10 Deadly (Productivity) Sins
Overscheduling: trying to do too many things at once - trying to make USE of every single moment of time. but what happens is output per item is capped at a reduced bandwidth - your mind is not 100% there. Result: Overwhelm.
Working on too big a chunk: Working on a bigger project, without chunking down this big task into its components. Every attempt to work on it leads to a sense of defeat at how much is left rather than a feeling of achievement. Result: Overwhelm.
Working without time boundaries: Choosing what you’ll work on from your larger to-do list (with the whole week’s or months priorities listed on it) rather than based on the selected priorities for this week. Result: Lack of Focus.
Being reactive: Determining what you do each day based on what comes in vs. having a block of time allocated to manage what comes in and blocks of time where you focus on generative activities (brainstorming, business operations, strategic thinking, relationships & culture). Result: Missing Big Picture.
Working as an island: Making decisions about how to coordinate your time without a workflow framework or communicating with your team. Result: Double Handling.
Determining what you do based on mood: Spending more time doing what you like, because it feels good, vs what you know will be best for you, your team or your business. Result: Procrastination.
Not linking the What to the Why: Failing to link the tasks being done to the reasons we do them. Avoiding this step can lead to doing for the sake of doing, not in consideration of true outcome. Result: Missing Big Picture.
Planning to fail: Failing to plan = planning to fail. Not having a plan, targets or benchmarks for this year, quarter, month or day makes it harder to see the bigger picture of how what we do today impacts the outcomes for the quarter. Result: Lack of Results.
Ignoring Natural Resources: Not using resources like your energy with intention. Ever noticed you get more done when you have more energy in the morning than the afternoon? Result: Procrastination & Pain.
Lack of Boundaries: Not setting boundaries in the day; a failure to say ‘no’ or ‘not now’. Result: Resentment.
We’d love to hear from you if this is resonating with you!