Episode 33 How to be More Productive as a Leader

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Welcome to Unstuck and Unstoppable,

the podcast for ambitious female

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leaders who want to create more impact,

income, and influence in their careers.

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feel connected to their passion

and purpose, but without

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selling out or burning out.

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I'm Sarah Archer, a leadership coach

and career strategist, helping women

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like you thrive in leadership roles

while staying true to your values.

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I'm the founder of CareerTree

Coaching and have over 15 years of

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coaching experience and significant HR

leadership experience to share with you.

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I know as a female leader it can

be hard to find time to focus

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on your career aspirations.

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The day job can be all consuming.

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Plus, no matter how senior you are,

there are always going to be times

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when you feel stuck, when you have

self doubt, or feel like an imposter.

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And that's where unstuck

and unstoppable comes in.

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Each week I'll be sharing practical

strategies, insightful interviews and

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inspiring stories to help you boost

your confidence, lead with purpose

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and achieve sustainable success.

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If you're ready to stop playing

small and unlock the incredible

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potential you have within you and feel

unstoppable, you're in the right place.

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Welcome to episode 33.

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I'm so glad you are here.

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If you haven't met me before,

I work with female leaders to

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create the kind of career success

that , brings you joy that you love.

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Going to work.

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The thought of going to work, you don't

have that Sunday night dread and that

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you are able to do your job without

selling out, so you can be authentic

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and without burning out by, taking on

too much, having overwhelm and feeling

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like you've got to be 24 7 at your job.

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Which leads me into today's

topic, which is all about how

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to be a more productive leader.

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I chose this topic because it's

something that's coming up with a

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few of my clients at the moment.

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And I thought it would be useful to

chat about some of the things you can

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do to be a more productive leader.

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When I was.

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Preparing for this session, I

was thinking there's so much,

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out there around productivity,

time management, procrastination.

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It can be overwhelming to actually

work out what is gonna help you.

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So I've chosen six things to flag to

you today that could remind you of

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something you've done in the past that

has worked, give you new ideas, or

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give you a chance to experiment with

something that might work for you.

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A lot of the clients that I'm working

with are experiencing that sense of

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there's too many meetings going on.

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It's hard for me, productive 'cause I'm

back to back in meetings, whether that's

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virtual meetings or face-to-face meetings.

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Sometimes there's too much reporting.

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There's too many decks I have

to produce if I'm not working

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on creating a PowerPoint deck

that I might be presenting.

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Or sending them out, dealing

with questions around it.

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It's just too much information

sharing too much change going on.

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Sometimes change for change is sake,

but too many restructures or change of

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direction or change in terms of focus.

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That just feels like there's

constant change and sometimes too

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much growth as well and too fast.

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I've got a client at the moment

who is working for a scale up.

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They are.

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Constantly in growth mode without always

the resources or there's often a lag

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in resources to cope with the growth.

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That feels like the workload is constantly

growing and she's certainly never

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getting to the bottom of her to-do list.

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Which leads to.

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Sometimes not great decision making

and also it's not sustainable.

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She's constantly feeling that

she's got to work longer and longer

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hours and that is not sustainable.

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There's lots of things that contribute

to this sense of I need to be more

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productive because this stuff is

just coming at me all the time.

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And the more productive we can be

in our roles, then, it helps to

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avoid that sense of overwhelm, which

then tends to lead to paralysis.

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It means that we can make better

decisions because we've got the

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head space to make good decisions.

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It means we can focus on the strategic

direction rather than just the day to

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day issues, decisions, what have you.

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And it means we can also.

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More likely deliver the goals that we

have been set or that we've set ourselves,

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and it means that we can spend time.

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With our team, developing our team

to be more productive as well.

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So that we've then got more capacity

to delegate to them and to empower them

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to make more good quality decisions.

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There's lots of rationale around why

being a more productive leader is where

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we should be heading, but sometimes it can

just feel you can't get out of the weeds.

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You just don't have the head space

to even think about being more

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productive because you're just.

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Dealing with the day to day.

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And I certainly remember when I was

an HR director, taking calls on my

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day off at playgroup with my daughter.

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Just that sense of never feeling

that I was on top of things

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and needing to find ways to.

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Increase my effectiveness and even now

as a business owner where I'm in charge,

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the growth, the pace in my

business, I can sometimes feel

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that productivity is slipping.

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That I'm falling into the trap.

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And certainly before my holiday a couple

of weeks ago, I fell into that trap of

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that sense of overwhelm of not really

managing things effectively, which

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also sparked my thoughts around,

okay, what could we think about doing

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to be more effective as a leader?

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Because also the more effective

leader you are setting the tone,

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you're being a role model for your

team as well, and your peers, other,

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the people in the organization.

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So it's definitely worth finding

some space to think about

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what's going to work for you.

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As I said, I've got six things to think

about in terms of your productivity

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and some are more strategic and some

are more operational in the moment.

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The first thing I would think about is

what is your personality preference around

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time management organization planning?

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Some people are very structured, like

routine like being very organized.

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To the nth degree, and some

people are very spontaneous, very

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reactive, very in the moment, and

then we've got degrees in between.

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It's definitely worth thinking about what

your preference is because if you are in

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the small spontaneity less routine camp,

then trying to shoehorn yourself into

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using productivity techniques that are.

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Favored by those people around

you who are very structured and

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very routine driven, is never

gonna work for you and vice versa.

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So it's definitely worth thinking about.

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What your preference is and

also the people around you,

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what their preference might be.

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If you are a leader and , you

like routine, you like or you like

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structure, but your team is very

last minute spontaneous, reactive,

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you are gonna find yourself getting

frustrated by them and vice versa.

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So where do I sit on that

personality preference around

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organization and planning, and

therefore choosing to experiment

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with techniques that are going to.

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Play to your strength.

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The second thing would be to think about

when your peak productivity hours are.

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We all have certain times of day when

we're going to be more productive

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than others, and it's recognizing

when those hours are and keeping

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them free of the things that are not.

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Enabling your productivity.

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I know for me, I am much more

productive in the morning.

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If I start working on something at

8, 8 30, then for a couple of hours I

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know that I'm gonna be super effective.

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So I never schedule

meetings at those times.

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I rarely schedule, I.

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Client calls at those times.

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I keep that time free for my planning,

my business work, my creative stuff,

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and then because my client work

gives me a different kind of energy,

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I have those client meetings at

different times in the day, and I

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know by four 30 I am not at my best.

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So I'll do other things,

which I'll talk about later.

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So when is your peak productivity

hours and what do you want to

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get done during those hours?

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And scheduling that in a ring fence.

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Singing it, time blocking it out,

so you know you've got at least

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two, maybe more of those , peak

times in your diary for that kind

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of work that you need to get done.

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Then my third tip for you is to and

this is, something that everyone talks

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about but sometimes is very easy for it

to slip, is to make time for self-care.

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Now, often, particularly as women,

we tend to deprioritize ourselves

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and feel guilty about making

time for things like self care.

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And also it's the thing

we can think can, can go.

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I know when I'm feeling super stressed,

then my yoga goes, my meditation goes, I'm

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not so great at drinking lots of water.

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All those things that I know

help me be more productive.

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Tend to go.

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So it is making sure that you are looking

after yourself around these areas.

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So sleep, making sure you're getting

enough sleep you are paying attention

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to your diet, the food that gives you

energy on a longer term basis rather than.

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Caffeine, chocolate crisps, wine, those

kind of things, which are lovely, but

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actually, don't really help you in

terms of feeling productive, paying

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attention to hydration and exercise.

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Getting out, even if it's just for a walk

first thing or a walk at lunchtime, or

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making time to go to the gym, is going to

help you be productive in the long run.

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I had a client who, she was about to start

a new senior job, and she knew that her

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gym time was really important to her,

so she laid the groundwork from day one.

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She told her team, she told

her boss that in her lunch hour

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she would be going to the gym.

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And so she made time for that.

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She made sure she had that

half an hour window when she

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could be at the gym exercising.

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And she knew that helped

her to be more productive.

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She also had three young children,

so she knew she couldn't really fit

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it in outside of her working hours.

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So going in a lunch

hour is the best route.

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And it really helped her to stay on top

of things because she also had time away

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from her desk, time to think differently,

time to focus when she was at the gym

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on something other than work, which

then contributed to her productivity.

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Making time for that self-care and

within that self-care, thinking

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about your energy management as well.

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So your boundaries around what energy

drains you or what their energy drainers

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are, and what the energy givers are.

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If you know you have people in your

team or who you work alongside, who

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drain you of energy, minimizing the

time that you are exposed to them.

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Sounds very simple, but sometimes

as leaders we can feel we

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have to be available to our

teams whenever they need us.

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And there might be people in

your team who tend to moan a

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lot or require a lot from you.

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So minimizing the time that you

give to them is definitely valid.

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And encouraging them to manage their

energy boundaries as well, and not

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seeing that it's appropriate to

offload some of their frustrations or,

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difficulties on you because you're a

leader and you are willing to listen.

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The fourth tip is to plan for

tomorrow, and this is called the

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Ivy Lee method, and it's simply

at the end of each day, you would

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. Write down the six things that are

your priorities for the next day,

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and then prioritize those six things.

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So from one to six, decide which

is the things you're gonna work on

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first when you come in the next day.

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And this.

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Is a very effective way of

avoiding decision fatigue.

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You're gonna come in the next day.

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You not have to go be

thinking, should I do this?

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Should I do that?

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What's the priority?

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You know exactly what

you're going to work on.

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You can just get on with

that as soon as you come in.

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It also helps you to switch off at the

end of the day so you're not then gonna

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be having those thoughts about what you're

gonna be working on, what's current,

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what's happening in the workplace.

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'cause you can tell yourself, okay, I

know my six priorities for tomorrow,

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and it's very clear what I'm gonna do.

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Now you might think, oh, I don't

have time at the end of the day, but

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this would take 15 minutes maximum.

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It's just to write down the six

things that you want to be working on.

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The next day, I'm prioritizing

those six things, and it's

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about creating healthy habits.

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And once you start it, you'll find it

works really effectively and it's a very

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simple thing that you can do and you

can encourage your team to do as well.

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Then my, what's my fifth thing?

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Okay, yeah.

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So this is a bit more long

term and this is about tackling

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the hardest thing or the.

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Most difficult thing each day because

by our very nature humans, we like to put

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off the things that are difficult or hard.

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It's quite natural to do that.

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But actually if we make ourselves tackle

the things that are difficult, so that

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challenging conversation, that phone

call that we're dreading that client

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that we know is a bit difficult or

upset about something, if we actually.

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Make ourselves do it.

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Then we develop this capacity to know

that we can tackle the difficult tasks,

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and then they become easier because

we know we just get on with them.

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And the more we put them off, the

more we worry about them, the more

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headspace they take up, the more

they eat into our productivity.

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So by tackling those difficult tasks,

it's that old Eat the Frog thing.

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It becomes easier and easier for those

difficult tasks to be accomplished also,

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if we make ourselves do those hard things.

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So maybe you've gotta write a

strategy paper or something that

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feels a bit more challenging.

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It.

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Encourage us to expand

our comfort zone as well.

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As leaders, we constantly want

to be expanding our comfort zone

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and recognizing our capacity

for doing the challenging things

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. So tackling something difficult

each day by taking action is

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going to reinforce your belief in

yourself of someone who can do that.

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And also it's going to push

you outta your comfort zone.

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And then my sixth thing is to learn

something new every day where possible.

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And you might be thinking as I'm

saying that I don't have time to

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learn something new, but this is

about maybe thinking of 10, 15 minutes

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that you can learn something new.

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It doesn't have to be

linked to your existing job.

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It could be something, difference.

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Something that you're interested

in and you can think about

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creating a micro habit to do this.

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Finding 10 to 15 minutes in your day.

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It might be at the beginning of the day,

it might be in your lunch hour, it might

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be at the end of the day or on your

commute when you can maybe read something.

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To listen to a podcast or listen to

a YouTube video, listen to a live but

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something that is going to make you

think, oh yeah, that's really interesting.

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Because what that is doing is

it's opening the door to future

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possibilities, to future connections

to ideas that could be helpful.

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With something you might be working

on in the future, and it's a great

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habit to keep expanding your knowledge.

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You know your interest really, so it

helps to feed you and nourish you as well.

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What I do because I have a huge stack

of coaching leadership, self-help,

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personal development books to get

through, I actually diarize, I.

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For half an hour at the end of each day.

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I don't always manage it, but I definitely

try to have half an hour just to read.

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'cause I know I'm not that productive

at the end of my working day.

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So half an hour or even

15 minutes to do that.

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I also, when I go out for my walk

at lunch with my dog, I listen

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to a podcast around something

that may or may not be linked to.

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My area of expertise, career coaching

but it definitely gives me those sparks

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that then I can use later on with

clients or with ideas for the business.

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Let me run through those very quickly.

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To remind you, we have got number one

understand your personality preference

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around organization and planning and

try out experiment with things that are

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gonna enhance that, not go against it.

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Secondly, think about when is

your peak productivity hours and

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scheduling work that you want to

progress in that productivity time?

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Thirdly.

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Make time, prioritize time for self-care.

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Don't feel guilty about it, thinking

about your sleep, food, hydration,

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exercise, and your energy management.

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Four.

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Try the Ivy Leave method where you are.

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Thinking about your six things at the end

of the day that you're going to work on

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in the following day, and prioritize them.

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Fifthly, do the hard things,

the difficult things.

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Don't put them off.

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So you're expanding your capacity to get

on and tackle stuff that's difficult.

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And finally, to learn something new every

day, create a micro habit around learning

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and all of those things together will

definitely help you to become a more

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productive leader and to encourage your

team to also become more productive.

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If you have got ideas around

productivity that you found useful,

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I would love to hear about them.

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So please do message me with

your ideas around productivity.

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I.

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What's worked for you.

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I would love to hear more about that.

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And if productivity is something

you are struggling with at

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the moment, then message me.

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Do get in touch.

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We can have a chat about that.

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In terms of looking specifically

for things that could

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increase your productivity.

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Thank you so much for listening

to this episode of the Unstuck

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and Unstoppable podcast.

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I have lots of free resources you

can access on my website, ww.career

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tree coaching.co

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uk, and I'll also put

links in the show notes.

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If you found this episode

helpful, then please subscribe

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: 00:17:54

so you don't miss the next one.

310

: 00:17:56

And please do share it with a

friend and leave me a review

311

: 00:17:59

and I will personally thank you.

312

: 00:18:02

Remember, you're capable of more

than you know, shine brightly.

313

: 00:18:06

Lead boldly and unlock the

extraordinary potential within you.

314

: 00:18:11

Be unstoppable.