Productivity isn’t just about managing time—it’s about mastering three key areas: time, focus, and energy. When these elements are aligned, productivity becomes more intentional and impactful.
Time Management | Cutting Out Time Wasters
Time wasters are activities or habits that consume time without adding meaningful value or advancing your goals.
1. Unproductive Meetings
I often hear people say, “I don’t have time to work because I’m in meetings all day.” I’ve been there. Meetings are important, but many aren’t productive. We waste time due to:
✔No clear purpose – Discussions that could have been an email or lack a defined objective.
✔Poor preparation – Missing key data, making decisions impossible.
✔The wrong audience – Discussions without decision-makers or debates over settled matters.
✔Too much detail – Unnecessary deep dives into irrelevant data or background that slow down discussions and derail the focus.
💡 Before attending a meeting, ask:
✔ Does it have a clear purpose?
✔ Can this be handled via email or a quick chat?
✔ Are the right people attending?
✔ Do I really need to be there? If you’re not influencing the decision, making the decision, or learning something, reconsider attending.
✔ Is everyone prepared to achieve the meeting’s objective?
✔ Is the duration based on necessity, not just availability? A well-prepared topic rarely needs more than 30 minutes, unless it’s a brainstorming session, workshop, training, or coaching.
2. Overwhelming Documents
More pages don’t mean better insights. Lengthy documents waste time for both the writer and the reader. If I can’t summarize the key problem, insights, and recommendations in one page, I probably haven’t thought it through enough.
💡 Before submitting a document, ask:
✔ Can this be simplified and made more concise?
✔ Does it focus only on data and insights that drive action or decision?
✔ Have unnecessary details that don’t impact the outcome been removed?
3. Unnecessary Emails
When I was a new hire, I used to copy my manager on every email. Sometimes, it was because I wasn’t confident in my work and wanted them to check it. Other times, I just wanted to show I was working late. And sometimes, I just figured they might find the information useful. Now, I see how unnecessary that was.
Every day, we receive emails that don’t require our attention or action. Even if it only takes 10 seconds to skim one, the time adds up quickly. In just one week, I used to waste 42 minutes on unnecessary emails.
💡 Before hitting send, ask:
✔ Is my purpose and expected action clear?
✔ Am I providing relevant, useful information?
✔ Am I sending this to the right person?
✔ Is my message concise and to the point?
Meetings, emails, reports—communication likely takes up 50-80% of your day. Since communication involves others, inefficiency doesn’t just waste your time—it wastes theirs too. Keeping it intentional not only shows respect for everyone’s time but also creates space for more meaningful work and collaboration.
Adopting Time Savers
To be more effective, adopt time-saving habits like routine, templates and automation.
✔ Routine: I believe in the power of routine. It simplifies decision-making and streamlines daily tasks by eliminating the need to constantly choose what to work on or when. A structured routine frees up mental energy, saves time, and ensures that similar activities are grouped together—reducing the inefficiencies of switching between tasks.
✔ Templates & Frameworks: Having a clear structure helps organize your thoughts, provides a solid starting point, and directs your focus toward where more effort is needed.
✔ Automation: Automate repetitive tasks like email filtering, data collection, and updates to increase efficiency and reduce manual workload.
The first step to better productivity is freeing up capacity. Once you eliminate time wasters, you can redirect time and energy toward high-value work.
Focus Management | Allocating Time to the Right Work
Even if you have all the time in the world, if you focus on the wrong things, your effort won’t translate into results. Hard work doesn’t always mean great results. Some days, we work tirelessly but achieve little of real value. That’s why productivity isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters most.
💡 Think before doing. Ask yourself:
✔ Is this task truly necessary?
✔ Is it driving real results? Am I focusing on output and impact vs. just input?
✔ Is there a simpler, faster way to achieve the same goal?
By asking these questions, you can trim your to-do list and prioritize the work that truly matters. Once you have your priorities set, schedule the right time for each task and block it in your calendar. Whether it’s Outlook Calendar, or Post-its, visualizing your tasks helps connect your efforts with results.
Energy Management | Increasing the Quality of Time
Most people try to be more productive by working longer hours. But here’s the truth: time is fixed, energy is not. To sustain high performance, you don’t necessarily need more hours—you need better energy management.
💡 Optimize your energy by:
✔ Aligning tasks with energy peaks – Some hours are high-energy, some aren’t. Schedule deep work during peak focus times and lighter tasks when energy dips.
✔ Finding personal energy boosters – Everyone has their own way of recharging—whether it’s a quick coffee chat, a piece of chocolate, a short walk, or listening to music. Others find energy in hobbies or enjoying a good meal. The key is knowing what truly refreshes us and making time for it intentionally throughout the day.
✔ Doing what you love – If work drains you every single day, it might be a sign you’re in the wrong place. Passion fuels energy. When you love what you do, productivity comes naturally.
Productivity Is a System, Not a Hack
Real productivity comes from how we manage our time, focus, and energy. When we block out distractions, focus on what’s important, and use our energy wisely, we don’t just get things done faster—we make room for bigger ideas, stronger connections, and better results. The key is to ask questions and think before we act. This simple approach can make a big difference.