One person runs on a treadmill for an hour while another runs down the street for an hour. At the end of that hour, both are dripping sweat, but the first runner is standing in the exact spot he started. The second runner made it all the way to the market.
This example is the difference between Activity and Productivity.
A lot of us work hard and get sweaty at work, but at the end of the day, we are standing in the same spot we were at 8am—no closer to our goals.
So how are we working so hard and getting nothing done? Many of us have accepted the fallacy that multitasking equals productivity, when the idea couldn’t be further from the truth.
When you multitask, you are less productive because it takes the brain time to transition from task to task. A two minute phone call can cost you 10 minutes of productivity. For front line employees that need to communicate as one of their fundamental tasks, the ability to multitask is crucial. For CEO’s and managers whose weeks are booked tight with objectives that must be met, multitasking actually costs them precious time.
Every day brings interruptions that take priority and sidetrack longer term goals, but there is a way to eliminate approximately 40 of those distractions per day: Turn off Outlook.
How? Schedule time twice a day for email and stick to it. Try only emailing between 11:00 – 12:00 and 3:30 – 4:30. All other times you’re in the office, work offline. In Outlook 2007, simply click in the bottom right hand corner of your window and select “Work Offline”. (See picture below)
For Outlook 2010, it’s even easier. Click the “Send/Receive” tab, then Click “Work Offline”.
That’s it! Now you’re ready to get some real work done– without checking your email every five minutes!
Oh, and be on the lookout for more Outlook Productivity blogs in the coming weeks!
