Is Your Productivity Based On The Four Fs?
It's been cool and rainy for so much of the past two weeks in my community, making it difficult for people to mow their lawns and work on their landscapes. A couple of days ago, however, the sun came out, the temperatures went up... and BAM! I think every mower, leaf blower, and grass trimmer within two miles was running at one time this weekend. People were ready to get out and get things done.
Many businesses and their employees have been in a similar situation. Held back by the effects of the pandemic, they are now ready to take action on many of the plans shelved earlier this year or developed during our "Stay at Home" season. I know in my office the inquiries about time management/productivity training have significantly increased in the past week. Productivity, however, will need to be measured a little differently in the coming weeks as we balance progress with safety. What will your metric be?
If you're looking for ways to better assess your daily efforts toward achieving your desired outcomes in these unique times, I suggest you use the "4 Fs." And I'll frame each of them with a daily question, a prioritization tool I've grown to love.
What did I move FORWARD today?
The complexity and uncertainty in our days can make it harder to make progress on projects or goals. As Seth Godin writes in Stuck on Enormity, "When a problem appears too large, too intractable and too unspeakable to deal with, it’s easy to give up." The key is to challenge yourself to take that right next step, whether it's having a conversation, making a list, or writing an initial plan.
What did I FINISH today?
Because of the difficulty of this season, you need all the mental and emotional resources you can muster to make the best choices. Having your mind cluttered with thoughts of several tasks you started but didn't finish isn't helping. if you're feeling weighed down by such things, set a time block in your day this week for the sole purpose of "finishing." Discipline yourself not to shift to another activity until you're done. Free up your brain for bigger things.
What did I FIGURE OUT today?
I'll use myself as the case study here. I'm developing a series of on-demand online courses and a big step in the process was choosing the right online platform for the courses. I'd been avoiding it because of the many factors involved, but found that every time I worked on other aspects of the courses my mind kept coming back to the choice I needed to make. I finally set aside two hours last week and plowed through all the reviews, tutorials, and features of each platform. It felt so good to finally figure out what to do. And don't confine yourself to figuring out the big stuff. What's something small that's annoying you because you haven't figured out a solution?
What did I do to FOCUS today?
While staying focused is tough on a good day, it's harder than ever right now. The pull of checking the news or social media to monitor new developments in our world is so alluring. I'm also still hearing from clients that they are struggling to stay focused in a remote work environment or even in their old physical workspace. Don't expect focused work to happen... create the environment for it to happen.
If you're looking to be an overachiever, I guess you could add another one of my favorite questions, "What did I fail at today?," but I'll leave that up to you. Just don't waste all that momentum that's been building up inside of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go mow... I've lost my dog in the high grass in my backyard.
