1 – Brain dump

My coach likes to say, “Your brain is not your garbage container.” Isn’t that the truth? Who is going to argue with that statement? But we treat it like a garbage container. We do so by keeping everything in our mind like the things that we need to do; our ideas; and who to call, text, email….

Using our brain as a garbage container is not the best way to use that great facility in your head.

So, get it out of your brain and on paper. Do a Brain dump at least once a week. Grab a piece of paper, a cup of tea or coffee (with or without something nice like a piece of chocolate), and write down everything that you want to do, need to do, ideas you have, or the things that you want to communicate. Write and write.

Then categorize and prioritize.

2 – Your Guarded 90 minutes

Let’s assume you squander 80% of your workday. Looking at Facebook, chatting with colleagues, having a nice long lunch, and many coffee breaks. Your workday is a total disaster. However, there is hope. If you spend 90 minutes of concentrated and focused time on your priorities you can still make great progress. Why 90 minutes? That is exactly 20% of an eight-hour workday.

90 minutes. Totally doable. But you need to be focused and clear what your priorities are during those 90 minutes. Otherwise 90 minutes won’t do.

3 – Guide your attention

According to Joseph Davis, Director of research at the Nero leadership Institute and author of Two Awesome Hours, your attention loves things that are novel. That unread book on your desk or that email that just arrived in your inbox is reaching out for your attention. Tidy up your work place, get rid of possible distractions, and guide your attention to your priorities. Those things that matter most today. The ones with consequences.

Please try these three tips. They work for me. And let me know if you have any tips for working smarter.  I would love to hear from you.