The Three P’s of Productivity
Wanna hear me talk about The 3P’s of Productivity instead of Reading It? Check out the “It’s About Time Podcast” Episode
Productivity…It’s what we all want, right? But for some reason, it seems so out of reach for so many people! We get caught up in a cycle of just spinning our wheels and trying to keep up as life continually throws new data and new STUFF at us.
I want to tell you that it’s okay to be overwhelmed. We’ve all been there! However, you don’t have to stay that way. I’ve created this amazing new system that has helped me to increase my productivity and reduce overwhelm. Since implementing this system, I’ve seen a tremendous impact on how efficiently I can get things done!
The Three P’s
This system involves three “P” words:
- Process
- Plan
- Prepare
Putting this system into place in my business has helped me increase the number of things I can get done every single day.
To make this system work for you, you’ll need a way to take notes throughout the day. I have this digital notepad that I absolutely love. Be sure to check out the video to see how it works! However, you don’t have to have a digital notepad. You just need a way to take notes. It can be a notebook that you take with you, or a legal pad that you keep close…just find a note-taking system that works for YOU!
For everything I do during the day, I take notes. These notes are the core of making this system work, because I can’t remember everything that I do in a day! So, when I’m on a call with a client, I take detailed notes, writing their name and the date at the top of the page, along with specific information about what we talked about. If I’m taking a course, I put the course info and the day’s date at the top of the page. Maybe I have a coffee chat or a collaboration call. Everything gets written down in my notes for the day.
Now, let’s dig into the Three P’s of Productivity:
Process
The first P of Productivity is Process. At the end of the day, I have a stack of notes about everything I did, and I need to process those notes. Most of these notes have actions, tasks, or some type of follow-up that needs to happen. Maybe it’s an assignment from a course. Maybe it’s a project for a client. Perhaps I need to set up a follow-up appointment. Whatever it is, it must be processed.
Instead of trying to process and keep up with these things throughout the day, I let them pile up and then set aside a block of time at the end of the day to process everything at once. After each call, I take all the notes that relate to that specific person and make sure they are dated and then staple everything together.
I have this fancy folder that I keep everything in so that it’s easy to grab and go if I’m traveling. Once I’ve stapled everything together for that client, it gets filed away so that I can easily access it later when it’s time to process. This gives me a way to contain my paper clutter.
What I mean by “Process” is that I go back through at the end of the day and make sure that all actionable tasks are put into a system that is trackable so that I can actually stay accountable to getting those things done.
I usually spend about 30 to 45 minutes each evening working through this system. This wraps up my work day. I start with the first thing I put in my folder and go back through the day, reviewing each note. It’s a great refresher on what I’ve done that day!
As I review, I process each note. If there is something that should go on my calendar, I put it on my calendar. If there’s a task I need to follow up with, it goes into my task-management system. Now, if you know me at all, you know I’m a great Trello lover! For me, Asana organizes my entire business and life, so that’s where all my actionable tasks go.
Processing is essentially taking your notes from the day and putting everything into the correct systems, task managers, project managers, and so on.
Plan
The Second P of Productivity is Plan. Have you ever heard the quote, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”? That’s truth. You MUST have a plan in place to get projects done. You must have a plan to accomplish your client work. You need plans for any launches you’re working on. So, PLANNING is huge!!
After you’ve gone through everything and processed your daily notes, you want to plan for the upcoming day so that you can be super productive and are able to hit the ground running when you start your workday. Now, I plan everything out in Asana, but I also like to keep a notebook with an outline of everything I’m planning to accomplish that day on my desk so that I always have a visual of what I have coming up.
Taking the time to plan your day is essential once you’ve gone through the process part of the system. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time at the end of the workday to do this so that you have everything prepared ahead of time for the upcoming day.
Prepare
The third P of Productivity is Prepare. And yes, preparation does go hand in hand with planning! It’s great to decide ahead of time what you’re going to do the next day, but it’s VITAL to prepare ahead of time as well. Make sure all your materials for the next day are gathered and prepped at the end of the day after you Process and Plan.
For me, this could be taking the time to do a little research on a client I’m meeting with the next day. Maybe it’s making sure all the resources are in one place for a specific task I need to do. Whatever it is, taking just a few minutes at the end of the day to prepare for the next day means that I am ready to go when I start work in the morning and I don’t have to stop or slow momentum to accomplish everything I have planned!
Take Your Productivity to the Next Level
This system has changed how I organize my business. My productivity and efficiency are skyrocketing, and the number of actual productive activities that I can get done daily has increased! I wanted to share with you so that you can use this system in your own business and life to increase your productivity and ability to process things.
If you’d like to go a step further and learn how I use Asana to organize everything and make the Three P’s of Productivity system extremely efficient every day, then I’d love for you to book a call with me!
I can’t wait to hear how you’re using the Three P’s to increase your Productivity!
Want to take your productivity to the next level? Come hang out in The Productivity Pod Community!
Check out our resources – www.bcohq.co/resources