Distractions affect productivity. So is working without a guide. It is like just taking on what will come to mind. And before you know it you are wasting precious time. For example, if you want to launch a successful podcast show on time, and without sacrificing quality, you need to boost your productivity level to make it happen.
There's an awful lot of productivity tips online but just let me introduce you to a productivity hack that will change the way you approach things.
Creating a Content Calendar
Speaking of intelligent planning, creating a content calendar will take your productivity to a whole new level.
A content calendar is that plan used to plot activities using a calendar-based format. This is just like your to-do list but in this case, that 'to-dos' are contents with a designated time when that content should be published. I would like to call this your North Star on how you progress with the show or project.
Why create a content calendar?
Time saver. If you have already plotted what to do, you will not waste time thinking about it anymore.
Makes you post consistently. If you promised your podcast listeners to hear you every Wednesday, you must deliver to keep that promise.
Fewer mistakes. They said that the devil is in the detail. For me, the devil is not planning because it will make you feel lost. It leads to wastage of time which causes you to cram leaving the detail unattended.
Is it hard to make a content calendar?
If you are serious about getting things done, the answer is no.
Here is how:
List all possible topics. These topics should be related to your project's theme. For example, you are writing about indoor plants. You can talk about indoor plants in general, indoor plants that need the most attention to rear, less attention, indoor plants as a hobby, indoor plants as a money-making venture, etc.
Breakdown steps in accomplishing topics. Given the identified topic, break out the steps it will take to create it. In a podcast, for example, it might take some researching, outlining, writing of scripts, inviting guests (if necessary), recording, and finally the editing.
Put it in a calendar. Once you've identified which topic goes first and the steps needed to create it, plot the steps in your calendar.
Delegate. If you have a team it would be easier to use an application that will allow you to automatically delegate and allow the team to see the progress of the topic/episode you are working on.
That is how easy it is to make a content calendar. Now that you have one, the next thing you need is to ensure that what's in the calendar is done on time. Enter calendar blocking.
Why calendar blocking?
It's already been said: Productivity is never an accident. If you want a consistent productive day, this is your go-to. Time blocking is listing the things that need to be done at a specific time.
Classic example:
5:30 - 6:00 Wake up and yoga
6:00 - 7:00 Outline flow for an episode
7:00 - 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 - 8:00 Me Time
8:00 - 9:00 High priority tasks
9:00 - 10:00 Emails
10:00 - 11:00 Attend to ad hoc deliverables
Calendar blocking allows you to prioritize tasks, forced you to plan, and forced you to focus because of the allotted time for each activity. Heard of Parkinson's Law? Work expands to fill the time available for its completion. So if you have determined the amount of time to spend on a certain task, you have to do what you have to do within that time frame.
Time blocking and task batching
If you want to be more efficient, schedule several smaller closely related tasks to perform within a time block. This is called task batching. This comes handy for people who have a lot of responsibilities. For example, it will make more sense if you take as one batch of tasks the signing documents, reading memos, invoicing, etc.
Time blocking and day theming
Day theming is just like task batching but instead of focusing on different tasks, you focus on a general one that you want to achieve for the day. For example, I have Meeting Mondays (a day dedicated for meetings), Writing Wednesdays (today, I am just gonna write, write, write), and Free Friday (anything that will foster my creativity).
Be firm but flexible
These productivity tips are theoretically awesome but it is still up to you if you are going to stick with it. Interruptions are inevitable so choose your battle. Be firm with your calendar while being flexible. Those that can wait, let it wait. Those that need attention hora Mismo, work it.
Where can I do this?
This can be done in a simple excel file. But you may check out Asana, Trello, Smartsheet, Google Calendar, Todoist, to name a few.
There is no secret sauce to staying productive. It’s about the conscious effort to be consistent. Productivity tips will just stay tips until you act on it. Are you ready to start blocking your calendar? If you have any questions or know a good software for content creation calendar or maybe your favorite tool, please let me know.
Comments