Last Quarter Plan - Week 2: Productivity and Focus Techniques
Here are a few effective productivity and focus techniques that can enhance your year-end goal achievement efforts.
This list is NOT in any order of preference. They are techniques that can be used in conjunction with a few together or stand alone if you so choose. Some will fit better with your working style, and it also depends on the type of goals you are working towards. You might consider experimenting it, combine and adapt to fit your preference. If you’re trying a new technique, I would recommend implementing one at a time so that you can evaluate how effective it is for you.
1) Time Blocking
Categorize your work and allocate specific block of times on your daily schedule.
This technique helps to create a structured schedule and focus to prevent multitasking.
By colour coding the categories, you can visually see how they spread across a weekly schedule.
2) Eisenhower Matrix
This is a 4-quadrant chart that categorizes based on the goals/tasks’ urgency and importance. It particularly helps focus on what matters most I like to use it for weekly and monthly goals prioritization.
The 4 quadrants are:
Urgent – Must do now with substantial urgency
Significant – Critical with minimal urgency, time sensitive that should be scheduled to complete.
Not Urgent -These have negligible impact, best to be delegated.
Insignificant – These are trivial with minor urgency, that they are best to be removed from your list.
3) Eat That Frog
Put your most challenging or least desirable task to be top on your list and address them first thing in the day. Once the most difficult task is done, the rest of the day would feel more manageable. It can lessen stress build up. I find this technique helps to avoid procrastination and the daily sense of accomplishment is stronger.
4) The Two-minute Rule
If a task can be done within 2 minutes or less, get it down immediately. This is a technique to help take out the small tasks on your list so that you can focus your energy on bigger tasks in a block of time. It can also prevent the small tasks build up. If a task can be done within 2 minutes or less, get it down immediately.
5) The 90-Minute Focus session
Schedule work in focused sessions around 90 minutes each, then followed by a short break, 5-10 minutes before starting a new focused session. This is known to align with the natural energy and concentration cycle. For some people, 90 minutes could be too long, you can adjust to the right interval for you. The key is to remove distractions as much as possible, such as, phone calls, notifications, text messages, chats on various platforms.
6) The Pomodoro method
Chunk down your work into 25 minutes intervals and take 5 minutes break in between.
The 5 minutes break can be to stand up from a sitting position to stretch out the body, or carry out breathing exercise to freshen the mind, best to be creative with alternate ways to take the break. It will enhance focus and productivity.
7) Batch Processing
This technique is to group similar tasks together and work on them during specific time blocks. This will reduce context-switching and it can improve efficiency.
In conclusion,
honing your productivity and focus is a journey of discovering what works best for you. Whether you're a fan of time blocking, the Eisenhower Matrix, or the Pomodoro method, the key is to experiment, adapt, and find a rhythm that aligns with your goals and preferences.
Remember, the journey toward achieving year-end goals is unique to everyone. As you explore these techniques, don't forget to share your experiences and insights. What works for one may inspire another. Also, share in comments below on any other favourite techniques you use that’s not on the list.
If you're ready to supercharge your focus and finish this year strong, consider booking some sessions with me. Set up a Free 30-minute Discovery Call https://www.innovateyou.ca/call today.
Here's to accomplishing your goals with unwavering focus and determination!
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