Productivity: The Secret Sauce for Speakers

Catherine MorganCareer Transition Coach | Business Consultant

Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.

Time is scarce

• Time is your most valuable commodity

• No matter how much time we have, it never seems like enough– Family

– Career

– Fitness

– Volunteering

– Hobbies

– Other?

Speakers are squeezed for time

• Speakers are running multiple businesses!

• Productivity becomes increasingly important

How to find more time

• Find out where your “leaks” are

– Keep track of what you do for a week

– Check for the usual time-sucks

What causes overwhelm?

“Overwhelm is caused by NOT knowing WHAT to do,

not by having too much to do.”~ Michael Port

How to get past overwhelm

• Get things out of your head

– Trying to remember too many things can cause immediate overwhelm

Capture all tasks

• Overwhelm will subside when you get into action

• Capture everything you need to do in some way (paper, software, phone app)

Create logical groups

• Once out of your head, tasks can be combined into logical groups or projects

– Business projects

– Personal chores

– Administrative tasks

First way to prioritize: Cha-ching!

• #1. Do the task that is the most important

– Hint: The fast path to the cash

Second way to prioritize: Gulp

• #2. Do the dreaded task first

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you

the rest of the day.” ~ Mark Twain

Third way to prioritize: Check

• #3. Do the easy things first

– Build momentum

Fourth way to prioritize: Whoo-hoo!

• #4. Gauge your enthusiasm

– Which task gets you excited?

– Do that first to get a little energy that can carry over to the ones that are not so fun

Add in constraints for productivity

• Work will expand to the amount of time you give it:

– Set deadlines - even if they are fake

– Bracket your time with other things that can’t move

– Keep to a schedule (and keep your sanity)

Notice avoidance behaviors

• Notice when you start doing something – anything – to avoid the dreaded task

– Laundry

– Organizing your office

– Cleaning

– E-mail

– Social media

Your friend the calendar

• Be hands-on: Use your calendar!

– Go through your commitments and other projects

– Define specific tasks and block out times

– Also schedule in breaks and fun

Banish crazy-busy

• Forget crazy-busy

– It’s the new normal

Questions?

Catherine MorganCareer Transition Coach | Business ConsultantPoint A to Point B Transitions Inc.877.672.5333Catherine@PointAtoPointBTransitions.comLinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/PointAtoPointBTwitter @PointA_PointB

Catherine speaks on:- Productivity- Entrepreneurship- Small Business- Career Transition