Productivity improves with individual actions that impact on a team or an organization.

“High performance starts with a set of mind that becomes the things you do”, says the author of The Power of Preeminence, Paul Rulkens.

There are people who are naturally highly productive. Those who are not may train and get better result with high impact. The most important thing is to be clear about certain concepts and implementing them in a systematic way.

Paul Rulkens and Robert Pozen, describe 12 facts that can help you become a productive person. Change of habits

1. Focus on what is important

Productive people have clear goals and a vision of what they want to achieve in the long term. Therefore, they focus on what is important. According to Rulkens, “80% of what you do is not important”. Productive people focus their attention on the remaining 20%.

2. Set the important apart from the urgent

The important and the urgent are two completely different things. The urgent comes marked by someone who expects an immediate response. If we lose time in urgent matters that are not important, we lose focus on what really needs our attention.

3. Plan your days

Robert Pozen is the author of Extreme Productivity. A simple concept: how to increase results reducing the hours spent or how to be extremely productive. The key is in planning pending tasks and setting goals. For example, when attending a meeting, you need to clearly understand the goals in order to focus on the result.

4. Knowing how to find what you need when you need it

Having a system that allows you to find files and information you need right when you need is a must.

5. Establishing routines

A highly productive person sets routines linked to daily activities such as getting dressed or eating. This prevents a waste of time.

6. Making the most of wasted time

Waiting to be attended at a meeting, or flight delays are opportunities that can be used if we really have our tasks identified and planned. According to Pozen wasted time can be used to answer emails, return a phone call or start an investigation.

7. Attend meetings with a clear purpose

To make sure that we are going to the right place at the right time we should check that the meeting has the following five items:

• The right people
• Clearly defined documents
•  Speak about the purpose of the meeting in advance
•  Set goals
• Define the next steps before ending the meeting

8. Get done the things you tend to postpone

Overcoming the temptation of postponing everything we do not want or like to do is key to achieve high performance levels.

9. Avoid being a perfectionist

We know perfection does not exist. Avoiding perfectionism positively contributes to a person’s productivity.

10. Leave room in your schedule

When schedules are too tight, there is a chance that something may not go well. No room for unexpected events. Therefore, setting forced agendas may end up damaging productivity.

11. Multitasking but with complementarity

Multitasking is a condition for productivity and for productive people, as long as the simultaneous tasks are complementary. For example, if a task demands plenty of energy, the simultaneous task must be lighter and simpler. Do not lose focus.

12. Work strategically

 You need to stop doing those tasks that do not have a direct impact on the goal or delegate them if necessary. Liberating energy is important to focus it on what is really important.