7 Powerful Productivity Habits for Leaders to Achieve Exceptional Results

Many people believe they’re great at multitasking, but studies show it can actually reduce productivity by up to 40%.

Instead of juggling multiple tasks, it’s more effective to focus on one thing at a time. To support this approach, ensure your team’s workload is balanced.

Delegate tasks based on individual strengths or willingness, rather than strictly by role or title.

By setting clear and realistic expectations, you can help minimize the pressure to multitask and encourage higher-quality work.

9 Ways to minimise MULTI-TASKING

1. Don’t start your morning by looking at your phone: Checking your phone first thing can lead to distractions and reactive behavior. Instead, begin your day with focused, intentional work.
2. Create a list of daily priorities: Outline the most important tasks for the day to stay focused on what truly matters. This helps prevent jumping between low-priority tasks.
3. Reduce or eliminate outside distractions: Identify common distractions like unnecessary notifications or noise, and remove them to maintain focus on one task at a time.
4. Set a time for distractions: Allocate specific times to check emails, social media, or take breaks. This way, you can address distractions without letting them interrupt your workflow.
5. Be prepared to say no: Avoid overloading your schedule by being comfortable turning down additional tasks or requests that aren’t aligned with your priorities.
6. Keep work areas clean and organized: A clutter-free workspace helps reduce mental distractions and allows you to focus on one task without the temptation to multitask.
7. Be sure to uni-task during your prime time: Identify when you're most productive, and tackle your most important tasks during that time to maximize focus and efficiency.

In our pursuit of productivity, it's tempting to equate success with non-stop action. However, best-selling author Michael Hyatt challenges this notion, advocating for the power of pause. He argues that true productivity isn't about cramming every minute with tasks, but rather about taking deliberate breaks to reflect.

By stepping back to evaluate what's working and what isn't in your current productivity system, you gain valuable insights.

This reflective practice allows you to fine-tune your approach, eliminate inefficiencies, and ultimately achieve more meaningful results. Hyatt's philosophy reminds us that sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is to stop and think.

How many times have you opened a piece of regular mail—a bill perhaps—and then put it down only to deal with it again later? How often do you read an email, and then close it and leave it in your inbox to deal with later? Highly successful people try to “touch it once.” 

If it takes less than five or ten minutes—whatever it is—they deal with it right then and there. It reduces stress since it won’t be in the back of their mind, and is more efficient since they won’t have to re-read or evaluate the item again in the future.

Watch this short, simple technique that Dan Pink asks author of the book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen to hear how to make it work for you: https://www.danpink.com/pinkcast/pinkcast-1-8-the-power-of-the-2-minute-rule/

Setting reminders is a crucial productivity habit that can significantly boost a leader's efficiency and effectiveness.

By leveraging technology or simple analog systems, leaders can offload mental clutter and ensure important tasks, deadlines, and commitments are never overlooked.

For instance, a CEO might use a digital calendar to set recurring reminders for weekly team check-ins, quarterly goal reviews, or annual strategic planning sessions.

These prompts not only keep critical responsibilities top of mind but also free up mental energy for more creative and strategic thinking.

By systematically setting reminders, leaders can maintain a proactive mindset, stay ahead of deadlines, and cultivate a reputation for reliability and punctuality within your organisation.

How many of your meetings are unproductive due to too many people present, agenda's not being adhered to or team members who tend to over-dominate?

Holding regular one-on-one meetings is a great way to create a more inclusive and open work environment. It’s not always easy for people to share their ideas or concerns in group settings, whether with their boss or peers. 

By scheduling regular in-person or video meetings, you provide a safe space to discuss workload, goals, and any struggles they may be facing.

These meetings help build trust, encourage collaboration, and ultimately improve both performance and the overall team experience.  And, most importantly, saves you time because you are getting direct access with your team and the most important issues/challenges that need solving.

The reason why we want to minimize our decisions is due to what psychologists call decision fatigue. It’s the act of making exhausting our decisions, which prevents us our ability to make better decisions later on.

Obama takes it even further by receiving simple “decision memos” on his desk with three check boxes:

• agree
• disagree
• let’s discuss 

Rather than expressing his decision through a complicated essay, this simple process speeds up the feedback loop to get things done faster.

Did you know? Most people are more easily distracted from noon to 4PM.

Source: Robert Matchock, an associate professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University.