? Fifteen? Could you drop just below that sweat-inducing number and commit to a “phone time-out”? You will be amazed at how much more you get done. For increased accountability, consider switching phones with a coworker during the time-out.
Head down or up
Certain daily tasks require more focus than others and are better suited to specific times. Derek Sivers, an author, musician, and entrepreneur, coined “head up versus head down” time. Head-down times are higher focus tasks like spreadsheets, learning new software, ideation, or research. Head-up times are meetings, emails, and phone calls. For most people, head-down time is better suited to the mornings. So much so that several companies have banned meetings before 11:00 AM so that employees can focus on deeper thinking and head-down projects in the morning when they are fresh. As administrative professionals, your time is not always your own, so a large block of head-down time may not be realistic. Remember that even a 20-minute focus block first thing in the morning can garner tremendous results.
Accountability
Data tells us we perform better and more efficiently when under observation. Consider an accountability partner when setting a short block of time to complete a task with no distractions. Text your partner and let them know you are heading into a (insert number) minute work block and want to complete (clearly defined reasonable task). Check in with them when it’s complete and let them know how you did. Better yet, use focusmate.com – a live person, free accountability tool that is a productivity game-changer. Log in, set a 25-, 50- or 75-minute time slot, and you will be paired with another incredible human wanting to do focus work during that time.
Frog tackle
In his book Eat That Frog!, Dan Sullivan teaches us that tackling the most complex problem first is the fastest way to a productive day. So, on the night before, identify which “frog-tasting” (less desirable) task you want to tackle first thing in the morning. After you have eaten your frog, there is no limit to what you can accomplish! This pairs well with your head-down time in the morning.
Happy pillow
Designing your day leads to incredible productivity. Of course, there will be interruptions, but if you have clear intentionality around the flow of your day, data shows you will not only be more productive but also pop back up more quickly when something knocks you off course. Consider the Daily Amplifier Exercise used at the end of the workday to set the course for the following day. It will make you more productive and has been shown to help with sleep, knowing that tomorrow’s tasks are already taken care of in your daily plan.
Drop the “to-do”
You heard me. To-do lists often lack the next step of execution and can be a time waster if there is too much focus on writing and re-writing them. Think of how frequently you have re-written your list and transferred an item that had also been moved from the last list! A better practice is to block your task directly into your calendar. So, instead of “event plan for the offsite” being number six, consider how much time you think the task will take and block it into a specific time in your work schedule. Something urgent may come up during that time. That is okay. Simply move the blocked task to another time slot. That way, you will always have a specific time designated until that task is complete. It is so much better than staring at “number six” and wondering when on earth you will get to it.
Productivity training is not about pushing yourself harder or trying to get more for less. It is about working more effectively and efficiently and buying back essential minutes during which you can take even better care of yourself.
References
- Cirillo, Francesco. 2006. The Pomodoro Technique.
- Tracy, Brian. 2001. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
- Sivers, Derek. “Hell Yeah or No.” Derek Sivers. https://sive.rs/. Accessed February 27, 2024.
- Denniston, Heather. “The Daily Amplifier.” The Daily Amplifier. https://www.wellnessamplifier.com/happy-pillow-optin. Accessed February 27, 2024.
- Focusmate. https://www.focusmate.com/
- Task Timer. https://a.co/d/gGcz5qO
