The Paradox Of Productivity

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Welcome to the Tuesday Trailblazer, my weekly newsletter delivering actionable advice from my personal experiences in 15+ years of people and business leadership.

Today at a glance:

• Why productivity doesn’t always mean more
• The power of a strategic mindset
• “Strategic Mindset Gameplan”
• 4 Day Impact Challenge

How often have you thought – I was so productive today?

Often? Rarely? Everyday?

Reflection is a great thing and for almost a decade, productive was something I often found myself measuring in one way or another.

I love this Michael Jordan quote because it highlights the importance of preparing for the long game. Focusing and developing on what will create and empower sustainable success, not just a one time effort.

From systems and structure to ways of working - we need to challenge the way we lead and think about the work we do.

Over the past 6 years, I have come to learn the enormous impact “being productive” has on people, culture & business leadership roles…

In a negative way.

As leaders, it is so crucial to your longevity in any industry that you are able to finish your working week with your heads held high, knowing that you have performed in your role, having a positive impact on your team and your business.

Many leaders think being productive means being successful.

But this often leads to burnout and poor results.

Tonny Crabbe (Author of busy, thriving in a world of “too much”) highlights and aligns “productivity” with reacting to the “inputs” – emails, meetings, delegated tasks etc…doing “more” things.

Research shows that leaders who think ahead and make smart choices are more successful in the long run.

By shifting from just being productive to being strategic, you can become a better leader and achieve more with less stress.

Leaders often fall into the trap of doing everything themselves. They try to handle all tasks, big and small, thinking it makes them productive. This approach can lead to:

• Feeling overwhelmed and stressed
• Neglecting important leadership duties
• Failing to develop team members
• Missing out on strategic opportunities

This article by HBR  points to a bigger issue—most people are too “busy” to know if they’re actually being strategic and working on the right things.

I’ve been there.

Scrolling through emails, ticking off to do lists, trying to please everyone. Before I knew it, I’d lose half a day and find myself not having played my role one bit.

I shared earlier in this blog that I align productivity with reacting to the “inputs” – emails, meetings, delegated tasks.

Well on the other hand, I align a strategic mindset/approach with a focus on the impact and “output” we deliver in our roles.

In short – If you are completing actions that don’t impact your roles output, something needs to change.

So, if like I did, you believe you are extremely productive, yet can’t shake off work over the weekend and evolve beyond the culture of busy, the below is for YOU!

From my experience – There is 1 key factor impacting your ability to be strategic in your approach.

You aren’t playing YOUR role.

Here are 5 tips designed to help you lead with a strategic mindset and play your role.

Because the truth is, you have a lot more control over the situation than you think.

Tip 1: Manage your energy, not your time. 
Take a moment and think about it, you’ll probably realise that you are better at doing certain tasks at certain times.
What type of energy do you have in the morning? Afternoon? Evening? Determine what tasks each energy level and time of day are best suited for.

Tip 2: Start your working week off by planning
Review, celebrate, adapt, engage.
Spend a few minutes organising your to-do list for the week.
It takes only a few minutes and can save you almost 3 hours every day.

Tip 3: Invest time to save time
Ensure quality time is allocated to coaching those direct reports early in the week – invest time to save time!
Make sure to keep track of time — not in an obsessive way, but to monitor how long you’re spending on a certain task, determining if they need to speed up or start wrapping up and moving on to the next project.

Tip 4: Encourage mistakes
Sometimes our teams can feel scared as s*&t to make a mistake.
From experience, some of the biggest lessons I have seen people learn from (including myself) have been from huge mistakes made in the past.
Mistakes are normal, form a key part of our growth and should be embraced.

Tip 5: Stay organised
Make sure your work environment is de-cluttered and that everything has a place. Getting rid of clutter is the first priority. Once you have de-cluttered, you can then set up an organisational system that actually works for you.

Once you’ve decided what you want to do and how you will know you’re on track, the next challenge is follow-through.

Here’s a challenge to help 👇

Ignite your impact in just 4 days by completing the below challenge!

Day 1: Energy Mapping
• Track your energy levels throughout the day (morning, afternoon, evening)
• List your tasks and match them to your energy peaks
• Reorganise tomorrow's schedule based on your energy map

Day 2: Weekly Planning Sprint
• Spend 30 minutes reviewing last week's achievements
• List your top priorities for this week
• Organise your to-do list for the entire week
• Schedule coaching sessions with direct reports

Day 3: Time Investment Day
• Dedicate 1-2 hours to coach a team member
• Track time spent on each task today
• Reflect on which tasks took longer than expected and why

Day 4: Mistake-Friendly Friday
• Encourage your team to try something new or challenging
• Share a personal story of a mistake you learned from
• Spend 30 minutes decluttering your workspace

By the end of this challenge, you'll have a clear picture of your energy patterns, a well-organised week ahead, stronger team relationships, and a cleaner workspace.

Remember, the goal is progress, not perfection.
Embrace the process and adjust as needed.

The above might seem scary, impossible and even a little uncomfortable – I believe you can truly achieve greatness in leadership by impacting and improving not only your own role, but impacting those around you by doing less, not more.

Ultimately – we all want to gain control of our time.

Control can be found in the outputs you deliver, not the inputs that you react to.

Take control and start working towards what YOU want, your version of success and your vision.

Until next Tuesday,

I have built and led teams across 3 successful businesses and have over 15 years of people and business leadership experience.

Over the past 4 years, I have grown my business working with “busy” leaders across multiple industries (retail, hospitality, construction, mining, education) helping them igniting their impact and leadership both at work and at home.

Without abandoning their ambition.

Let me share my insights and help you:

• Reclaim your time

• Prioritise your wellbeing

• Achieve work/life harmony

• Improve customer centricity

• Connect & elevate team culture

• Develop beyond busy leadership skills

• Build your business bench and succession planning

Book A 45 minute “Beyond Busy Mentor” Meeting Here

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