Digital Marketing This Week: Episode 26 – How To Be More Productive

What’s new on Digital Marketing This Week?

It’s all about productivity…

And as with most things, if you take too much on with productivity, you will get overwhelmed. And when you do…well, that won’t really be too productive for you, will it?

So here’s a reminder to all of you reading this–choose one idea, act on that single idea and just keep repeating it until you get the hang of it.

Of course, we go into a more in-depth discussion of the topic in the webinar, so be sure to check out the entire video after you go through this week’s show notes.

• Productivity hacks
• My personal favorite productivity tools
• The single productivity killer that we should avoid

Let’s first start by discussing what it’s all about:

It’s all about doing the right thing–it’s picking the right thing to work on. It’s not so much about ALL the things that you have to do. It’s figuring out what to do first to make sure that you get things done.

You might have heard about, Steven Covey’s “First Thing’s First. And with productivity, we can use a similar quadrant model that focuses on this:

What you really want to spend time on doing that takes minimal effort for YOU but will create the biggest impact on your business–which is a good rule to follow in terms of prioritizing everything on your on your plate.

Personally, this is what works best for me–I like how I manage to build momentum while I’m tackling the little things so that by the time I get to the big stuff, there’s less stuff on my docket that I don’t really feel overwhelmed by it anymore.

For others, getting big things out of the way first works as well. So here’s my best advise for you on this–try it both ways. See how each method works for you.

Now, when you do, here are some of the best tools I use to help you with it:

1. Boomerang for Gmail

I use the free version and while it does have a paid version that you can use, I think the free one already gets the job done well.

What it does is let you control when you send and receive emails. You can schedule your replies to emails as well as when you send out your emails; you can also send a reminder for emails that you should send.

2. A white board

Some of the most productive people map out their thoughts visually on a white board. I use the same method–but after taking notes on a white board, I go and take a picture using my smartphone and I use the picture and upload it on Asana or send it via email to my team so that we’re all on the same page.

3. Lucidchart

Is a handy program that helps you create diagrams and flowcharts, which are common in online marketing. It’s great for site-maps, organizational charts, mind maps, etc.

Take note, I don’t have one client who doesn’t use this, or some version of it. It really helps you think and connect the dots between the different elements of your business.

Finally, when it comes to productivity, you really have to watch out for these:

I’m actually really guilty of this. So here’s my work around for this–try to avoid getting overwhelmed. When you get overwhelmed, it’s faster for you to get distracted. And when you find yourself in that situation, break the project down in smaller steps and focus (FOCUS!) on these smaller steps until you get things done.

This is the idea that you have to chase after perfection all the time.

Often, you find yourself figuring out how complete a task and make sure that it’s absolutely perfect. And in your quest for perfection, you don’t notice that you’re focusing too much on these niggling, little details that keep you from completing a task.

My rule is, 80 is the new 100. After all, it’s better to have something good out, than nothing at all because it’s nowhere near perfect.

Let me end this now with my ultimate productivity tip:

Leave tiny triggers that will lead you to another, and another and another–essentially creating momentum for a domino effect of productivity throughout your day.

So for instance, if the goal is to get yourself out of bed so you can go for a run, you can start by leaving your clothes out by your bed so you get yourself primed for it. Getting dressed isn’t a big deal, and with everything laid out already when you wake up, might as well get dressed right? And once you find yourself ready for a run, you think–might as well go out for that run.

This is the secret–it’s finding that system that you are comfortable so you naturally lead yourself towards something more productive and with a big impact. Do it often enough times and it will eventually become a simple, streamlined routine.

For a more in-depth discussion of the topic, again, be sure to check out the full webinar.

Do you have your own system that worked for you? I’d love to hear all about it. Leave a comment below or simply share this post if you think it’d help someone out. If you want insider access, you can also fill out the form below.

– Mercer