Productivity

The main thing that I believe helps me with my productivity are lists - annual / monthly / weekly / daily (can you tell I love ticking things off lists?) As you already know, I love setting huge goals at the beginning of the year and then steadily working my way through them during the course of the year. Part of the productivity process is not to be busy for the sake of busy-ness; to quote Tim Ferriss, are you inventing things to avoid the important? It's about doing things that are important and have an impact.  Scheduling time for exercise and fun things are just as important.

What I also find quite helpful to get things done, is instead of trying to juggle too many things in one go and testing my multi-tasking skills, is to focus and complete one activity at a time. Completing an activity half way means that firstly, I can't tick it off my 'to do' list, and secondly when I do get around to working on it again, I need to get back into the mindset, which sometimes takes longer to get back into the groove than if I had just invested a bit more time to focus on finishing it.

My colleague recently shared a great article on productivity published on the Business Insider website, here are their tips:

1. Wake up earlier
2. Be on time
3. Take a mid-morning coffee break (I really like this as well as a 15:00 tea break)
4. Make a productivity playlist
5. Keep energy levels up with exercise and sleep
6. Take the first flight out
7. Take a minute to make the bed in the morning
8. Use the "Rapid Planning Method" from Tony Robbins. (he focuses on teaching people "to become obsessed with outcomes instead of activities)
9. Drawing things out on a whiteboard
10. Downloading time-saving apps (personally I love using the 'Todoist' app)
11. Organize your computer desktop.
12. Unplug during the weekend.
13. Use applications to block distracting websites.
14. Get rid of pointless meetings. (YES!)
15. Keep your phone on 'silent' and hide it during work hours. (uhm...easier said than done)
16. Network while you eat. (I really like this, and also really like Steve Job's example of having walking meetings)
17. Listen to TED talks on productivity.

What tips do you have to help with productivity?

Nothing fails like success.

There are a number of podcasts I listen to while driving. One that I recently downloaded was 'The  Robin Sharma's Mastery Sessions.' I'll be honest that I do sometime find it a bit 'preachy', however I'm a fan and have learnt a lot from his practices. As part of his 'Big Lessons to Win at Life', his lesson #2 - Nothing fails like success caught my attention. 

With success, don't become complacent or arrogant. This is an extract from #2:

Success can be so toxic.

As you become more successful, become more humble. As you become more successful, work even harder. As you become more successful, care more about your product. As you become more successful, learn even more...

As you become more successful, be even more punctual. As you become more successful, be even more passionate. As you become older, become even younger.

As he says, it is all about playing the long term game and making a lasting impact; let's not be a one-hit-wonder, let's be legendary.   

Entrepreneurial Leaders to Share their Insight

CAPTION: Luvuyo Rani, entrepreneur and businessman will be one of the inspiring speakers at this year’s Economic Development Conference 2016 hosted by the Rotary districts of Southern Africa, taking place at Kelvin Grove in Cape Town on Saturday, 27 February 2016.

The International Rotary Economic Development Conference 2016 will be taking place at Kelvin Grove in Cape Town on Saturday, 27 February 2016. This dynamic conference will feature a number of engaging speakers who will share successful enterprise development models. Award-winning visionary and entrepreneur Luvuyo Rani from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, will be inspiring delegates with his business story.

Luvuyo Rani, a 2014 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (JCI TOYP) recipient in the category of business, economic, and/or entrepreneurial accomplishment, is the founding director of award winning Silulo Ulutho Technologies, a Cape Town based IT services company. “Our mission is to empower people in emerging communities to become part of the digital movement,” says Rani. “This is done by bringing technology services to them, in their own communities, so that they may use technology to seek employment, learn, grow and connect.

“I had to redevelop the business model a couple of times to find a sustainable solution, both from an economic point of view as well as meeting the technology needs of the emerging communities. It was all good and well to have the technology available; however people did not understand how it worked, so training in technology became a very important focus for us.

“It’s all about finding a win-win solution and finding the perfect business model, something which can get quite disheartening for young entrepreneurs who don’t know where to start looking for solutions or support when things don’t go as planned. Platforms such as this one created by Rotary is incredibly important to find solutions to bridge the gap and provide support structures for entrepreneurs to guide and mould them to successfully build a profitable entity which contributes to the economy of a country,” says Rani.

Rotary District Governor, Geraldine Nicol adds, “A primary goal of the 2016 Rotary Economic Development Conference is to create solution driven projects that can be piloted and implemented after the conference.

“We aim to find sustainable solutions in collaboration with corporate South Africa, leaders of government, civil society and communities, who are keen to identify partners and find long-term solutions for improving economic development.

“We foresee this conference to be a catalyst to maximise the resources in Rotary’s local and International networks, linking solution driven partners operating in effective job-related economic and entrepreneurial enabling activities, with those entering the workplace, especially in small business enterprises,” concludes Nicol.

Some of the other exciting speakers for the day include key note speaker, Clem Sunter, 2015-16 Rotary International President, Ravi Ravindran and TSiBA CEO, Adrienne Miller, to name a few.

To be part of the dialogue, and engage on the economic development discussions, book your seat before 24 February 2016 at: http://www.rotarycapetown2016.com/registration/registration-information

For more information about the Economic Development Conference 2016 visit www.rotarycapetown2016.com or contact June Webber on corpcon@global.co.za  or + 27 82 460-7505.