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When it comes to behavior change, there are people who can implement big, sweeping changes or those that need bite-size chunks, as I give in my book WORK WELL. PLAY MORE! Productive, Clutter-free, Healthy Living – One Step at a Time. Even small productivity changes can have a big impact.
For those who need levels or think that a small change won't make a difference, I challenge you to consider the changes in this article and their impact.
This is post three of a three-part series on small changes in nutrition, physical health, and productivity.
Check email one less time.
If you react to every pop-up notification and check email every five minutes, start by checking email one less time a day. Maybe it's while you're still in bed or right before you go to bed (really, how has this ever helped anyone sleep?) or the first thing when you open your laptop. Checking email all day long between tasks is called switchtasking. It leads to decision fatigue, more mistakes, decreased willpower, and reduced productivity. Please choose a time you usually check email and refrain from doing it. You'll get a few ounces of willpower back in your day.
Take ten minutes off that meeting.
Parkinson's Law states that we will use whatever time we are given and fill it. Instead of the default 60-minute meeting, change it to 45 or 50 (you can change your default settings in Gmail or Outlook). Let people go to the bathroom, get some water, look away from the screen, or mentally download what they just learned or discussed. One client I worked with changed all of his 60-minute meetings to 45 and got back 10 hours a month!!!
Remove an app from your phone.
What one app do you check all day that doesn't make a difference? You check it out of boredom because it's on your phone, and it's an impulse. For many of my workshop participants, it's apps like The Weather Channel or Twitter. Remove that app from your phone and force yourself to check online through Safari or Chrome (it's not as easy, so you're less likely to do it) or do as I do and ask Siri or Alexa. It feels silly to ask Siri six times a day what the weather is, so it significantly decreased the impulse.
What small productivity changes can you make in your behavior that will impact your day?
Read Small Changes in Nutrition
Read Small Changes in Movement
