Productivity…It’s what we all want, right?
But for some reason, it seems so out of reach for so many of us.
We get caught up in a cycle of spinning our wheels and trying to keep up as life continually throws new stuff at us …(not to mention the 100 new emails we get each day).
I want to tell you that it’s okay to be overwhelmed because we’ve all been there!
However, you don’t have to stay that way.
I’ve created my Three P’s of Productivity – my new system to help me increase my productivity and reduce overwhelm.
Can I share it with you?
The Three P’s of PRODUCTIVITY:
- Process
- Plan
- Prepare
Before we get into the Three P’s, I need to tell you that in order to make this system work, you’ll need a way to take notes throughout the day. Digital or good ol’ fashioned pen and paper, whatever works for you.
For everything I do during the day, I take notes.
These notes are the core of making this system work because I can’t remember everything that I do in a day (and I’m pretty sure you can’t either)!
*So, when I’m on a call with a client, I take detailed notes, writing their name and the date at the top of the page, along with specific information about what we talked about.
*If I’m taking a course, I put the course info and the day’s date at the top of the page.
*Maybe I have a coffee chat or a collaboration call.
Everything gets written down in my notes for the day so I can easily reference the date and people involved.
Now, let’s dig into the Three P’s of Productivity:
1. Process
The first P of Productivity is for Process.
At the end of the day, I have a stack of notes (remember when I told you I take notes for everything business-related I do) and I need to process those notes.
Most of my daily notes have actions, tasks, or some type of follow-up that needs to happen. Maybe it’s an assignment from a course, a response I promised a client, or an appointment I need to set up … whatever it is, it must be processed.
Instead of trying to process and keep up with these things throughout the day (and get distracted), I let them pile up and then set aside a block of time at the end of the day to process everything at once. Here is how I process:
- Take notes throughout the day on all of your calls, meetings, coffee chats, etc.
- Review all of my notes for things I have to do or deliver and then put them into my calendar, assign them to someone to lead or enter into my task management system (I use Trello and love it!) so nothing gets missed!
2. Plan
The Second P of Productivity is for Plan.
Have you ever heard the quote, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”? That’s truth.
PLANNING is huge!!
After you’ve gone through the first P of processing, you want to do your PLANNING and get ready for the upcoming day so that you can be super productive. By planning out your day and to-do items, you will be able to hit the ground running.
I use a task-management system to do my planning which is definitely an option for you, but if you don’t have one yet, a simple to-list or calendar page will do. Map out what you have to do during the next day and refer to your calendar to see what is up-and-coming that you need to get ahead of. And finally, ensure that you formally schedule in some designated time at the end of your day to execute your 3 P’s.
3. Prepare
The third P of Productivity is PREPARE
While it’s great to ‘plan’ out what you’re going to do the next day, it’s VITAL to prepare ahead of time for what you will be doing. Make sure all of your materials and research for the next day are gathered and prepped at the end of the day after you Process and Plan.
For me, this could be taking the time to do a little research on a client I’m meeting with the next day. Maybe it’s making sure all the resources are in one place for a specific task I need to do. Whatever it is, taking just a few minutes at the end of the day to prepare for the next day means that I am ready to go with no surprises.
Take Your Productivity to the Next Level
There you have it, my Three P’s for increased productivity. This system has changed how I do business and my productivity is skyrocketing. I can’t wait to hear how you’re using the Three P’s to increase your Productivity!
Good Luck!
Brittany Dixon, of Process for Profit by Brittany and Co. is a Podcaster, Operations Manager, and Efficiency Coach. She helps highly-driven visionary entrepreneurs implement day-to-day operations management, project management, systems, processes, and strategies to free up their time to do big things in their zone of genius.
