3 Productivity Hacks to 10x Your Leadership

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by all of your responsibilities that you feel paralyzed?

You look at all that’s in front of you and you’re thinking, “I don’t even know where to start.”

Have you ever felt like the pace of your life is so fast and furious that you can’t even think straight? You can’t even think about what you need to think about?

Have you ever had a vision or a goal for something you would love to do, but you think it’ll never happen because you’re already drowning in your current responsibilities?

Or maybe, you’re just looking for an edge?

You want to optimize your output so that you can reach your full leadership potential.

In today’s blog, we’re going to explore three productivity hacks, or principles, that could revolutionize your leadership.

A lot of people attribute the surge of economics in the 18th century to the birth of modern productivity as we know it.

Some people say that Benjamin Franklin, with his spiffy “To-Do” list, paved the way.

But the truth is, people have always sought productivity.

We’ve always looked for better and more efficient ways of doing things.

We all want to feel like we’re getting traction or keeping up.

Now, AI has created an entirely new regime for what it means to be productive.

So, what is productivity?

Productivity is a measure of output (such as work, goods, or services) relative to input (such as time, resources, or effort).

There’s an underlying assumption that leaders are productivity experts, but that’s not always the case.

Every leader has to wrestle with this.

I think many leaders are feeling the pressure to optimize as much as possible.

I want to get to the heart of what productivity should look like for a leader because it’s not about staying busy, having a full schedule, or “getting things done” as David Allen would say.

Productivity for a leader should be more about getting the right things done.

This goes beyond just being productive, but lets you be effective.

So, today I’m going to share the top three principles that have personally served me the most in my leadership.

Here’s the first one.

#1: Learn how to say no to good things in order to say yes to the most essential things.

This is important for so many reasons.

First, the reality is, we can’t do it all.

We can’t be all things to all people.

We have limits of time, resources, and energy.

Some leaders don’t like to admit that, but it's true.

As our responsibilities grow, there comes a point where we have to learn to say no to more things.

The second reason this is so important is that if we say yes to everything, we will not be able to focus on the most essential things.

Productivity isn’t just about doing a bunch of things; it’s about doing the right things. It’s about prioritizing the most important things.

So, how do we identify our essential tasks from non-essential?

Let me give you a tool to flesh this out.

There’s a matrix that President Eisenhower originated.

Stephen Covey popularized it in his book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

It’s a really powerful tool for identifying and organizing what is essential and non-essential in your life.

Put everything you do in one of the quadrants below:

Once you have spent time listing everything, here’s what you do next.

You only do tasks in the top two quadrants.

Anything Important/Urgent you do. Anything Important/Not Urgent you schedule.

Filter everything in the bottom quadrants through a two-step process of elimination and delegation.

You eliminate everything in the non-important and non-urgent quadrant, and you delegate everything in the urgent and not-important quadrant.

Go through this process at least once a year to recalibrate yourself.

Put your essentials on your calendar, and then… This may be the most important part.

Learn how to say no.

Here’s how I say no… “I would love to, but I already have a commitment.”

What’s my commitment? Something essential.

They don’t need to know, and you shouldn’t feel the need to provide an explanation.

If you commit to something essential, then you should honor your commitment.

By saying no to the good thing, you get to say yes to the best things.

Okay, here’s Hack Number Two.

#2 Movement Creates Momentum

I can’t remember where I first read this, but it’s a powerful leadership principle.

Anytime I’m feeling stuck, overwhelmed, paralyzed, or unproductive, I remember that movement creates momentum.

You just need to start.

You just need to take action.

You just need to get the ball rolling.

You can’t be one of these “Ready, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim…” people.

At some point, you need to fire the dang bullet.

Then, guess what happens?

That movement of action will generate momentum.

That momentum will keep you in a cycle of moving forward.

Momentum is a powerful force.

But it all starts with that initial action.

Okay, here’s the last productivity hack that I think could really serve your leadership.

#3 Keep a Scorecard

I picked this idea up from Gino Wickman’s book “Traction.”

There’s an old business maxim that anything that is measured and watched is improved.

It’s also been said that what gets measured gets done.

A scorecard is your measuring device.

You can put any metrics you want on it.

It’s designed to track what’s important to you.

It helps you see how well you’re doing, and it gives you immediate feedback on things that might need attention.

I have multiple scorecards, I love tracking numbers and stats, but one of my favorite scorecards is my personal journal.

Every day, I document what I’m thinking, how I’m feeling, what I’m wrestling with, what happened that day, pretty much anything on my mind, and I always note the date.

Not only do I find it incredibly therapeutic, but it’s also allowed me to look back and study where I used to be and compare it with where I am now.

It puts a lot of things into perspective.

Another scorecard that I encourage you to have is a physical calendar.

We can tend to think in terms of days and weeks, but we also need to keep track of the big picture.

There’s something about spreading a calendar open and looking at a whole month or an entire year at a time that is so helpful.

Keeping a scorecard, whether it's statistics, results, numbers, a calendar, or a journal, has dramatically improved my productivity as a leader.

It lets you keep a pulse on things, and it also gives you the ability to predict and plan what’s around the corner.

Now, here’s the best part.

If you combine all of these practices, you have a powerful system in place for a highly productive and effective leader.

Let’s recap.

First, organize all your tasks and focus only on the essential things.

Second, take action and let that create momentum.

Third, keep a scorecard that tracks your results.

And here’s the best part.

Your scorecard informs you of what is essential, so you always know what the next best action to take is, and that action continues to fuel your momentum.

It’s a wonderful cycle.

It’s served me for many years, and I hope it serves you too.

Hey, if you found this content helpful and you’re eager for more, consider visiting my website, zachwhite.com, to join my leadership community.

I also have a leadership reading list available there that might be helpful to you as well.