Three P’s To Boost Productivity

Thursday, 03. 4. 2010  –  Category: Ranger Wireless Solutions

Three P’s To Boost Productivity
Although there may be many projects to complete, managers can get distracted with meetings, emails, phone calls, planning and organizing.  At the end of the day, you may not accomplish any of the projects requiring your attention.  Increasing your own productivity can be a major struggle when so many other things take you away from your assignments.  Soon enough you may face a mountain of tasks that may have lingering deadlines.  Sometimes, the struggle may be finishing what you have already started, and sometimes the biggest battle is getting started.  Where do you start when the mountain of work seems bigger than your desk?  One way to avoid becoming overwhelmed is to remember three P’s to boost productivity: Pinpoint, Prioritize, Pitch.
Pinpoint:
Identify the tasks that need to be completed, the time you have to do them, and if there is anyone that can assist you.  First, write a list of the projects that are yet to be started or finished.  Then identify which ones you must do yourself and which ones can be delegated to a member of your team.  Write only your tasks on a new list and hand the original list off to your team member to whom you are delegating with any necessary explanation.  Next, block off time in your planner to complete these projects.  This may take an entire afternoon or just an hour.  The time that your schedule allows will dictate the next P, prioritize.
Prioritize:
Put numbers of importance and priority next to each task on your list and pick the top five or six tasks to complete, if time will allow for that many, and write them on a new list.  This way you will not get distracted by other items on the list that are not as important as the ones that you chose.  When you get started, stick to your schedule.  Assign a fair estimated amount of time to each task and, if necessary, use a timer.  This will keep you from checking email, answering calls, or paying attention to other distractions around you.  Move from one task to the next, resetting the timer each time if you chose to use one.  If you do not finish a project in the allotted time, evaluate whether you can afford an additional fifteen minutes for the project or however much time is needed.  If you cannot, move on to the next task and save this one for next time or for later that day if time allows.
Pitch:
When your list gets too long, certain projects need to be tabled until a later date or a later time in your life.  Maybe it is a good idea to evaluate who else might be able to take over a project or hire additional staff if it is something of great importance.  There may be some projects that have been tabled or left unfinished for so long that it may be time to cut your losses.  It may sting a little to have to “give up”, but anything that wasn’t worth your time for that long, may not be worth your time at all.

Although there may be many projects to complete, managers can get distracted with meetings, emails, phone calls, planning and organizing.  At the end of the day, you may not accomplish any of the projects requiring your attention.  Increasing your own productivity can be a major struggle when so many other things take you away from your assignments.  Soon enough you may face a mountain of tasks that may have lingering deadlines.  Sometimes, the struggle may be finishing what you have already started, and sometimes the biggest battle is getting started.  Where do you start when the mountain of work seems bigger than your desk?  One way to avoid becoming overwhelmed is to remember three P’s to boost productivity: Pinpoint, Prioritize, Pitch.

Pinpoint:

Identify the tasks that need to be completed, the time you have to do them, and if there is anyone that can assist you.  First, write a list of the projects that are yet to be started or finished.  Then identify which ones you must do yourself and which ones can be delegated to a member of your team.  Write only your tasks on a new list and hand the original list off to your team member to whom you are delegating with any necessary explanation.  Next, block off time in your planner to complete these projects.  This may take an entire afternoon or just an hour.  The time that your schedule allows will dictate the next P, prioritize.

Prioritize:

Put numbers of importance and priority next to each task on your list and pick the top five or six tasks to complete, if time will allow for that many, and write them on a new list.  This way you will not get distracted by other items on the list that are not as important as the ones that you chose.  When you get started, stick to your schedule.  Assign a fair estimated amount of time to each task and, if necessary, use a timer.  This will keep you from checking email, answering calls, or paying attention to other distractions around you.  Move from one task to the next, resetting the timer each time if you chose to use one.  If you do not finish a project in the allotted time, evaluate whether you can afford an additional fifteen minutes for the project or however much time is needed.  If you cannot, move on to the next task and save this one for next time or for later that day if time allows.

Pitch:

When your list gets too long, certain projects need to be tabled until a later date or a later time in your life.  Maybe it is a good idea to evaluate who else might be able to take over a project or hire additional staff if it is something of great importance.  There may be some projects that have been tabled or left unfinished for so long that it may be time to cut your losses.  It may sting a little to have to “give up”, but anything that wasn’t worth your time for that long, may not be worth your time at all.

Katie Petre works for RANGER Wireless Solutions, a CornerWorld company.

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