We are old friends, Productivity and me. Everybody always tells me how amazed they are at my efficiency – “How do you do it?”, they ask. Well, today I take a moment to tell you.

I wasn’t always productive – and even today I only ever seem to be productive at work. Ask me how my home-life is and I’ll tell you, honestly – I am behind with my housework, I haven’t started project ‘Organise the Home Office’ and I never can seem to get my Christmas cards out on time, if at all.

And, as proudly productive I am, even I find it challenging – particularly now I’m working from home. So, having reflected long and hard, I’ve identified what works for me:

Keeping it manageable

I try not to be too ambitious with my to-do list. I keep it as short as I can, whilst still focussing on what the priorities are.

Planning my day

I use my Outlook calendar for this – sectioning my day and assigning tasks for each section. I try to get a mixture of things so I don’t get bored/lose focus and balance this with making sure I have large enough chunks of time to make progress. And I actually think about what tasks I am putting where. I know I am more productive in the morning than the afternoon so I allot tasks accordingly. I also give myself ‘protected’ time for anything unexpected that may land my way and when I need to take breaks.

I use the right tools

I use tools that work for me. I love using OneNote to help me order/capture my thoughts and to-do lists. I have also been known to use Padlet if I need a good old brainstorm. If it’s a project, I sometimes use Microsoft Planner.

Accepting my limitations

Sometimes, for whatever reason, I am just not productive. Those days can feel really demoralising for me, but with self-reflection I realise that these days are important too. They help me refine my productivity. When I recognise my productivity levels are dipping, I try to stop and consider – why? Do I need to change what I am doing. Do I need a break, a change of scene (a walk in the garden, perhaps?), or is it just one of those days where I need to be kind to myself, do my best and accept it. Tomorrow is another day after all.

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One of the things that helped me crystallise and be more self-aware of my productivity powers was the Productivity Ninja sessions I attended last year.

But working remotely offers up some productivity challenges for me so I am really excited that we have a new virtual session: ‘The Productivity Ninja’s Guide to Working from Home’, which is available to book via StaffSpace.

We have two of these virtual sessions planned:

22nd April, 09:30-11:00

13th May, 14:00-15:30

I hope others will join me in attending one of them – after all, even a ninja must hone their skills.

Zoe Connell, Organisational and People Development