With the right leadership strategies you can remain productive even during this time of crisis. With this in mind I have created a list of 7 strategies that leaders can use to remain productive during this stressful time.
As the corona virus affects many of our lives it’s understandable that you and your team members are probably experiencing a great deal of stress. And yet, stress happens to the best of us—and when it does, it can seriously drain our energy and our attention.
7 Strategies to Stay Productive During The Corona Virus Outbreak
1) Make Your Phone Disappear:
This is not a magic trick, but it’s really important to disconnect and get focused on what needs to be done. The phone has become a part of our body, almost an extension of our hands. It provides us a nonstop distraction preventing us from getting the important things done.
When you’re stressed, it’s all too easy to start scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, taking a “break” that eats up your entire day. The best thing to do is set the phone down and immerse yourself in getting stuff done.
2) Use a Flip-chart or Whiteboard for Idea Generation:
Using a whiteboard or flip-chart is a great way of getting ideas out of your head and in front of your eyes. The process of writing down all the things you have to get done can be stress-relieving by itself. List your projects in terms of priority. Schedule out the things you need to do today, this week and this month.
Many of us are visual and when we can see our goals in front of us everyday it puts us one step closer to achieving them. It’s also a good idea to create a storyboard of the materialistic things that you desire.
These can include a car, house, vacation or a new outfit you have always wanted. When you see it, you will believe it and then you will accomplish it!
3. Don’t Plan a Full Day:
I think if we want to stay productive during stressful times, we should not plan a full eight-hour day. This is a great time to work on the business as opposed to working in the business. If you can put in a focused four hours a day its much better than a distracted eight-hour day.
Decide in advance what you want to accomplish each day and don’t multitask, stay focused. The end result will be more productivity, less stress and a sense of accomplishment that will help you to relax.
4. Prioritize Your Health:
If you’re going to be more productive and fight through stress you’re really going to need to have energy and have a solutions oriented mindset. It’s also difficult to accomplish your goals and objectives if you’re not getting enough sleep or exercise.
Here is advice I have given my patients over the last 30 years. First, get some sleep. It’s not wasted time—it’s an invaluable investment of your time! And second, cut out the caffeine. Caffeine jacks up your stress level, so beyond that cup of morning coffee to get you going, I’d skip it completely.
5. Don’t Schedule Back to Back Meetings:
One of the areas that have been most stressful for the leaders that I advise are the number of meetings they have without a break. When you schedule back to back meetings there is little time for review and assessment of what happened in the meeting. This alone can be stressful.
Schedule your meetings with time in between for reflection and review. This will make you more productive and allow for your natural innovation to shine through. The executives that I coach and advise have told me it is one of the strategies that has made the biggest difference to their bottom lines.
6. Focus on Three High Priority Tasks Each Day:
After working with thousands of executives over the last 30 years I have found that the leaders who focus on three high priority tasks a day accomplish five times more than leaders who constantly multitask.
When you focus on three high priority tasks a day you will be less stressed and more productive. How does that sound? Plus, the bonus is you will be five times more productive, now that’s a win-win!
7. Make the Most of What You’ve Got:
Stress often comes from the feeling that you just don’t have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on your to do list. Here’s the thing, nobody gets it all done. No matter how much you try, you can’t produce more time for yourself. You’ve got to make do with the same 24-hour days as the rest of us—and that means fighting through stressful times. When you implement these 7 strategies for being more productive when stressed, you now have the playbook to overcome these stresses and achieve your goals.
If you would like to discover how Dr. Rick can help you achieve your goals contact us at @rickgoodman.com or call us at 888-267-6098
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