The 3T's of Office Productivity

Time, Tools, Trust

As we learned from Barbara Hemphill, "it is not what SHOULD you do, it is what WILL you do." Having the right tools, trusting in them, and using them at the right time are the keys to a satisfying and productive day! I call them: The Three T’s of Productivity .

Tools: The first of the 3 T's is tools. Do you have the correct tools for the job? Will you need your computer? What software or apps do you need? Do you have a writing pad and a pen? Do you need your telephone? Do you need a headset? If you will be saving copies of documents, do you have a flash drive or an external drive to save them on? Are you working with photos? Do you have your camera, SD cards, cables, or other necessary tools? You get the idea! Once you have collected the necessary tools, store them near where you will use them. The concept is simple…point of use near point of storage. Stop wasting valuable time running up and down the stairs or room to room, looking for what you need. You will see your productivity increase by making this one change of locating your tools in a place convenient to where you are working.

Time: Our second T is Time. To complete any task, you must schedule time to complete it. Otherwise, as the old saying goes a goal without a plan is just a wish!. When planning your next project, list all the steps in order. As you complete a step in the process you outlined, add the next item from the list to your calendar.

Saying that you're going to do something and writing it down on your calendar are two different things. Be willing to write down what you're going to do today. Scheduling items on your calendar with an assigned time makes it more likely they will be done. Don’t let your to-do list become a place where ideas go to die. I saw a notepad once that was titled, “to accomplish today”. It changed my mindset about what goes on the list. It is reserved for the chunks of the projects I will actually do today. Don’t be like the clients who don't write daily tasks on their schedules. Their calendars are wide open and they accomplish very little. Eliminate the time I call, “deciding to decide.” Here is what I mean. You have so many things to choose from, you are spending more time choosing which one to work on, than working on any of them. Write a time on your calendar for each task you plan to complete.

Our last T is trust: While you're establishing your system be sure you establish trust.

None of these strategies will help unless you establish trust. So, if you are convinced something’s not going to work, you are correct. For productivity systems to work you must establish an effective level of trust. When you don’t trust your system, you will constantly find yourself searching for that next tool, the next app, or that next breakthrough to help you to get things done. Once you have a system you trust you can stop looking for what will work. The time and energy you just saved will be there to help you do the great work you were meant to do.

Here’s to a Positively Productive Day!