How To Increase Your Productivity with One Simple Rule
— A top-secret for the self-employed who struggle with procrastination
Everyone wants to increase their productivity so they can be more effective in their work.
But, to have some free time too— if we’re being honest.
I officially became self-employed in 2014. That’s over 6 years now and I’m so proud of myself for keeping at it.
But.. it wasn’t easy, to begin with, as I had been a nurse for over 20 years working in some of the busiest hospitals in London, Dublin, and even Hong Kong.
It’s amazing, looking back now, just how much work I got done in a day. They really do know how to get the most out of nurses.
There was so much to do and the more senior I became, the less time I had to think about the size of the workload. It was always going to be a lot and even on the quieter days, we seemed to be busy.
After a while, I got used to it. I would arm myself with a good breakfast and get stuck in until the work was done. Most of the time, I would feel pretty good going home — I had done a good day's work and felt satisfied.
I left nursing
You can imagine how different it felt when I decided to start my own coaching business and work from home. I noticed how quiet it was which I really liked, at first.
I’d think, “Wow! I am the luckiest woman in the world — no one telling me what to do and no one bothering me.” I could move at my own pace. Beautiful.
Until.. the slow mornings, sipping coffee seemed to fly by, and by lunchtime, I was often wondering.. what had I done all morning?
As I was a life coach, I felt I should be able to coach myself into being more productive. I thought:
“there must be a way to get more done, but how?”
I questioned my self-employed friends and family members and they’d give me different tips, but nothing seems to work that well — for me.
Then, finally, I stumbled upon this one rule that saved my life and I still use it today.. even on my days off — as it keeps me so calm and organized.
The Psychology
The problem is.. when we feel we have a mountain of work waiting for us every morning, we can feel stressed.
So, the key is to reduce the amount, so your brain doesn’t get overwhelmed.
Bare with me here… this works!
The secret is to write down the top 3 things (most important) that you must get done.
Write them down the night before — that way your brain will be processing them as you sleep.
For example…
This morning, I have a few things to do.., but the 3 top things are:
- Write this article for you
- Go to the city hall to register as a new citizen in Portugal (I will go after this).
- Do administration work.
I will achieve those key things today, no matter what. My mind is focused on them and only an emergency should stop me from doing them.
Everything else can wait.. yes, the clothes I need to wash, the food shopping, the phone calls. All these extra things may get done, but not now.
The next part of the process is important too. I learned this from the great Brian Tracy himself… I think he must be the most organized, productive person on the planet. I always go to Brian Tracy if I’m feeling a bit scattered.
In the book.. ‘Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time’, which I highly recommended, he says.. out of the 3 things on your list..start with the one that is the hardest to do.
For me today, it’s the writing... I love writing, but as all writers know — sitting down to actually start writing is sometimes the most difficult thing of all.
So, I do the writing first.
Why, did he say we need to do the hardest thing first?
Because it’s horrible and hard — just like eating a FROG!!
But, once you’ve eaten that frog (done the hardest task), everything else in your day will seem easy in comparison and you will have so much more energy for the other tasks.
It’s the best-kept secret, so put it to work and let me know how you get on. I bet you’ll love it!
