3 Keys to “Productivity” and “Efficiency” You’ve Overlooked by @slideberry

by Ling Wong

We live in a world of “do-do-do” – we get rewarded for checking things “off the list” and deliver “instant results.”

When we “look” busy, we get rewarded with approval. It doesn’t matter what we’re actually doing, as long as we get something, anything, done.

If you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but still feel overwhelmed and under-achieved – it may be time to STOP (gasp!) and re-evaluate what being “productive” and “efficient” really means to YOU.

1. Why time management and productivity tricks and “routines” from the “gurus” aren’t working for you:

It’s a losing battle to try to squeeze some arbitrary routine designed by someone who knows NOTHING about your life into your life.

Routines and structures aren’t bad – they free up a lot of decision-making energy so you can focus on what matters.

The important thing is to learn the principles and apply them to YOUR life, instead of blindly implementing without discerning what does or does not work for you.

Nobody is grading you, and you don’t get a gold star for executing other people’s ideas to a T.

2. Even the perfect time management and productivity tools may NOT make you more efficient:

Managing your time well doesn’t mean you are being effective and efficient. If you manage you time well on checking things off a to-do list that don’t matter – whether it’s personally or professionally – it’s still time wasted.

Being efficient and effective is not about having a cookie-cutter blueprint or a me-too tactic. You need the right strategies and a customized plan to give you the biggest bang for you time- and energy-bucks.

First step is to get clear on your big vision, know where you’re going so you can plot out your very own “winning formula” to achieve your goals instead of churning on the hamster wheel.

3. The best way to make your business and life run efficiently…:

… is to tap into your strength, and design structures and systems to maximize the income-producing potential of YOUR strong suits.

We’ve been conditioned to work on our “weaknesses”… maybe it’s good when we were kids so we don’t end up completely incompetent in certain areas of our lives, but is it really the best use of our time now that we have to put our big girl panty on and run a business?

We’ve to stop beating ourselves up for “not measuring up” in areas that are not our strengths. We’ve to stop fearing that we are “not good enough” because we are not “well-rounded”. We’ve to stop feeling that we have to do everything everyone tells us, and excel in every single one.

(Sounds tiring, doesn’t it?)

We’ve to stop spending time, energy and money to make our weakness “better.” It will be mediocre at best and mediocrity is not where your big bucks lie.

If something is not your natural strength, you can outsource it. You can find a partner with complimentary talents. You can structure your business so you spend minimal time in those areas.

It doesn’t mean you look the other way. Knowing your challenges can help you set up systems and routines to mitigate those weak points.

But you don’t have to plough through it to make life miserable, and unprofitable.

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Ling is an Intuitive Brainiac. Through her unique blend of Business + Marketing coaching with a Mindset + Psychic Twist, she helps the multi-talented and multi-passionate maverick solo-entrepreneurs distill ALL their big ideas into ONE cohesive Message, nail the WORDS that sell and design a Plan to cut the busywork and do what matters, through her intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 10 years of experience in the online marketing industry.

Ling helps her clients optimize the space between individuality + originality vs. “tried-and-true” marketing so they can express their WHY unapologetically and profitably without reinventing the wheel.

Find Ling and grab her free “How to Find YOUR Winning Formula” Training Series HERE!

Melissa Stewart

Melissa Stewart is the founder of SheOwnsIt.com. She is a Purveyor of Possibility, Entrepreneur Advocate and Coffee Addict. She believes that behind every successful woman is her story. What’s your story?