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CAREER Here Are My Top 3 Productivity Killers - Yours Too? What I Do To Stop Them December 13, 2016  By Rick LanceVoice Actor Know what one of the top ways to kill a business is? Lack of productivity. Know what one of the biggest challenges for self-employed people, like voice actors, is? Maintaining productivity. Hmmm. In today’s home-work environment, there are a million distractions. In addition to the hundred things around the house you need to get done, there are also endless alerts about emails, social media "likes,” text messages, and so on. There also are phone calls to make, colleagues to connect with, grocery lists to draft, laundry to fold, kids to shuttle - this list literally never ends, and it’s basically the same for every working adult. I think these things are amplified when you’re self-employed and working out of your home, though, simply because you’re in your own, personal environment - your comfort zone. There’s no boss looking over your shoulder to see how much you’ve accomplished, and no one (save for clients) to report to. You’re on your own. And it’s solely up to you to maintain productivity and motivation. Of course, complicating all of this are all those pesky distractions, lurking and just waiting to kill your productivity. STOP THE INTERFERENCES However, if you can isolate your biggest interferences, you can stop them before they start, and maintain an efficient level of productivity. Here are My Top 3 Productivity Killers, and what I do to stop them. 1. Facebook This will probably top the list for a lot of folks, because it’s one of the biggest time sucks out there. When you log onto Facebook, time seems to move faster, and the deeper you go down the FB rabbit hole, the more time you lose. The fix: I don’t log onto Facebook until I’ve accomplished everything on my list for the day. It’s that simple. I just don’t do it. 2. Multitasking Lots of people can knock out a ton of work by doing multiple jobs at the same time. But I am not of them. When I try to do too much at once, I get overwhelmed and frustrated, which negatively impacts my efficiency and productivity. The fix: I make a list each morning of what I want to get done each day, and then I do those things one at a time. I don’t try to crowd them together, like compose emails while I’m on the phone or even on hold. I focus on each task individually until completion. 3. Over-scheduling Similar to multitasking, I’ve found that if I try to cram too much into one day, the same feelings of frustration and being overwhelmed occur. I look at my list and think, "I can’t do all this!” and then I feel kind of awful and hopeless, which is extremely counterproductive. The fix: I don’t over-schedule myself. I make my lists specific and realistic, allotting reasonable time frames for each task. I try to keep it fairly flexible, too, so I can move things around if I need to. So what about you? What kills your productivity and how do you deal with it? ------------------- ABOUT RICK
Rick Lance has been working as a voice talent since 1993,
transitioning from singing demos and personal projects in Nashville’s
music business to voicing hundreds of commercials, then promos,
narrations, character voices and more. His vocal style is described as
Americana, the voice of the Heartland. He
is currently the voice (narrator) of three hunting programs and one
outdoor program on the Sportsman Channel and the Outdoor Channel. His
client list includes Toyota, Harley Davidson, Sony Entertainment, Coca
Cola, Life Care Centers of America, John Deere, Jordan Outdoor
Enterprises and Sacred Seasons II.
He
has also become a leading voice for the industries of construction,
manufacturing, energy production, trucking, agriculture/equine, outdoor
sports, travel, community banking, finance and health care. And he is
a colorful voice for film, television, museum and corporate
documentaries. "I’m lucky to be working within my
comfort zone," he says, "literally living out my voice acting life as an
outdoorsman, horseman, weekend cowboy and working man, gentleman farmer
on my six acre mini ranch with my horses, dogs, cats and my wife near
Nashville.” Email: rick@ricklancestudio.com
Web: www.ricklancestudio.com |
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I have to correct myself just a bit concerning Facebook.
I do have to get on there sometimes earlier in the day because I use Facebook mainly for business.
And sometimes I need to address something quickly if I can.
Even my personal page kinda slides into my biz page.
But I still don't allow that time to get away from me.
As long as it's a quick in-and-out... I'm ok!
Happy Holidays!
Very productive of you, I might add.
All the best,
Marie Hoffman