4 Productivity Hacks Every Program Manager Should Know

Just Do It Now 

Throw out your to-do lists. When a small task pops into your head, do it immediately. This won’t work when larger projects, but you can certainly interrupt whatever you’re doing to send a quick email over. 

Systemize It 

Stop throwing yourself at the task and start throwing a system at it. Try to automate as been tasks as possible. When tasks are organized into systems, you can achieve greater consistency and free up space in your head. Systems allocate roles and duties and establish expectations. Systems get the job done. 

Push-back on deadlines 

If the CEO asks for a deliverable, you don’t push back on that. But, if given multiple tasks from colleagues all asking for it as soon as possible, you have the right to ask, “Is this a hard deadline?” or “can I ask why this is a hard deadline?” All these are valid questions. Sometimes we take on unrealistic deadlines because we don’t want to appear incapable of handling the workload. Know that you are most effective when you can focus.  

Priority Means One Thing 

Until the 1950s, the word “priority” was singular. It only meant one thing. Somehow along the way, the semantics shifted, and the word “priority” turned into multiple competing “priorities” as multitasking became more famous for achieving efficiency. Researchers have found that we move our attention every 45 seconds. They switch tasks on their computer 566 times a day. And a Microsoft study found that multitasking can reduce productivity by 40%. 

Stop saying, “if no one else can, I will.” 

When you’re at a meeting, and someone shares a list of things that need to be done but already have a full load, don’t be the hero and volunteer. Just be quiet. You aren’t saving anyone’s life by overloading your commitments. You are only jeopardizing your efficiency and sanity. Trust and believe; that there will be someone else. And if there’s not, maybe it didn’t need to be done in the first place. 

We hope this article helped you achieve a bit more productivity. 

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