Agency in Your Inbox

Productivity
Laura McClellan

Podcaster, lawyer, mother, coach...helping you get ALL THE THINGS done...and done in a way of which you're proud.

Three Best Practices...

Write everything down.

Your brain is better at having ideas than storing them. Developing the habit of capturing everything--appointments, ideas, tasks, plans--in writing will free up your mind to do the creative thinking needed to build your business and thrive in your life.

Work Effectively & Efficiently

Make use of task-batching and time-blocking to work efficiently and effectively. Do similar tasks together (e.g., all your phone calls, or all your errands, or writing your blog posts, or scheduling social media), and block out chunks of time on your calendar to work on your most thought-intensive or creative work at the time of day you're most alert and creative, while blocking time for routine or admin work at those times you're less energetic.

Outsource With Intention

Leverage your time and talent by outsourcing with intention. If, as the Pareto Principle teaches us, 20% of your activities are generating 80% of your results (profit, joy, etc.), then identify what those key activities are, and evaluate how you can delegate some of the other 80% of the things you're doing. Delegating wisely can buy you time to focus on the activities only you can do to advance your business.

To Do: Time Tracking

Track your time for a week. Get a really clear picture of how you're spending your time, both in your business and at home. If you've never done this, then you only *think* you know what you do all day.
Look at the results. How much of what you're doing actually advances your business and moves you ahead toward accomplishing your most important goals? What activities are you spending time on that someone else can be doing, thus giving you more time to focus on those key business-building activities?
Choose one of those lower-value activities and delegate it (today!) to another team member or outsource it to another person or service provider. Then choose another, and another . . .

Do

Do create routines that help you work efficiently and effectively. Document those routines--what you do and how you do it--so others can step in and help when needed.

Do identify what days/time of day you're most creative and energetic, and intentionally block that time out for working on your most important project. Save the admin work for when you're naturally less focused (or, even better, delegate it to someone else!).

Don't

Don't confuse being busy with being productive. Productivity isn't about getting the most stuff done, it's about getting the right stuff done. Be intentional about what you do and don't do.

Don't forget to schedule time for yourself. If you are not healthy (physically, emotionally, spiritually), you can't make your best contribution to the world. Time for self-care is not a break from being productive; it's an essential component of living a meaningful productive life.

Listen to Laura's Water Cooler Interview