[413] How to get more done in less time (and build your audience faster)

Hands up...I’m not the most organised person in the world.

But I AM insanely productive - publishing hundreds of podcasts, blogs and social media posts every year - and rarely missing a deadline. 

My recent ADHD diagnosis made me question how I’d managed to stay so productive - despite being disorganised. 

If you haven’t heard of it before, that stands of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - a disorder that affects the functioning of the brain and includes symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Problems with memory, forgetfulness, organisation. 

And it made me realise I’d actually developed coping strategies to stay productive - which I share with you in this episode. 

They’re actually really good strategies that can help anyone who struggles to get things done (which we all do at times).

{Click on the player above to listen to the podcast episode and/or read on for a detailed overview. Scroll down to the bottom to read the show notes including all the links mentioned in this episode}

Here are five things that help me stay productive. 

Time blocking. I keep my mornings free and don’t do any external meetings/teaching/coaching until midday. As I get up at 5 am, this means I can often get around six hours of solid work in before lunchtime.  Repetition. If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking or lose weight, you’ll know that changing bad habits can be tough. The same goes for good habits. Which is why, if you can get into the habit of doing good things every day, these habits can be as difficult to break as having a cigarette or a chocolate bar after every meal. 

This is why I do the same thing at the same time every day. For example: 

Sending a Daily Email to my list at/around 7 am Posting on Instagram every day around 7.30 am  Publishing a podcast [add hyperlink] every Friday

Experts believe it can take as little as 21 days to adopt a new habit. So if you can get into the habit of posting your blog post on a particular day and/or planning your social media posts at a particular time each week, this can be really powerful for your productivity. 

90-day planning. I plan my content in 90-day cycles - around the products/services I’m launching in my business. Which also means I can plan my content to coincide with key launches in my business. 

For example, this month (July 2020) I’ve launched a Pinterest course in my membership programme Build Your Online Audience. Knowing it was coming up, meant I could schedule a relevant week of content ahead of the launch, including a podcast on getting started with Pinterest , a cool messenger bot quiz on whether Pinterest is right for your business and tons of relevant social media posts.  

Public accountability. I make my plans public e.g. writing a daily email, publishing a podcast episode every Friday - which means I can’t back out Body Doubling. This is a term used to partnering with others to get specific tasks done. For example, I’ve recently started using a fab tool called Focusmate a virtual co-working tool that allows you to work, side-by-side, with a partner, remotely - over video - in structured 50-minute sessions. 

However, I’m hyper-aware that some people might find working with strangers of the internet kind of awkward. So this week I’m trialling my own ‘Get It Done’ sessions for members of my Build Your Online Audience programme. 

 

Podcast shownotes How I use time blocking to stay productive (6:43) How I produce three pieces of great work by midday (8:22) Why you need a good chunk of time at a time of day that works for you (10:20) How repetition and creating good habits can help productivity (11:10) Habits that I have in my business to get things done (12:30) Why consistent habits will build your online audience (15:22) How 90-day content planning will make you more productive (16:37) How planning ahead will help you focus on peak points in your business (17:48) How public accountability will help you be more productive (23:10) How body doubling can help you increase your output  (24:50) How Focusmate helps with accountability and productivity (26:40) Get it Done sessions in Build Your Audience programme (30:02) Resources

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Other podcast episodes

[Bonus] How I discovered my ADHD superpower (podcast)

[374] How to create a year's worth of content in one morning (podcast)
[390] How to stop overthinking your content (podcast)
[393] How to create engaging content when you only sell one product or service (podcast)
[406] Mindset problems that can slow your audience growth with Osmaan Sharif (podcast)
[409] How to use Pinterest to grow your online audience with Kate Beavis (podcast)

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