3 Seemingly Counter-Productive Practices that Actually Skyrocket Productivity

Get more done faster – it’s the goal of every business owner on the face of the earth. But when you’re overloaded, overworked and overwhelmed, figuring out how to do that can seem impossible – until now!

These 3 seemingly counter-productive practices will help you skyrocket your productivity in a mind-blowing way.

Stop Working

I said this is going to sound counter-productive!

Too often as business owners, we run from one fire to another trying to put out flames. Or we focus in and get task after task on our list done and feel like we’ve accomplished a lot, but we haven’t really pushed our business forward at all.

The extreme focus is the problem. I know this is the opposite of what every time management guru says. Extreme focus can serve you well, but when you’re extremely focused all the time, you can’t see the bigger picture, which is why we end up off course in our business, and that’s a big waste of time and energy!

You also miss out on creativity. You need creativity if you want to boost your productivity and figure out ways to do things bigger, better and faster.  But you can only be truly creative when your brain is relaxed.

That’s when it can make connections between ideas and thoughts. Which is why so many brilliant inspirations happen in the shower. You’re not thinking about anything specific, so your brain starts to make connections and the million-dollar idea hits!

That’s why you need to stop working, and give yourself time to relax. Let your mind wander and you’ll be surprised at the insights and solutions that come to life for you. Make a weekly date with yourself and make sure you keep the appointment, otherwise, you’ll just stay in reactive mode and that productivity you really want will remain out of reach.

Break Your Systems

Systems and processes definitely save time, but if you want to get things done even faster, you have to figure out even more efficient ways to get it done. That means breaking them and remaking them.

The only way you can bring a massive vision to life is to get others to help you with it. You need to do that here too because you’re too close to your business to see how to change what you’re doing to make it better.

That’s why it’s so important to find mentors, coaches or operational specialist to help you figure out how to be more efficient. Those new perspectives will bring you new opportunities.

Get your team members involved too! They know where the bottlenecks are. Let them brainstorm the solutions for them. When they get to have input, they’re also going to have a lot more buy in when it comes to making the change, and that means you’ll be able to get it done much faster. That’s a lot more productive from the get-go.

Retreat

Most of the time we’re far too close to a problem to see any solution clearly. Just like being hyper-focused, we miss the bigger picture and all the other possibilities. That’s the time to retreat and get a mindset reset, so you can regroup and make the decisions that will help you move forward faster.

To do that effectively, you have to look for ways to level up your thinking because the same thinking delivers the same results that will keep you stuck in the problem you’re facing.

That’s why it’s so important to go outside of yourself and even outside your industry to talk to people who think differently than you and have a different set of experiences. Those new insights can improve your decision-making process too because you can see new angles you just couldn’t before, which will make you more productive.

This is why it’s so important to dedicate time to building your network, working with mentors and mindset coaches, join masterminds and educate yourself in brand-new areas. Those new ways of thinking will help you become more productive than ever before!

Stop working, break your systems and retreat are the trifecta for getting more done! If you apply these three seemingly counter-productive practices, you’ll find you’re personally much more productive.

And the best part…you’ll also accelerate your business in a completely mind-blowing way.