Fri 05 / 02 / 16
How to become a Productivity Ninja
Diverse businesses of different sizes and sectors have something in common. People. People who are passionate about what they do, people who want to do a good job, and people who sometimes feel overwhelmed by their work. Sometimes. Perhaps occasionally, or perhaps often. One of the things that I really enjoy about workshops that bring people from different organisations together, is that while what they do, who they do it for, and why they do it at all might be different, the sense of feeling a little bit stressed on occasion is the same.
When I’m talking to people who work in big corporates, small start ups, self employed consultants and people who work in the not-for-profit sector, their feelings about work are often similar. Some people talk about being overloaded with email, others talk about simply having too much to do, others express frustration with time spent in meetings, while some are just trying to juggle so much all at once.
At Think Productive, we are about bringing people a sense of balance. A sense of well being. A feeling that people are ‘in the zone’ having fun and creating momentum while doing their work. On 19th April I will be spending some time with the diverse organisations that make up the Brighton Chamber of Commerce. We will be looking at the 9 characteristics of being a Productivity Ninja. Yes, you heard me right. A Productivity Ninja. And for me that’s an actual job title. I love it. For those of you joining us in Brighton, I’ll be making some suggestions, introducing some ideas that just might help people to work a bit better, and feel a bit better about it while they do that.
So, why productivity? I asked that too. This is what Emily (Brighton Chamber events manager) said:
Productivity increases the efficiently of any organisation. Some of our members are small one person operations whereas others are larger corporations. Either way, efficiency is key to business growth.
Some tips to keep people going in the meantime:
- Turn off your email notifications. This will give you some time to focus on other tasks without being so easily distracted.
- Set some time aside each week to look back what's gone well. How you can make sure the next week goes well and catch up on all those action points that you might have missed during the week.
- First thing each morning spent 20 minutes or so on the big tasks perhaps the things you enjoy doing less. Get these tough tasks done and out the way first thing. You’ll feel fab!
- Practice a brief meditation each day this will help give you focus and calm. It will help you to generally be more able to deal with life. Try ‘Headspace’ or ‘Buddhify’ great apps practising meditation and mindfulness.
Thanks to Hayley Watts, Think Productive Productivity Ninja, for writing this blog for us. To book your place on the Productivity Ninja Bite-sized Learning workshop on Tuesday 19 April, click here. There are limited spaces available so early booking is advised!
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If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk