Are you Surviving the week or Driving the week?

The work week begins, do you know what you will tackle, or do you show up and see what comes your way? Some roles depend on what is inbound or task oriented and needing immediate attention while others can manage their day as they choose. So, in the latter what do you choose? Survive or Drive?

We are faced with unexpected challenges, opportunities and get tugged in so many directions in the day. Especially if you are running a team. Being a leader likely means you are in several meetings through the week as well. So, how do you stay in “drive” vs survive mode?

Some say, “make a to-do list” or “chew through your inbox” and these will make you feel better and keep you on track. But is it truly keeping you productive?

The best way to drive versus survive is to consider and keep top of mind,

“What is my actual role”

“What is my contribution to the business?”

Being clear on this and keeping it top of mind will help you stay focused on the right things and help you be productive. When going about your day and seeing the inbox fill up or the to do list get longer how do you not get overwhelmed and stay on the right track?

Multitasking? This is an ongoing debate. Is it productive or unproductive?

More and more studies show how multitasking creates absentmindedness, distraction and disrupt job performance overall. In fact, it is known to erode productivity and affect your IQ according to a Forbes article from Feb 2020. As stated in this article, “multitasking merely increases busyness while eroding productivity. (A better name might be "multi-taxing.")”.

So, why is it that we feel this need to be super multitaskers and wear it like a badge of honor when we are doing it? Why is it that we look at those running around and seeming to be handling so much at once as, “Wow, they are so productive?”. Truth is they likely aren’t. Yes, tackling more than one thing at once may still get the job done but at what cost?

Sometimes this is referred to as hustling but what about those that have a calmer approach to their work? Does this mean they are not productive? Not hustling? Why is it that unless we seem like we are running ragged or juggling a million things at once we are looked at as maybe not having enough to do or not hustling enough?

It’s often the adrenaline rush in multitasking that keeps us in it. The false perception that we are being so productive and handling everything. How would you feel if you could get all your work done in a milder yet more productive manner?

There are always things that need to be tended to and managed and this is what creates the opportunity to fine tune your productivity. Yes, everything is important in your role but “how” important is it to accomplishing and contributing what your role is expected to deliver?

Here are a few proven tips to help you with productivity:

- (unless your job requires you to) Don’t; be on your email every minute of the day. Set a sequence of times to review. What can you get done (besides email) in one hour if that’s all you focused on? I bet more than you think. And, trust me if someone needs something urgently, they will find you…

- Scan the inbox. There are some that love to mention how many emails are sitting in their inbox. But, not every email is a contributor to what you need to supply or produce. So, scan the inbox and respond or flag the ones that immediately affect the work you need to deliver. You can attend to the others in a later part of the day or next 24 hours.

SIDE note: test yourself, if all you focused on was email for 1 hour, how many emails could you respond to? Likely a lot.

Side note two: worried about missing an urgent email? Create folders for those you receive urgent emails from. Likely this will be your leaders. Make sure these are the 1st emails you tend to when reengaging in the inbox.

- At the end of each day take the last 15-30 mins to write down what you know you want to tackle the following day. Yes, after you check email as we know this is the go to first thing in everyone’s morning. Things may look different in the morning, but you can easily pivot and reprioritize if this is the case.

These tips are just one way to start disrupting your day. We're very habitual as humans and we show up at work, whether it's on the road or in the office and tend to do the same thing repeatedly. So, the idea here isn’t just about this email tip. The bigger picture is about disrupting your pattern, disrupting how you approach your work on a day-to-day basis.

So, thinking of new ways and thinking outside of the box to become more proactive in your day versus reactive, which will naturally lead you to better productivity. Getting them in the driver’s seat and out of survival mode. If anything, remember hustle doesn’t mean busy and busy doesn’t mean productive.