PRODUCTIVITY, EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS, and FOCUS – Doing the Next Right Thing
PRODUCTIVITY, EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS, and FOCUS – Doing the Next Right Thing
This full-fledged industry has given rise to Productivity Nirvana, Productivity Gurus, an army of Life Hackers (those who provide productivity tips), and Life Optimizers.
But something’s missing here. If virtually everybody is doing these things, where’s the edge? How can you find out what works for you? Where can you bring your unique strengths and values to the value proposition?
The problem with productivity, as it’s come to be known, is that it doesn’t go far enough. Productivity is a nebulous concept. Its objectives are limited, if not vague.
David Allen, THE Productivity Guru, said: “You don’t have time to do any project, because you actually can’t do a project – you can only do action steps.”
Productivity is about doing things and that simply isn’t enough. It’s a good place to start, but you’ll need to move on from there.
You need to take things to the next level, so you focus on efficiency.
Arnold Bennett said: “A sense of the value of time--that is, of the best way to divide one's time into one's various activities--is an essential preliminary to efficient work; it is the only method of avoiding hurry.”
In other words, efficiency is about doing things right. Becoming more efficient allows you to accomplish specific tasks in the most proficient and cost-effective (in terms of time and money), as well as least wasteful, ways possible.
Being productive and efficient together isn’t sufficient, though. Doing many things proficiently that wind up taking a lot of your time doesn’t help if you aren’t able to choose the best and most important things to focus on.
That’s where effectiveness comes in. Simply put, effectiveness is doing the right things. It means possessing the ability to direct your energies toward and accomplish those things that bring you nearer to your goals and objectives.
Jawaharlal Nehru said: “Action to be effective must be directed to clearly conceived ends. “
Being effective essentially eliminates the human drive to be busy for the sake of being busy, procrastinating, and becoming diverted by focusing on the unimportant. Effectiveness is where we all want to operate.
It all makes sense and sounds simple, right?
But wait a minute …. Now you ask: “Of all the things in front of me that are available and that I’m fully capable of doing, how do I determine the “right things” to do first – to do NOW?”
Congratulations! You’ve hit the nail on the head. You’ve uncovered THE secret to “productivity” that you don’t commonly read about.
The key to being productive, efficient, and effective is simply to do the next right thing.
Walter Savage Landor said: “People, like nails, lose their effectiveness when they lose direction and begin to bend.”
How do you figure out what the next right thing is?
The best way I know to describe this is to suggest that you become apperceptive. It’s about being focused, centered, and engaged. To strive to do the next right thing, you want to:
• You want to be introspective, constantly examining your thoughts, beliefs, and values to relate what you’re experiencing – what’s directly in front of you that you want to accomplish – to what you’ve experienced in the past.
• You want to bring all your creative talents to bear upon the moment at hand to look at opportunities and challenges from all angles, considering the alternatives, and opening your mind to the new possibilities.
• You want to take the time to stop and think about what you’re doing and where you’re going – to have a sense of direction.
• You want to operate on instinct. You want to be able to know and act without having to undergo the process of examination at every turn.
You want to reorder your life so that all the extraneous clutter is removed from your thought process.
Remove the distractions – it’s fairly straightforward to figure out what they are –and you’ll find yourself more alert, awake, aware, and alive. You’ll find that you’ll be clearer and more focused about doing the next right thing.
PRODUCTIVITY EFFICIENCY EFFECTIVENESS and FOCUS Doing the Next Right Thing - To learn more about this author, visit David Bohl's Website.
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There has been an exponential explosion of information available for increasing personal productivity, so much so that it’s become known as productivity porn (or, for those active on the Net and looking to avoid spam blockers, productivity pr0n). Productivity Pr0n consists of those techniques, tools, and all-out systems for getting more organized and maximizing personal productivity.
This full-fledged industry has given rise to Productivity Nirvana, Productivity Gurus, an army of Life Hackers (those who provide productivity tips), and Life Optimizers.
But something’s missing here. If virtually everybody is doing these things, where’s the edge? How can you find out what works for you? Where can you bring your unique strengths and values to the value proposition?
The problem with productivity, as it’s come to be known, is that it doesn’t go far enough. Productivity is a nebulous concept. Its objectives are limited, if not vague.
David Allen, THE Productivity Guru, said: “You don’t have time to do any project, because you actually can’t do a project – you can only do action steps.”
Productivity is about doing things and that simply isn’t enough. It’s a good place to start, but you’ll need to move on from there.
You need to take things to the next level, so you focus on efficiency.
Arnold Bennett said: “A sense of the value of time--that is, of the best way to divide one's time into one's various activities--is an essential preliminary to efficient work; it is the only method of avoiding hurry.”
In other words, efficiency is about doing things right. Becoming more efficient allows you to accomplish specific tasks in the most proficient and cost-effective (in terms of time and money), as well as least wasteful, ways possible.
Being productive and efficient together isn’t sufficient, though. Doing many things proficiently that wind up taking a lot of your time doesn’t help if you aren’t able to choose the best and most important things to focus on.
That’s where effectiveness comes in. Simply put, effectiveness is doing the right things. It means possessing the ability to direct your energies toward and accomplish those things that bring you nearer to your goals and objectives.
Jawaharlal Nehru said: “Action to be effective must be directed to clearly conceived ends. “
Being effective essentially eliminates the human drive to be busy for the sake of being busy, procrastinating, and becoming diverted by focusing on the unimportant. Effectiveness is where we all want to operate.
It all makes sense and sounds simple, right?
But wait a minute …. Now you ask: “Of all the things in front of me that are available and that I’m fully capable of doing, how do I determine the “right things” to do first – to do NOW?”
Congratulations! You’ve hit the nail on the head. You’ve uncovered THE secret to “productivity” that you don’t commonly read about.
The key to being productive, efficient, and effective is simply to do the next right thing.
Walter Savage Landor said: “People, like nails, lose their effectiveness when they lose direction and begin to bend.”
How do you figure out what the next right thing is?
The best way I know to describe this is to suggest that you become apperceptive. It’s about being focused, centered, and engaged. To strive to do the next right thing, you want to:
• You want to be introspective, constantly examining your thoughts, beliefs, and values to relate what you’re experiencing – what’s directly in front of you that you want to accomplish – to what you’ve experienced in the past.
• You want to bring all your creative talents to bear upon the moment at hand to look at opportunities and challenges from all angles, considering the alternatives, and opening your mind to the new possibilities.
• You want to take the time to stop and think about what you’re doing and where you’re going – to have a sense of direction.
• You want to operate on instinct. You want to be able to know and act without having to undergo the process of examination at every turn.
You want to reorder your life so that all the extraneous clutter is removed from your thought process.
Remove the distractions – it’s fairly straightforward to figure out what they are –and you’ll find yourself more alert, awake, aware, and alive. You’ll find that you’ll be clearer and more focused about doing the next right thing.
PRODUCTIVITY EFFICIENCY EFFECTIVENESS and FOCUS Doing the Next Right Thing - To learn more about this author, visit David Bohl's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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