I think sometimes people assume that since I host a podcast about productivity I’m always on top of things and productive. This is not true, though. I do have systems and routines in place and can be pretty productive, but I also have my problem areas. This week I share my current top 4 productivity problem areas and my plans for overcoming them.
Tackling our productivity problem areas
Lately I’ve been feeling dissatisfied and even a little overwhelmed at times, so I spent some time thinking about why, trying to identify where those feelings are coming from. I came up with 4 problem areas where I need to improve. Then I went on the hunt for inspiration and ideas on how to get a better handle on these areas. In this week’s episode I share my current top 4 personal productivity problem areas, along with some steps I plan to take to improve.
1. Too much communication coming at me (email, text messages, Facebook messages, Teams, . . .)
There are multiple sources of communication to keep track of. Many of them are spam or unwanted sales emails from some vendor I once bought something from or “business” texts (either clients or personal business like reminders from doctors, vendors, etc.). On top of those, I have to keep track of the chat functions in Teams for work or Facebook messaging. I know I’m not alone in this. Scrolling through the TPW Community FB group I noticed a post by Loni:
Hi, community! One obstacle to my productivity is information coming to me via text message. (I have a Samsung phone and use Message + as my texting app.) When I need to follow up with an email, I mark it as unread and follow up when I have time. I can’t do that with text messages, so I often forget to loop back on those questions/requests/dates. Any suggestions or hacks?
A couple of people responded with ideas, which I’ll mention below.
Problems with all this “incoming”:
- Keeping track of them all
- The constant interruption of focused work time
- Distraction by guilt for those communications I can’t get back to in a timely fashion — as of today my iPhone Mail app shows 3,086 unread emails combined in a Gmail account and a Yahoo account (this doesn’t include the Outlook account for my law firm emails). Even knowing a huge majority of those are unwanted solicitations or marketing newsletters, I feel a level of stress seeing that number.
What will I do to address this problem area?
-
- Reset: Create an archive or “to process” folder and move everything out of my inbox into that folder.
- Schedule 15 minutes twice a day to triage emails. I will delete spam emails, reply to those that will take 2 minutes or less, and file/schedule time to process emails. When the time is up, I’ll close out of email and the rest will have to wait until the next scheduled session. (Note: I can’t do this for my work email, because the nature of my work requires me to stay available via email most days.
- Schedule a time to create rules for sorting through certain types of work emails.
- I will be more consistent about scheduling times when I shut down email for an hour or whatever time I can, so I can focus on work that requires concentration.
- One article I read while looking for ideas suggests creating a “waiting” folder for emails you’re waiting for action on someone else for. This can work as long as you have scheduled times to check that email and follow up where necessary.
- On the issue of texts, in response to Loni’s post, Marty suggested screenshotting the text message and emailing it to yourself. Amy reminded us that you can press and hold a text message and a menu will come up that allows you to do various things, including copy the text. Amy then suggests adding it to your reminders app.
2. Staying on top of special occasions (cards/gifts for family and friends)
I used to be better about staying on top of special occasions. I do have them all in my calendar with reminders, but I’ve slipped in the last year or so. One of the reasons is due to not leaving the house much (we live in the country so it’s a process to go shopping). I’ve also been too busy at work or not sure what to do or give. I want my card or gift to be meaningful but instead I get stumped and end up doing nothing. I feel bad for missing occasions, not sending things, and not being a “good” grandma (or my idea of what a good grandma should be).
What will I do to address this problem area?
- Resume my former routine of looking a month ahead, buying and addressing cards for birthdays, anniversaries, and getting them in the mail ahead of time.
- Research and create a list for each kid/grandkid of gift ideas–either items or experiences.
3. Inconsistent meal planning
This has been easy to let slide because it’s just the two of us, both working late hours. I put off the meal prep and then don’t have the foods I need to prepare better meals.
I also don’t feel like making a mess in the kitchen.
The result is eating too much junk and pre-packaged foods and spending too much money on food for just two people. Food also sometimes ends up going to waste.
What will I do to address this problem area?
- Schedule a time to come up with a list of 20-30 meals we both like (I will get Mike’s input on them) and make sure a lot of them can be prepared quickly.
- Schedule time to inventory pantry and freezer, make sure I know what we have, and identify what’s needed for the meals we like. I can also use an app like Supercook (which lets you check off the ingredients you have on hand and then suggests recipes you can make with those ingredients; available as an app for your mobile divide or online in a browser) or Mealime, a menu-planning app.
- Plan 2 weeks at a time for meals for 3-4 days (other days can be leftovers or takeout).
- Several experts I read recommend establishing theme nights to simplify meal-planning, such as: Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Soup & Sandwich Wednesdays, Pasta Thursdays, Pizza Fridays.
- I will plan to spend an hour or two on the weekends pre-prepping food for the week: chopping veggies and fruits, but also browning ground beef, baking and shredding chicken, even making spaghetti (it’s better the second day anyway) or assembling casseroles, etc. If I can get the meal plan figured out ahead of time, I can then scan for what I could prepare ahead of time.
4. Failing work/life boundaries
This can go both ways–working from home and being easily distracted from legal work by household chores (sometimes just because it’s easier to fold laundry than make a difficult phone call or draft a challenging document), I end up eating lunch at my desk either working or watching YT videos, but not really taking a break.
Work intrudes on my personal time. Emails come in at all hours and I often feel like I have to respond right away. I worked more hours than I’d hoped during my 2-week writing retreat in February. I have a hard time saying no, even when I already have too much work to do (or when I’m supposed to be on vacation) — I don’t like to disappoint people and am afraid of running out of work.
The result is that I’m not as efficient as I want to be at work, and find it harder to relax and reset when I’m away from work. The weekdays go by and I feel like all I do is work.
What will I do to address this problem area?
- Rethink my work-from-home routine, allocating time to work and household stuff more consistently.
- Take actual breaks during the day, during which I leave my desk, leave screens behind, eat lunch in the kitchen or if it’s nice, outside; maybe read a chapter of a book instead of watching a screen.
- I was inspired by something Christine shared in TPW Community FB group a while ago, that I came across recently while scrolling through the group’s posts:
I just want to share with this group how I beat the afternoon slump (PAWS):
P – play music that pumps me up
A – aromatherapy
W – walk (10-15 minutes)
S – smoothie or health snack
How do you beat the afternoon slump?
I also love the idea that Sara suggested in a comment on Christine’s post: take a short nap in the afternoon: “I am trying to have a mini siesta in the afternoons if I can (even 10 minutes). It really makes a difference for me!”
- Reinstate my morning routine of meditation, movement, motivation to renew my sense of purposefulness.
- Work on my ability to say no without guilt. I will need to do some thought work on why I have such a hard time saying no.
- One Forbes article I read suggests limiting time-wasting activities and people. I’m going to spend some time evaluating how I’m spending my work time specifically and see if there are any time-wasting activities I can eliminate to buy back some of my time.
What do you think?
Do you have any tips for overcoming one (or more) of these productivity challenges? Post your suggestions in the comments section below or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or email me.
Resources and Links
- Supercook
- Mealime
- 10 ways to make meal planning easy, successful, and even fun
- 10 Tips for Simple Meal Planning | Dinnertime Made Easy
- 12 tips to improve your work-life balance
- How to Improve Your Work-Life Balance – businessnewsdaily.com
- 6 Tips For Better Work-Life Balance
- 10 Easy Ways to Manage Your Email Inbox | The Muse
- How to Handle Emails Efficiently: 5 Email Management Tips
- How to Manage Your Email Inbox for Good: An Exhaustive Guide | Real Simple
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Your #2 is something I put steps into place this year to address based on a suggestion in The Lazy Genius Way book. She suggested a “decide once” process for gifts. I decided once for my child’s teachers and from now until he graduates his teachers will be getting an attractive journal and pen. My adult family members get cozy slippers, socks or scarves for Christmas. I’ve also looked a year forward on my calendar and picked up the appropriate cards and some extra in a variety of categories from the dollar store. I like the personalization for those closest to me and the kids but a decide once approach for the rest.
I LOVE this idea! Thank you for sharing!
Laura
I have found the Outlook tips from Leila Gharani (YouTube) to be VERY helpful. You can have incoming emails color coded, rules for folders, etc. I’ve recommended it to all my coworkers and the ones who have implemented the strategies have shared they’ve been time saving for them too!
I look forward to Wednesdays when the new podcast drops. Laughed at myself when I read the title because even after over 300 podcasts, I have sticking points in my own actions. Look forward to listening.