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Wednesday

Today is dedicated to working on client accounts. On Monday you setup a to-do list for each of your accounts for the week. Now it is time to start taking action. The hardest thing you will do today is focus. There are so many distractions on the Internet, but it is critical that you stay on task.

When are you most productive? For me it is between the hours of 10pm and 2 am. During that four hour span, I’m able to plow through a good day’s work. I’m able to do it because there are no distractions. I’m at home in the office and everyone is asleep. No one is really chatting on IM, there aren’t very many new blog posts to read, and Twitter really slows down. The problem is, I have to go to work. I work in an office and I’m expected to do more than just talk to my friends and read blogs. What I, and you, need to do is to make a period of the work day as productive as that four hour span. The key to doing this is to recreate that atmosphere. This is going to be really hard to do, and it is going to take a lot of practice.

Take the following steps to make that transformation:

Turn off Twitter and IM. This one should be pretty obvious, but it can be so hard to do. Twitter and Instant Messengers are incredibly distracting, and they really corrupt your work ethic. Set your status to away (and don’t let the messages come through) and turn off Snitter, Twhirl, or whatever Twitter messenger you use for a couple of hours. I’m all for using IM and Twitter, but you should choose a period in the day where you won’t use them. You can do it!

Block distracting websites. We all have our favorite social media websites, forums, blogs, etc. As great as they are, they can be a huge distraction. Ever get bored doing keyword research? I find it so easy to just click on my RSS Feeder and start focusing on anything but my work. I don’t even need to tell you had bad StumbleUpon can be. The best way to block these websites is with a FireFox extension called Leechblock. With this extension you can regulate when you can access certain websites. So during that time when you are most productive, use LeechBlock to keep you that way. Hat tip to Lifehacker.

Take breaks. I can’t stress this enough. The last thing you want to do is burn out during your most productive time span. Take a 10-15 minute break from work during each hour. The best break you can take is one away from the keyboard. Don’t convince yourself that spending your break on one of your favorite forums on social media sites constitutes as a break. You’re still at the computer, and still staring at the screen. Next thing you know you will have spent 30 minutes catching up on Twitter. Back away, and go for a short walk. Do some stretches at your desk, and just loosen up. It will help you stay awake and refreshed.

Listen to motivational music. For me, music with lyrics is the worst music for me to work to. I end up singing along and can’t focus. I highly recommend either listening to classical music, jazz, or techno. Those three genres work wonders for me. Techno is my favorite because it is so motivating and energetic. The last thing you want to do is get sleepy while you’re trying to work.

Check off your to-dos. Checking off your to-dos is a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment, and to motivate you towards getting even more of your work done. Keep your to-do list specific so you can cross out items frequently. You should also try rewarding yourself for your efforts. After you have gotten a handful of things checked off your list, give yourself a reward of some sort for your efforts. It will help keep you motivated.

Limit e-mail access. Do not check your personal email at all during this time, and only check your work email sparingly. You will be even more productive if you can turn your work email off completely, too. Email will instantly take you off task and kill your productivity. If there is some sort of emergency, chances are you won’t be receiving an email – you’ll be getting a phone call.

Clean up your desk. Being organized and having a clean place to work is critical to productivity. You need to be able to find files, records, and notes as soon as you need them. Your desk doesn’t need to be boring and not have anything on it. It just needs to be organized. I’d recommend having a space on your desk cleared off so you can write, though.

There is a lot to do, so make sure you take steps to try and focus on your work! You’ll feel much better after the day is over knowing you worked as hard as you could.

Remember, we all get motivated in our own way. Customize your plan to what works best for you. What works for you?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 4:03 pm in Time Management.