Six Productivity Tips for CSMs

corinne-kutz-Mi7Y2PWNvcw-unsplash.jpg

Have you ever logged on to start work, then before you know it it’s 3pm and you’ve done nothing that you intended to do? We’ve all been there: Instead of working toward your big-picture goals and projects, you spend the day responding to customer and colleague requests and putting out fires, leaving no room to work toward the important things. When it comes to making the most out of your workday, there are a number of tips that professionals swear by. The trick is to try out different strategies for staying productive and see which one works best for you. 

In this article, we’ll discuss:

  • How to identify the most important daily tasks 

  • Why you need to make time to practice deep work

  • Scrutinize your schedule and learn what’s worth saying no to

  • Why you should include reflection and self-care as part of your day

Identify Your Important Tasks

Before you open your email and take a look at your inbox, take a few uninterrupted moments to think about your big picture goals and which tasks are most important to your job. For some people, it even helps to write down the overarching goals, too, that way they’re right in front of you everyday. Some people prefer to take this step during their first sips of coffee of the day while others prefer to schedule this moment for the last 5 minutes before ending their workday or in their moments right before getting into bed. 

Either way, the easiest way to identify your important tasks is to ask yourself: What are the tasks that, if I accomplish them, will make me feel as if I’ve had a productive day?

Doing this allows you to take a moment to set your own priorities for the day rather than responding to someone else’s priorities. Even if you end up scanning your inbox and finding other demands for your time -- you now at least have had a chance to name your own priorities. Weigh the importance of these new tasks with the tasks you’ve named to determine which items rank highest in terms of importance and use this information to outline your day. 

Approach Deep Work With Care

Firing off emails or scheduling meetings are all tasks that take a short amount of time. They’re usually the attractive things on your to do list, since they require little effort and energy. The hardest tasks are often the biggest ones — the ones that require focus, serious mental energy and a decent chunk of your time. Oftentimes, they go undone because of procrastination or distractions. 

Because of this, it’s important to schedule chunks of time to do these tasks and nothing else. Turn off your notifications, close your email, indicate on your colleague-accessible calendar that you’ll be busy and do nothing but that task for a designated period of time. Start with an hour: sit in your chair and show up for that hour. It may be difficult and boredom may even creep in, but that’s actually a good thing. Fight the urge to distract yourself or respond to requests — it can wait an hour. 

Soon, you’ll soon find yourself chipping away at those looming projects. Play around with your schedule to find the best time of day for you to do this. Eventually, you can make it a daily habit and can let your coworkers know that you’ll simply be unavailable for a certain time every day, freeing yourself up to put in that deep work. 

Take a Hard Look at Your Schedule

Sometimes, simply mapping out the hours in your day can help you be more productive. Seeing all of your tasks laid out in terms of hours in a day helps you realize that you can indeed do it all. However, this means you have to be realistic. Break big tasks into smaller tasks and make an educated guess about how long each will take you, then give it space on your daily calendar. 

One of the biggest inhibitors to productivity is multitasking, so focus on one task at a time. Also, plan for breaks. Scheduling these breaks can be helpful. Time away from your computer can be immensely helpful in terms of productivity. Plan a daily walk or take time to exercise. These kinds of things do wonders on your mental health, reboosting your mental energy so that you're using it most effectively.

At the same time, there’s something to be said about planning for the worst case scenario — even in your approach to your calendar. Make sure that you are also accounting for flexibility and are able to mentally pivot for when unexpected demands for your time arise. For example, if things should go sideways in the morning, regroup during lunch to re-plan out your afternoon. 

Make Self Reflection a Part of Your Day

There’s a reason that some productivity journals ask you the same questions everyday: What went well today? What can you improve on? The often overlooked part about being productive is that it fundamentally requires knowing yourself. That means you need to take time to reflect on both successes and failures to see what things you can consistently implement in your day to be more productive. 

Perhaps you feel better doing your hardest tasks first, or planning for your deep work time first thing in the hour after lunch. Or maybe you’ll realize how much time you’re spending writing emails or doing repetitive tasks. This may reveal that you need to be more clear in your emails, that you need to automate some of your work, or that it is better for you to plan tasks for 50 minute intervals, allowing yourself 10 minutes every hour to check and respond to your email. 

Taking inventory of how much time you’re spending on certain tasks may highlight areas where you could use some improvement. You might find you’re really bad at a specific task or haven’t yet mastered a software. The good news is that this can be fixed through learning opportunities. Though you may view this as “nonproductive time,” taking time to improve your skills stands to make you more efficient in the long run. 

Learn When to Say No

One big hurdle in productivity is overcommitment. If you’ve signed yourself up for too many projects or accepted too many meetings, your day can quickly feel like a sinking ship that you’re helpless to keep afloat. In the same vein as learning more about yourself, over time you will learn which projects are worth putting your name on and which projects suck away your time for little personal and professional fulfillment. This is a great chance to learn to delegate, or to simply practice saying, “I don’t have the capacity to take on/continue this project.” You’re bound to find that doing so will lift a huge weight off of your shoulders and clear up your schedule for the priorities that really matter. 

Take Care of Yourself

This tip is just as much for you as an overall person as it is to you as an effective, productive colleague. Get enough sleep, make sure you’re eating well and drinking lots of water throughout the day. This piece of advice may seem like it’s coming from your mother, but the real-world implications are real. Americans are chronically sleep deprived, with 70 percent of workers admitting to sleeping on the job. Remember that you need energy in order to be productive, so make sure that you’re taking care of yourself.

Dos and Don’ts for Being a Productive CSM

  • DO learn how to do deep work. Remove distractions for a finite amount of time to get the focus-heavy tasks done. 

  • DON’T forget the power of your calendar. Seeing your tasks mapped out in terms of time can do wonders for your productivity. 

  • DO practice reflection. Taking a moment to consider what went well in your day and what threw you off is helpful in making you more productive. 

  • DON’T forget to take care of yourself. You’re the most productive when you’re feeling healthy and well rested.