On the 4th Day of Christmas my Career Coach gave to me...4 Ways to Stay Focused!

on the fourth day of christmas my career coach gave to me four ways to stay focused welcome back to the career pivot accelerator and thank you for joining us on day four of our 12 days of career coaching so far we've talked about creating a vision for your career the must-have skills for success and some clever networking hacks today we are diving into something that's crucial for achieving your goals and maintaining your energy especially during busy times what is it productivity now if you're anything like me you know that staying productive can be a challenge however especially during the holidays when things are ramping up both personally and professionally it's easy to feel so overwhelmed by the endless to-do lists meetings and deadlines and knowing that the end of year is looming like something's going to happen at the end of the year at the stroke of midnight right but it doesn't life goes on the key to staying productive and avoiding burnout isn't about doing more it's about doing the right things at the right times in today's episode i'm sharing four productivity tips that will help you stay focused manage your tasks efficiently and maintain balance during these busy times whether you're juggling multiple projects at work trying to finish year-end tasks or simply looking for ways to maximize your time these tips will help you stay on track and keep your energy up no matter what time of year tip number two no let's start with number one hello tip number one prioritize the eisenhower matrix do you hear me say eisenhower yes i did one of the most effective productivity strategies is learning how to prioritize your tasks and there's no better way to do that than by using the eisenhower matrix it's effectively a time management tool named after former u.s president dwight b eisenhower this matrix helps you sort tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance a lot of other people have created their own they've effectively enhanced on it or made it a little different but it's all the same thing the four quadrants based on urgency and importance it's simple but it's incredibly effective at helping you decide what you should be focusing on and what you can delegate or even eliminate how does it work well in quadrant one again you could choose any you know take a piece of paper and fold it in half and then half again and then when you open it up you will have your four quadrants you can choose any square any box that you want to start with quadrant one it really is not dependent on any specific rules in this case so quadrant one is box one and you label that urgent and important tasks that need to be done immediately like urgent work projects or tight deadlines quadrant two no not urgent but important important tasks that help you work towards your long-term goals like planning personal development and relationship building quadrant three urgent but not important tasks that demand immediate attention but don't directly contribute to your main goals like unnecessary meetings or interruptions quadrant four not urgent and not important tasks that are distractions or time wasters such as checking social media or browsing the internet so there's the quadrants if you're a visual person like me i am going to leave a link in the show notes just so you have a reference and a go-to guide to look at this visually with these quadrants so let me recap quadrant one is urgent and important quadrant two not urgent but important quadrant three urgent but not important and quadrant four not urgent not important so here's your tip at the start of each day or week take a few minutes to map out your tasks using the eisenhower matrix this will help you focus on what really matters and avoid getting bogged down in things that aren't important and remember it's okay to delegate or say no to things that fall in quadrant three or four especially four but consistently focusing on quadrant one and two tasks you'll ensure you're moving forward on your goals while keeping distractions at bay and the types of distractions that i'm looking at a referencing are the distractions of colleagues who want to pull you into their world and what they're working on to help them achieve their goals you have to constantly be reviewing is this the best use of my time is by helping them going to help me achieve my goals if that is a no then you can politely say i'd love to help you can i work on this first and then get back to you so you've got some tools and tips there to help you with those distractions tip number two time block your day time blocking is a powerful productivity technique that involves scheduling your day into chunks of time each dedicated to a specific task or project it's about creating structure in your day and eliminating the temptation of multitasking the idea or other people encroaching on your time the idea is to give yourself the time and space to work on one thing at a time so you can be more focused and less stressed so why does time blocking work i hear you say or why does it work well when you time block your day you're telling yourself and others especially others that you are committed to being focused on the task at hand it removes the decision making process about what to do next which also reduces mental fatigue it also ensures that you allocate time for both work-related tasks and self-care activities which is key to avoiding burnout there is also another hidden benefit for blocking your time on your calendar it also helps to communicate to your colleagues without actually talking to them because people like to snoop and that is you know their prerogative if they've got time on their hands to waste their energy snooping on others worrying and stressing about well what are they doing and they don't do anything well they can clearly see that your time is precious and that you've got a lot booked and blocked out so it eliminates those kinds of chundering behind your back types of conversations between colleagues because they can clearly see what you are working on so here's an actionable tip start by blocking out your time the night before identify your top priorities for the day and break them down into manageable chunks that way when you come in first thing in the morning you are more or less having a quick review of your calendar and you are excited and pumped to get through the day and start chipping away at all of those tasks that you have blocked out for example your time block might look like this 9 a.m to 11 a.m is on focused work on an important project you can fill in the blanks 11 a.m to 12 is responding to emails and catching up on messages i would also add say for example you start at 8 or 8 30 let's say it's 8 30 so 8 30 to 9 you are reviewing emails that might have come in while you had left for the day and then just catching up on those messages that need your immediate attention before you start your focus work at 9 and then from 12 to 1 lunch and a short walk 1 to 3 creative brainstorming or problem solving session and then 3 to 4 admin tasks and then if you finish at 5 or 4 30 then it is answering emails helping colleagues catch up on messages anything like that that you can fit in i do want to emphasize about lunch especially if you have an hour-long break i cannot emphasize enough about exercise whether it be in the form of a walk a run or something at the gym that you want to do or have organized like oh i don't know a spinning class or a yoga class or something like that um it is really important to get out and get exercise in because if you are especially at your desk for four hours solid or at least three hours solid doesn't matter even two hours solid or even one hour solid that's a lot of time that you are dedicating to that desk and not getting up and moving around so therefore exercise during your lunch break becomes even more important because then it effectively just helps reset recalibrate and brush the cobwebs away so you are more rejuvenated and energized for finishing off the rest of the day because the afternoon can be a bit of a slump especially after lunch so make sure to include buffer time for unexpected interruptions even though i've given you a guide of what your time blocking might look like you might want to build in five ten minutes in all of those blocked times to schedule in breaks as well as the interruptions that may or may not occur if they don't occur great fantastic carry on but if they do occur at least then you've allowed for that and aren't stressing about oh gosh how am i going to finish this project the goal is to be intentional with your time so you can stay productive without feeling overwhelmed and also so you can feel like you are in the driver's seat rather than people dictating to you the demands of them meeting you here there and everywhere at least then by you steering your own ship in the direction you want to head to achieve your goals it gives you that sense of satisfaction and achievement each quarter and each year for actually meeting those goals that you set for yourself and tip number three implement the two-minute rule to avoid procrastination what's the two-minute rule well procrastination is a common productivity killer we've all been there looking at a long to-do list and feeling too overwhelmed to tackle anything but what if i told you that the key to overcoming procrastination is to just do a little bit not a lot just a little bit enter the two-minute rule the two-minute rule is a simple if a task will take two minutes or less to complete do it immediately type of rule it could be answering a quick email making a short phone call organizing a small part of your workspace the idea is that once you start you build momentum and the larger tasks on your to-do list suddenly don't feel as daunting so have a go try the two minute rule see if it works for you why does it work for me well the beauty of the two-minute rule is that it helps you tackle small tasks quickly which reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed it also helps you build the habit of starting tasks which often makes it easier to continue working on them here's an actionable tip for you start by identifying small tasks that are taking up mental energy that aren't really difficult to do if it could be something as simple as organizing your calendar just even looking at it might be you know all it takes responding to a quick email or making a short phone call as you complete these small tasks you'll gain momentum and find it easier to tackle the larger tasks that require more time and focus but the key here with the two minute rule is to not have the two minute rule all of a sudden slowly but surely occupy every single minute of your day it wants to be a quick win with something short sharp and fast that you can attend to and address quickly it's not something that is then blocked out for longer periods of time and tip number four set boundaries and say no when necessary one of the most important productivity tips is learning to set boundaries especially during busy times like the holidays we all want to be helpful and meet others expectations but saying yes to everything can quickly lead to burnout setting clear boundaries with colleagues clients and even friends or family can help protect your energy and focus it's okay to say no when something doesn't align with your priorities or when you simply don't have the bandwidth to take on additional tasks so why does this work when you set boundaries you're protecting your time and ensuring you can focus on the things that matter most by saying no in a respectful and thoughtful way you're also respecting your own limits and mental well-being you're being good and kind to yourself so here's an actionable tip for you when someone asks for your help a meeting or your time take a moment to evaluate whether it's truly a priority if it's not it's okay to politely decline for example hey i'd love to help you but i'm currently focusing on some high priority tasks and won't be able to give this the attention it deserves let's revisit this later after and fill in a specific date another effective approach is to block off no interruption time during the day where you can focus deeply without distraction by meetings or other requests however some people you do have to train because they take no notice of your blocked off time and there are ways that you will just have to collide client color kindly and politely tell them you know i'm really busy on this project at the moment i can help you afterwards and then set a time and a date so at least they have you have managed the expectation of when you will get back to them and you're not just ignoring them or going off in a huff all right so let's wrap up to recap today we've covered four productivity hacks that will help you stay focused and energized during the busy times number one prioritize with the eisenhower matrix to focus on what truly matters and avoids distractions number two time block your day to create structure ensure you're working on the right tasks and avoid multitasking number three use the two-minute rule to quickly tackle small tasks and build momentum and finally number four set boundaries and say no when necessary to protect your time and energy by implementing these tips you'll not only boost your productivity but you'll also avoid burnout and maintain a sense of balance even during hectic periods as we wrap up today's episode i encourage you to choose one of these productivity tips and apply it to your work week whether it's time blocking or learning to say no small changes can make a big difference in how you manage your workload join us tomorrow in day five of your 12 days of career coaching where if i can get my words out we'll be diving into strategies for personal growth and continued learning but also i'll be focusing on the five questions to guide your career and to help you level up in the new year until then my friends stay focused stay balanced and may your holiday season be productive fulfilling and bright here's to your future career success bye for now