Can you describe your typical working day? How many hours are you productive? How many of these are billable? If you find yourself fumbling to answer these questions, you may be lacking structure and activity in your work life.
The power of productivity is often underestimated. It’s usually seen as a personality trait—you’re either a go-getter or not. But the truth is, anyone can learn to be more productive. The first step is to understand what productivity is.
Productivity isn’t just about getting things done—it’s about getting things done efficiently and effectively. That means prioritising your assignments, eliminating distractions, and staying focused on high-priority tasks during the day.
Without a standard approach you can repeat each day, you might struggle to be as productive as you want. That’s where predictability comes in. If you can create a routine for your work life, you’ll find that you can focus better and get more done.
This article will explore the power of productivity and predictability and how you can use different methods to your advantage. Let’s dive in!
The role of technology:
Technology plays a significant role in our productivity. In the past, salespeople had to rely on paper and pen to keep track of their leads and customers. Today, numerous sales CRMs and platforms can automate much of the busy work, freeing up time for selling.
For example, consider a salesperson who spends an hour manually inputting data into their CRM each day. That’s five hours per week, or 20 hours per month, that could be spent on selling instead.
Automation tools have caused a significant increase in productivity, as workers are now able to perform tasks much more quickly and efficiently.
Technology can also help salespeople stay organised and focused. Many great apps and tools are available to help with time management, task management, and goal setting.
There are now thousands of applications that can be used across the sales cycle to help improve your effectiveness, from who you spend your time focusing on, to engaging with prospects, through to closing the sale.
An example we use at Ellivate is Call AI, where a meeting note-taker transcribes all our meetings, and the notes are populated into our CRM and communication channels.
Technology has also made it possible for workers to communicate and collaborate with each other more easily. This has led to even further productivity increases, as team members can now share ideas and work together more efficiently.
Technology plays a vital role in the modern world of work, and there is no doubt that it has helped boost productivity levels. With the right tools, you can work smarter, not harder, and close more deals.
The habit of practising:
“Success is not an accident; success is actually a choice.” – Steph Curry
As with basketball, or any other sport, productivity is a habit. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. That’s why it’s crucial to make a commitment to being productive every day, even if it’s just for a few hours.
The best way to develop the habit of productivity is to find a method that works for you and stick with it. There are a lot of different approaches and types of sales habits out there, so experiment until you find one that you’re comfortable with.
One popular method is the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break. After repeating this cycle four times, you take a longer break of 20–30 minutes.
Another popular method is the Eisenhower Matrix, which helps you prioritise your tasks by urgency and importance. This can be a valuable tool for salespeople, who often have a lot of tasks on their to-do lists.
As James Clear says in his Atomic Habits book, implementing tiny habits and routines of practice can reap some remarkable results. If you get only 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done.
Making time to learn and grow:
Truly successful people never stop learning.
One of the most important things you can do to be productive is make time for learning and growth. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind and forget that we need to continue growing and developing ourselves if we want to succeed.
Fortunately, many resources are available to help you learn and grow, both in-person and online. Make sure to carve out some time each week to read articles, listen to podcasts, or take courses on topics that will help your sales career.
If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few suggestions:
1. Online classes
2. Mentorships
3. Consulting with experts
4. Industry conferences
5. Productivity books
Set aside time in your schedule to learn and grow. It doesn’t have to be a lot—even 30 minutes can make a big difference. If you can find an hour, that’s even better. Consider this your time for “shooting some hoops.”
The power of colour coding:
Colour coding is a great way to organise your tasks and priorities. By assigning different colours to different task categories, you can quickly see what needs to be done and when.
You can use this system for both digital and physical tasks. For example, you could use a whiteboard or wall calendar to colour code your tasks or a digital task manager like Trello.
Here’s an example of how you might colour-code your tasks:
● Red: Urgent tasks that need to be done today
● Orange: Tasks that need to be done this week
● Yellow: Tasks that can be done in the next few weeks
● Green: Tasks that have been completed
This is just one example of how you can use the colour-coding system for productivity. The best part is that you can customise it to fit your workflow fully. You can check out our colour system here as part of our ideal week.
By colour-coding your tasks, you can quickly see what needs to be done first. You can use this system to stay on track and avoid getting overwhelmed by your to-do list.
Final words
Anyone can learn to be more productive. As a salesperson or part of a service team, you can use different methods to increase your productivity. These include time management techniques, goal setting, and leveraging technology to your benefit.
If you want to be more productive and add predictability to your day-to-day routine, start by using some of the techniques we’ve outlined in this article. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference they can make!
Need more guidance in building your routines? Schedule a free coaching session with us today.
