In this episode, we discuss some of the biggest marketing productivity killers that divert your work and block you from moving forward.
If you can’t seem to make progress, then some of these may be what’s getting in the way!
TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:
[00:47] Introduction
[01:45] Getting Misdirected by Other Tasks While You’re in the Middle of a Current Task
[04:53] Not Planning Prior to Working on a Task
[06:33] Allowing Unintended Outside Influence to Affect You
[08:36] Being Digitally Disorganized
[11:09] Not Resolving Technology Issues
[12:03] Reducing Marketing Productivity Killers Rely on this One Skill
[12:57] Bloopers
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Pomodoro Technique
Brain.fm
Daily Achievers’ Weekly Action Planner
[Meghan] Have you ever had days when you’re a productivity powerhouse and other days when you barely make any headway?
Oh my goodness, on some days it’s just tough to focus and get it together!
[Theresa] I know, that’s true! Sometimes life just happens, but then there are times when you self sabotage or set yourself up not to perform your best. Not purposely of course!
[Meghan] No, no, not purposely. But we do seem to be our own worst enemy at times!
The question is: how can you reduce or even avoid the things that demolish your productivity so that you optimize the time spent on your marketing?
[Theresa] When you recognize what kills your marketing productivity, then you can try to stop those things in advance or at least catch them while they’re happening. We know because we deal with these things too!
Be sure to stop these marketing productivity killers that divert your work and block you from making progress.Click To Tweet1) Getting Misdirected by Other Tasks While You’re in the Middle of a Current Task
[Meghan] We sure do! We’re a work in progress as much as anyone.
So, let’s start with multitasking, which is actually another word for misdirection in my humble opinion. Because when you switch to doing another task in the middle of a current task, that’s a distraction.
Multitasking misdirects your brain and your actions. And that’s going to slow you down. Yet, people are often really proud of multitasking!
[Theresa] They are! That’s because people still think that multitasking is a valuable skill to have. And that’s backed up by societal norms. Have you recently looked at a job description?
However, studies show that multitasking reduces your productivity by 40%. Your brain doesn’t do well switching between tasks.
It takes 20-25 minutes for your brain to refocus every time you switch between tasks. You’re more prone to errors. Multitasking creates cognitive overload, which dulls your brain.
[Meghan] And none of us needs to deal with brain fog amidst everything else we have going on!
[Theresa] I know!
The point is, interrupting your tasks is bad for productivity and concentration is good for productivity. Getting into a flow state means you’ll finish your current task faster and better. Then you can move to the next one.
[Meghan] By the way, I have to fight the urge to switch tasks, especially if I don’t want to be working on the task I’m doing. (This happens for marketing tasks and for other things, like packing for a trip! I will go to great lengths to avoid packing! LOL)
Sometimes your brain will try to distract you, which is counterproductive. You’ve got to train your brain to concentrate and focus.
This is particularly true for writing. And so much of marketing these days is writing. So, definitely don’t multitask during your content creation!
[Theresa] One thing you can do to improve your concentration and stick to the task at hand is to use the Pomodoro Technique. I’ve talked about it before, so I won’t go over it again.
But working in 25 minute or 50 minute blocks keeps you focused. Then take 5-10 minutes of free time to enjoy another activity (not work!) before moving into the next time block.
[Meghan] And I use Brain.fm for background music that’s been developed and proven to improve concentration and focus. It really works!
2) Not Planning Prior to Working on a Task
[Theresa] Another thing that really cuts into your productivity is wasting time figuring out what to do rather than doing what needs to get done.
For example, you go to record a video but then you don’t know what to talk about, you don’t have an outline, and your backdrop is a mess. Are you going to get that video done in the time you allotted for it? Not likely.
[Meghan] Not planning in advance really decreases productivity.
Have you ever noticed that when you’re not sure what to do you waste time? Or, you end up doing what’s easiest or what you prefer to do rather than what needs to get done. Not helpful!
[Theresa] Nope. Definitely not helpful. What IS helpful is to make decisions in advance. When you don’t have to make decisions while doing tasks, you will complete work.
A decision you can make in advance of getting a big task done is to break it up into smaller, separate tasks.
So, using the video example, you’d set time aside to research your topic, write your outline, get your backdrop ready, and then record the video. One task becomes four shorter ones.
That seems like more work, but you’ll be surprised how much more effective you become!
Planning removes resistance, so set aside time for planning your work! And don’t forget that strategy leads to good planning.
If you need more assistance with planning and breaking down large tasks, I have planner pages that can help with this called the Daily Achievers’ Weekly Action Planner. I’ll link to it in the show notes.
3) Allowing Unintended Outside Influence to Affect You
[Meghan] Another huge marketing productivity killer is outside influence. This is probably one you don’t hear very often…people just don’t talk about it. But, what you let into your head also goes into your heart.
This one is a lot about your psyche. Because you may unintentionally internalize the negative stuff you encounter. And, this inevitably affects your productivity.
We don’t consider often enough how our state of mind, emotions, and mood affect work, creativity, and productivity.
[Theresa] Think about it. How do you feel after watching a sad movie or the news? Probably not upbeat and positive. Maybe emotionally spent or angry.
Or, what if someone says something nasty about you to your face or online? That’s going to ding you and chip away at your confidence.
Even consuming poorly written materials has the potential to mess with your ability to perform.
[Meghan] You know, the other day I was about to write a blog post, and I decided to check some data first. The data was disappointing, and that completely derailed me! I felt deflated, distracted by the information, and couldn’t get into the optimal head space to write.
So, protect yourself from outside influences before working! Be a content creator first, be a content consumer later—after your work is done.
[Theresa] What and who you read, listen to, and watch makes a difference to your productivity, especially if you’re about to do something requiring concentration or creativity.
[Meghan] You know that saying about computing: Garbage in, garbage out? That applies to your mind as well! You can easily take on the sentiment of what you’re consuming. Then you’ll project that out into the world.
Remember, YOU choose what you expose yourself to. So, prioritize your state of mind to keep your mental fortitude strong and your productivity high.
4) Being Digitally Disorganized
[Theresa] Mindset and emotions are definitely important and likely undervalued. The same goes for organization. You’d be shocked how being digitally disorganized steals time from your day.
So, what do I mean by digital disorganization? I’m talking about not having your digital life organized in a manner that supports your productivity. You can waste so much time searching for files, looking for passwords, or patching together different systems to get your work done.
[Meghan] I can certainly attest to that! Long ago, I used to have probably a hundred icons on my desktop screen! It was difficult to find files, and it was overwhelming to look at. Plus, when I had to share my screen, people would see it and their responses were embarrassing.
Much like negative outside influences, digital disorganization can harm both your productivity and your psyche!
[Theresa] It sure can. A good way to start with digital organization is to create a simple filing system. Instead of having thousands of free-roaming documents, everything lives in a folder, either in the main folder or in a sub-folder.
For example, I have a main folder titled Daily Achievers. Inside that folder are the following sub-folders:
- Website Assets
- Branding
- Clients
- Blog
- Lead Magnets
- Products
- Sales and Marketing
- Financial
- Archives
Then there may or may not be sub-sub folders. The Products folder, for instance, contains sub-folders for each product I have.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re envisioning all the documents on your computer right now and trying to figure out how many hours it’ll take you to organize them. So my suggestion is—DON’T! That’s right. Don’t organize them.
Here’s how you handle this:
- Create your filing system.
- Begin using it with any new content you create or receive.
- As you open old documents, move them into the new folders.
Here’s a bonus tip. Use a cloud based service like Sync or Dropbox. Then you’ll be able to access your documents from any device. This cuts down on having duplicates of one document, which just causes clutter and confusion.
5) Not Resolving Technology Issues
[Meghan] Okay, we’ve gone over some really big time wasters. The last thing we want to mention is tech issues. This is an enormous pet peeve of mine since tech issues drive me bonkers!
It’s simple. Choose the right tech to support your business. And, make changes when you need to.
If you’ve got an old and very slow computer that randomly bombs all of the time, it will frustrate you, distract you, and waste your time. This is one the most overlooked marketing productivity killers!
[Theresa] Likewise, if you’re using software that doesn’t do what you need it to do, it’s time to upgrade.
Invest in the hardware and software tools that support your productivity and your business. You won’t regret it.
All of these little things add up to a lot of time either saved or wasted. And that will make a difference in your daily work and your life!
Reducing Marketing Productivity Killers Rely on this One Skill
[Meghan] There’s one skill that can help eliminate all of these marketing productivity killers. That skill is making wise decisions.
There are things in your control and out of your control. And, you are the master of your destiny when it comes to everything we talked about in this episode.
Make thoughtful, informed, and wise decisions when it comes to how you spend your time!
Eliminate all of these marketing productivity killers by making informed, wise decisions. YOU are the master of your destiny!
[Theresa] But, Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say. And none of us is perfect.
So, if you find yourself dealing with a lot of time wasting in your business, start with ONE area to improve upon.
Seeing your progress in one area, often inspires change in others.
[Meghan] And that’s a great place to end!
If there are any marketing productivity killers that we missed, please tell us in the comments below. Also, if you liked this post, please share it on social media. Thanks for the support.
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