30Jan2024
Maximizing Productivity: 14 Practical Tips to Boost Your Performance
by: Heli Hänninen
New year, new you? Maybe at least a more productive you?
Our recent webinar focused on maximizing productivity, sharing insights from Cecilia Flatum, Head of Consulting at Deloitte Norway, and Morten Hansen, Management Professor at Berkeley. Both provided a wealth of knowledge on enhancing workplace productivity. Here we give you 14 actionable practices to boost efficiency and effectiveness in your professional (and to some extent also personal) life.
6 Tips from Cecilia Flatum
Personalized Morning Routines: Cecilia emphasizes the importance of a tailored morning routine. Initially adopting the 5AM Club, she later adjusted her routine to better suit her family life, incorporating activities like reading, meditation, and family time. This underscores the need for flexibility and personalization in productivity habits.
The “Big Three” Strategy: She advocates for a focused daily “big three” to-do list, alongside regular reflection and planning sessions. This approach helps in prioritizing tasks and maintaining a clear focus on crucial objectives.
Work-Life Balance: Cecilia challenges the notion that longer working hours equate to higher productivity. She discovered that working beyond 50 hours a week does not necessarily yield better results, highlighting the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Strategic Planning: She also advised to have a “personal strategy session” for long-term planning (6-12 months). This includes designing an “ideal week” to optimize time and energy.
Morning for Creativity, Afternoon for Meetings: Cecilia suggests scheduling creative and significant tasks in the morning when energy levels are higher, and leaving meetings for the afternoon.
Purpose-Driven Work: Her personal purpose, “to make an impact that matters,” guides her professional and personal life. She encourages others to align their purpose with their work in order to maintain a balanced life.
8 Tips from Morten Hansen
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Morten debunks the “do more” strategy, highlighting its pitfalls like stress and mediocre execution. Instead, he champions the “do less, then obsess” principle, focusing on a few crucial tasks and executing them exceptionally well.
The Art of Saying No: Effective prioritization involves declining requests that don’t align with core objectives. Morten draws inspiration from Steve Jobs and Johnny Ive, emphasizing the importance of saying no to distractions to maintain focus on high-priority tasks.
Obsess Over Details: This principle is about paying close attention to details to deliver high-quality work. As an example he mentioned Apple that has been excellent in meticulous refinement of their products.
Value Over Volume: Morten advises focusing on tasks that deliver significant value rather than a large quantity of work. This approach leads to a virtuous cycle of productivity and excellence, emphasizing the impact on customers over internal metrics.
Aligning Metrics with Value Creation: He suggests replacing traditional productivity metrics with value-based metrics, emphasizing their importance in various industries, from medicine to sales.
Continuous Improvement and Adaptation: The principle of constant evaluation and adaptation is highlighted through the story of Hartman Gitz, who optimized operations by aligning metrics with customer value and harnessing technology.
Personal Discipline in Distracted Environments: In workplaces that prioritize quantity, disciplined personal time management and clear communication of priorities are essential.
Discipline and Strategic Reassessment: Drawing from Steve Jobs’ approach at Apple, Morten stresses the need for both consistent execution and regular strategic reassessment to stay aligned with high-value creation goals.
From personalizing morning routines to the disciplined practice of saying no, these strategies provide a comprehensive guide to achieving higher productivity and effectiveness in the workplace. By incorporating these principles, you and your team can foster a culture of productivity that aligns with your core values and objectives, leading to sustained growth and success.
Want to learn more from Morten Hansen? Well, you can by joining our Nordic Business Forum 2024 next September!
