JMMB Goal Getter Live Shares the Secrets to Hyper-Productivity

 Most of us wish that we had more hours in the day to get it all done. Whether we are juggling home schooling, work and a side hustle, or simply trying to check off our deliverables from our checklist; ‘the struggle to balance is real’. Getting more done in less time is possible, based on Parkinson's law - this adage says "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." 

During a recent JMMB Goal Getter Live episode, which has been having a successful run over the past few months, moderator and chief marketing officer at JMMB Group, Kerry-Ann Stimpson sat down with Kalilah Reynolds, business editor at Nationwide News Network and entrepreneur, who concurred with Parkinson’s law,  shared practical pointers on how to be hyper-productive. This is where individuals are extremely productive or achieve more tasks than the average output. Reynolds is no stranger to the JMMB live sessions, having previously joined as a presenter, alongside Yaneek Page, to speak on the topic, “Discovering Money Making Opportunities.” 

Speaking during the webinar, broadcast on the company’s social media pages, Kalilah gave some great hacks to getting it all done in a day. While admitting that she is a natural high-energy, ‘go-getter,’ she concedes hyper-productivity can be learnt. Here are some of the hacks she outlined during the online event: 
•    ‘Eat that Frog’: Borrowing the concept from the well-known author and speaker, Brian Tracey, Reynolds outlined that one of the keys to being hyper-productive is to organize your tasks (personal and professional) and to prioritize them. “Focus on the most important things and then do those first…that is, eat that frog.” Using this concept as a metaphor for tackling the most challenging task of your day, the one that you are most likely to procrastinate on, but also likely to have the greatest positive impact on your life/ work; “everything after that will seem super easy.” This approach she outlined requires persons to be intentional about completing the most important task and not to be sidelined by other less impactful tasks, a common one being responding to emails. 

•    Take care of your mind, body and soul: “Maintain your energy through (good) nutrition and exercise, so that you can complete your tasks. Take care of your mental and spiritual well-being (as well).” One great self-care tip that Kalilah recommends is to take short breaks between the completion of tasks, for example, do a few exercise reps, socialize with coworkers or family members, play a quick game or do yoga stretches, these, she said helps to rejuvenate the mind and body. 

•    Set deadlines for yourself: In order to be accountable to yourself and your manager, the journalist and entrepreneur encouraged individuals to be realistic about the time it takes to complete a task and then set deadlines for themselves, in order to maximize the time. “A task without deadlines never gets done.” This habit she said helps to keep you focused, as you work towards completion. If you are uncertain about the timeframe to execute repetitive activities, Reynolds suggests timing yourself, so that you can use this as a measure, going forward. Making these deadlines public or sharing with others, also adds to the motivation of meeting your deadlines, she added.

•    Let your purpose drive you: “Hyper-productive people know their why.” Knowing your purpose in life goes beyond the financial reward, and this helps to keep you motivated and committed, even when you simply do not feel like it. For those persons who are still unsure of their purpose, Kalilah had this word of advice, “find meaning in whatever you are currently doing.” Adding a quote from the late Martin Luther Jnr., “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper."

•    Develop systems and structure: Dispelling the myth that multitasking does not work, Reynolds instead recommended, “pair things that go together or pair mindless and mindful tasks” in order to effectively multitask. Additionally, the ‘mom boss’ admits that one of the systems that she has put in place having tried juggling several tasks throughout the week, is “blocking separate aspects of your life” into related tasks together so that you can use the same energy and skills to complete them. In giving an example, she shared that she organizes her week according to: family and personal time including self-care; entrepreneurship which entails: scripting, proposal writing, follow up calls, production and her full-time job at Nationwide, which sees her doing: news writing and editing, researching, hosting and production meetings. 

•    Delegate: “You don’t have to do everything yourself. It’s ok to ask for support,” acknowledges Kalilah. Delegating in both her personal and professional life, she admits, has been critical for her balancing her life in a healthy way. “When you cancel ego and realize that you can impact the knowledge of other people to help you to be better and grow your company, you are going to experience exponential growth.” In addition, “this frees up your time to do things that only you can do,” while allowing others to learn or improve new skills –a clear win-win, pointed out Kalilah.     

•    Take advantage of technology:  She also credits the use of technology, in the form of apps, for increasing her productivity and efficiency. Her own list of apps include: Google calendar, which she colour codes to manage and categorize her schedule; Evernote, which she uses for note-taking and research gathering; Canva, for basic graphic designing and social media and Adobe Premier Rush, for professional video editing with built-in social media settings. 

•    Do it NOW: As a bonus point, in the ‘final nugget’ segment, she urged persons to take action now; using their creative energy as a driving force to transform ideas into reality. “When you first have an idea that’s when you are the most excited and have the most energy…the longer you sit with this idea the more you start convincing yourself that this is not a good idea and lose the drive.” Therefore, do it now.  

The JMMB Goal Getter Live series of webinars is held on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m., via the company’s social media platforms and seeks to give hope, lend expertise and share solutions that will assist clients and the wider public, to navigate the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, it serves as an avenue to address a cross-section of topical issues - thus underscoring JMMB Group’s commitment to being in its clients’ world.