Want to know one of theย ๐ง๐จ๐ญ-๐ฌ๐จ-๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญย ways of boosting your productivity?โฃ
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One word: Routines.โฃ
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But do you want to know a shortcut to boost your productivity evenย more?โฃ
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Easy peasy. ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐-๐จ๐-๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ-๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐!โฃ
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Routines are generally proven to keep individuals moving and gaining momentum for the day. However, as an Executive Assistant (EA) in this modern world of digital fluency, adapting to routines and absorbing the principles behind them is helpful. But creating a system and then building a whole routine around it is a ๐๐๐ช๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ as it boosts productivity.โฃ
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Here are a few tips for EAs to help kick start building or even improving your systems and a start and end-of-day routine.
WHEN STARTING YOUR DAY:
Shortlist your tasks for the day.
Every day is a unique workday for EAs. No matter what tool you are using in managing your ToDos, developing the routine of shortlisting which tasks you will work on for the day is a non-negotiable.โฃ
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This allows you to focus on actionable tasks and therefore gives you clarity for your day. From there, you are up to a clear picture of the next steps for your tasks and bring them across the finish line!โฃ
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Tools that we love using in task management:ย Notionย andย ToDoist
Check off your day-to-day recurring task checklist.
You might be wondering what a day-to-day recurring task checklist is.โฃ
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It's a checklist of yourย recurringย tasks that you are expected to finish for the day. It is vital to have a place where these tasks are stored and to have them structured as a checklist.โฃ
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If you have not yet created a system like this, this might just change your mind.โฃ
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How beneficial is this structure?โฃ
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The psychology behind it is stated well in thisย blogย from Trello, “Checking items off a checklist releases small amounts of dopamine that then fuel us to keep checking off more items, i.e. get more done!”
Group similar tasks in the same section.
Chunking similar tasks or projects on your to-do list is a lifesaver. For example, this means grouping your recurring tasks separately from your research tasks or separating them from your physical errand tasks.โฃ
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Developing this routine before starting your work for the day prevents friction inside your system. This way, you train your brain to treat your tasks without interruption. Grouping and chunking your tasks on how you differentiate them lessens your “start-up moments” and prevents several disruptions brought about by unorganized task lists and will therefore promote productivity more.
Manage your calendar.
Conventionally, calendar management is already included in one's routine as an Executive Assistant. However, doing it before getting buried with emails and with work, and understanding the principle behind building the routine of checking and managing one's calendar is an easy way of putting your day at ease.โฃ
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This is the most effective way to be aware ofย ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฌ. Calendars are the best platform to catch these drags as they are the most tangible output of how you can visibly see the flow of your day.โฃ
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Drags may reveal themselves as the unstrategically scheduled set of meetings throughout the day, resulting in weird gaps that either make or break you, or even as the choice of color that you choose for your calendar and the other ones you manage.โฃ
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Unconsciously, these limit our productivity and are easy to miss most of the time.โฃ
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Most EAs don't realize that an end-of-day routine is as essential as a start-of-day routine. Here are a couple of tips for setting the stone for the next day.
WHEN ENDING YOUR DAY:
Audit your ToDo inbox.
A one-time audit with your shortlisted, in progress, and not started tasks is the solution for having a clean canvass for the next workday. This routine promotes clarity and is considered a preventive measure for your whole system.
Reflect on your day's productivity.
This whole article ultimately encourages EAs to dig deep into the mindset and the principle behind building routines centered on our systems so that we become more productive. Thinking back on how we performed is valuable to how we form personal metrics of our productivity level and then aim to do better.
Conclusion:
As Executive Assistants, we are augmented by the routines and systems that we have; therefore, building your systems-centric routine is indeed an unarguable way of boosting your productivity.
About the Author:
Gladys Camille Guisadio is a licensed Civil Engineer turned Executive Assistant to the Chief Operations Officer of a software
development agency based in the Philippines.
Having worked in a fast-paced environment in her previous career, she has aimed for a lifelong goal of improving the resiliency of her routines and systems.
Now as a second brain of the COO working with impact-driven companies, she has developed different systems, processes, and routines along the way.