Productivity per se don’t need to be something really complex, and actually it is not, a soon as things begin feeling complex you are most likely already not-productive. Of Course, Productivity isn’t easy either, and it isn’t mostly because we insist in make things more complex than they need to be.
Take your list of projects and tasks. How easy is for you to know what you need to do? How about what you can to do in the current context? How about what you can do now that the meeting is cancelled and you have an extra two hours of working time?
It is not difficult, but need two things, Thinking Time and Planning Time.
You need thinking time because you need not only to find what it is what you really need to do, because you are most likely like every one around you, overwhelmed. That means that every step you take need to be a precise one if you want to really take control over the stuff you need and want to do. The busier you are, the more thinking time you need, because you need to make sure that the step you will take it is really the best possible step.
You also need Planning time. You will ask: How is Planning Time different from Thinking time? Planning time has two parts, one is the result of that thinking, and are those actions that you will take to move those important projects forward. It also has a second part that includes taking in consideration the things that can happen, the things that will change from your original planning and how are you going to reach to them.
For example, if you get behind, do you know what are you going to drop out of your planning schedule? If you get a meeting cancelled, do you know what you are going to do in that time?
Planning Time will include not only what you will be trying and hoping that you will accomplished but also what will happen as time pass if you get more or less of it.
Most people when they got a meeting cancelled instead of use that time to move forward their most important project, they run to Twitter or Facebook. If you don’t plan for the chance that somethings get cancelled (and others take longer than expected) you can’t be in the top of your game…
You need not only Thinking Time, that for many of the people I work with is almost non-existent, but you also need Planning Time, to be able to really get the most out of your Thinking Time. Planning Time it is no other thing that getting your Thinking Time in movement, is making sure that you are putting your thinking time in action and adapting the result of that thinking time to the constantly evolving conditions that your working environment and schedule produce.
If you don’t pay attention to the Planning Time because you don’t even have time to do the Thinking Time, what happen is you miss those opportunities that will have done a difference, those opportunities that can actually change the world.
Originally Published on: Sep 29, 2014 @ 17:15 http://www.conqueringproductivity.com/?p=205