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Since weeks I was trying hard to finish my pending to-do list, but instead of getting smaller, it is getting way lengthy and it brings a lot of depressing thoughts. Even though I try, I am not able to list my to do’s. So, after getting a length of thought with a cup of team, being watched outside by an office window, I start writing on a piece of paper what I am going to do all across the day.
This Piece of Paper Writing is a Mirror of My Unproductive Days or Months.
1. Mail Checking:-
As a manager, I am wearing multiple hats, from status updates till technical discussions. I started my day with morning mails, where some are important to reply and some are short updates or other require discussion with the team. I usually replied to my east coast US clients early in the morning at 5:00 am – 6:00 am. So, we do not lose time which is something to address. Send follow ups and keep a note where I have to discuss with the team.
Normally, what this bills, there is some negative email popped from discontinuation of a contract or un satisfaction mails of clients. This one mail puts me down. How hard I can try but it takes a lot of energy to bring me back to normal routine.
These 10-15 minute mail check rituals become hours of returning on my task lists.
2. Daily Standup Meetings:-
I used to start my day with my team’s daily stand up meetings which took around an hour or if there is some technical issue happening, work is already planned, however things get distracted when work is not as planned and continue logging with reasons. This triggers negative thoughts in mind, which kills motivation and good starts of the day.
3. Colleagues Distractions:-
When you are managing a team of 15-20 people, even though you planned your work ahead, your regular daily meetings are conducted. Even then team members keep popping as and when for small queries of 1 or 2 min discussions. These distractions, which are important for your team to progress, stop your work from finishing. As if you are working with some deep thought, as someone pops up for your attention, your thought process breaks and then to re-continue takes almost 30 mins.-1 hour to continue on the same thought process. This is one of the biggest killers in the office environment.
4. Online Meetings:-
As part of my manager role I need to have online meetings sometimes organized by me, sometimes I am the key member of those meetings. These meetings, based on availability and priority, could be planned any time of the day. For these meetings you need to plan based on nature, which could be pre-preparation of 10-15 mins to hours. Even if I am ready, I need to be mentally prepared to be available as a whole in these online conversations. If i can not log in before 5-10 mins , i personally observe myself, i was not playing my part honestly or half heartedly.
So, even if these online meetings are verified from 15 mins or hours, they are leading to the same amount of distraction in spite of any subject matters. So, if you have 2-3 such meetings your day will go as you are not doing something of a long stretch. I need to be able to do something which requires deep thoughts. So, these meetings bills my highly productive day.
5. Other Distraction:-
My pending to do list, pull me back again and again to shift my focus. To take a break from focus. To take a break from stressful decisions at work, I start binge watching, initially I thought- it could be 5 mins but that 5 mins became hours without realizing time wasted on youtube shorts, insta reels. Whatsapp message which i opened to check how upertought. It pushed me hard to scroll on my whatsapp list. Photo notification on phone switches my thoughts to my past. Like on facebook or messenger or insta, all are attention seekers and they are so addictive to our human brain. Even without realizing we became slaves of new.
6. Energy Deprivation:-
As I start my day with all these things, I do not leave with enough time to start something important or serious for hours. After ⅔ rd day I do not leave with energy and intention to start which helps my to do list to reduce. This keeps continuous and my to do list become longer and longer which bring ‘Not To Start’ syndrome pusles me back, makes myself negative, don’t have enough motivation to finish and this frustration reflect in my behavior. Non achievement makes me start losing my patiences put me to work more time which makes my family suffer and still I do not achieve.
After a long struggle, one day binge watching a bird chirping a nuth cup of tea, a green bosch’s garden outside my cabin window giving me a positive light that piece of paper helps me find solutions to my problems.
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How to Stop Getting Unproductive: Tips for Increasing Efficiency and Accomplishing More
1. Time Tracking:-
I start recording my time and task along with on a piece of paper. Once it became a habit for me, I started using DeskTrack, which helps me to track my day to day activities automatically. DeskTrack also has apps which record my time spent on phone calls, physical modings. Even if eliminator is working about security of confidential data as it is having a feature of pause and resume tracking according to my need. After identifying a while I motivate my team members to use it and ask them to look out their own data and organize themselves. DeskTrack provides me with many options to control tracking timing of traveling, and what to track according to my needs.
2. Email Organizing:-
I start putting rules in my inbox which help my call to forward emails to respective team members. I have defined the rule as “unhappy”, “un satisfaction” and other important keywords and forward these emails in a folder which requires my environment’s attention. That helps me to avoid spending morning time in checking long list of mails. I only check important emails in the morning and take my action and remaining I move my emails checking plan after my noon time. DeskTrack clearly shows how I am improving which also reflects in my to do list.
3. Standup and Culture Meeting:-
Based on the priority of my project and tasks, I shifted my regular meeting for the day and or after 3-4 pm which helps to review the work and exact status of the day. At the same time me and my manager plan and prioritize tasks in DeskTrack for the next day. This helps to remove morning anxiety for me and the team, and we all start our day with high energies as we all know what to start the next day and what we are expecting to finish. This way we all are more efficient and productive with our morning hours. I am shifting my morning meeting on specific days according to priorities. DeskTrack project and task management with time tracking helps us to plan and execute it. Then managers are planning with transparency and visibility.
4. Distractions:-
As me and my teams are more planned and organized with DeskTrack, there 1-2 questions reduces till 50% for other immediate questions. I put up the time for open discussion in break time of mine or open hours which I kept flexible in my schedule. This way the team is also organized and now wants to reach me and be disciplined about themselves. They respect their time and mine both.
As my to do list starts reducing, my energy levels start rising. I soon get satisfied by myself and raise my bars of output.
Conclusion:
To improve your efficiency and productivity, it is very important to identify the problem first. Use tools like DeskTrack to track your time, to project and task management and planning with
DeskTrack helps you and your team to achieve more. Hurray, I finally start shortening my to-do list. Thank You DeskTrack.
