7 Secrets Productivity Experts Use When They Don't Get It Done

When there is more and more work, we begin to drown in projects and break deadlines. Throw in the stresses of life, and the to-do list becomes like Everest, which is impossible to conquer. You'd be surprised, but productivity experts face the same problems. Especially for these cases, they have some simple but very effective solutions.

1. Ask for help

As soon as Wired magazine editor Alan Henry realizes that he has taken on too many projects, he stops and sorts the tasks by importance.

“This is the hardest part. But not because you need to organize tasks - it's easy - but because you need to take a break and realize the whole scope of work. Sometimes it seems silly to take a break only to start working again later, especially when you're overwhelmed or overwhelmed. But it is necessary to restore clarity of thought. Take a walk, drink a glass of water, make sure you have lunch,” says Henry.

After such a break, he recommends dividing things by priority, importance, and ability to delegate. The latter in this case does not mean “give it to someone”. It’s about allocating more time for some tasks, contacting a colleague with some, and giving up some.

Henry advises not to be shy about asking for help. You don't have to be responsible for everything yourself. If you have the opportunity to lean on colleagues, use it.

2. Write everything down on paper

Time management consultant Anna Dirmon Kornik likes to write down her thoughts and considerations on paper. She divides the sheet into four equal parts. The first is for tasks that absolutely need to be done, the second is for doing, the third is for doing, and the fourth is for doing. Then the expert distributes the cases into categories, and then, already within each of them, by priority.

Cornick compares this technique to a colander, which helps to “strain” tasks, leave the most important, understand where to start, and calmly get to work.

3. Get rid of excess

author books "My Productive Year" Chris Bailey regularly lists all current projects. And then he does the same as Alan Henry: he decides which cases can be abandoned, and which ones can be transferred to others.

Bailey distributes the remaining projects according to deadlines. If he does not have time for something, he tries to warn that the task will be delayed. And if he understands that he will finish, on the contrary, ahead of schedule, he informs that it will be possible to close it in advance.

4. Admit you can't do it

Time management consultant Pamela L. Reed tries to consistently work on tasks, but sometimes he still gets distracted. At such moments, several practices help her:

• Find out where she is. "My head is spinning, I need help!"
• Set priorities and understand: the work must be done now or in the near future, or can be postponed until later.
• Limit distractions – check social media less or allocate a certain amount of time for small, repetitive tasks.
• Close the door, stay alone, give yourself a specific time period and immerse yourself in the tasks.

5. Interact quickly with others

Productivity consultant Rachel Izip prefers to take a break because working on multiple tasks at once leads to information overload. During a break, she does not check email or phone and does not try to take on the first thing that comes across to finish at least something, but she tries to calm down and decide what to do next.

The expert carefully looks at the projects themselves with deadlines and determines whether they need to be done independently or if it is a team effort. If you are working in tandem, then you need to interact right now. For example, write "This is our new deadline" or "I will be able to show you my part of the work by the end of the day." In any case, you should alert your colleagues to what is happening as soon as possible.

6. Ask one clarifying question

Business coach Kathy Wussow believes that clear priorities help to cope with the blockage at work. If you have a project manager or boss, sometimes it's just a matter of reaching out to them: “Here are the projects that I have at the moment. Which one is the priority?

If you yourself determine the importance of tasks, use this question: “Which of the tasks needs to be solved or removed from the list right now so that others can also be solved or become easier”? The answer will help you understand where to start.

7. calm down

Productivity expert Samphie Wye notes that people usually look for simple solutions to problems. However, to be truly productive, you need to regularly practice stress management, be persistent, be able to prioritize, and manage time and tasks.

Wye herself first of all works out her feelings - she meditates or engages in other practices. “You understand that you have achieved a result when the heart begins to beat at a normal pace, the muscles, the lower jaw and even the eyebrows relax, and the breathing evens out again,” the expert explains.

She then writes down the tasks to be completed. “The problem is much easier to solve when you see it in front of your eyes,” says Wye. After that she uses Eisenhower matrix — deals with urgent and important things, allocates time in the schedule for important but not urgent, delegates to others urgent tasks that are not part of her duties, and crosses out the rest.

If you can't focus, Samphie Wye advises trying to push the deadline. “Most often I am surprised at how much understanding people show to my problems,” the expert notes.