By Micaela Casas | Published on December 26, 2023 | 3 min. reading time.

Hello to all those passionate readers who enjoy productivity and time management!

Today, we would like to take you on a journey to those fundamental productivity principles which are key to foster a real impact in your work as well as in your life.

First and foremost, we’d like to highlight that tools themselves do not make you more productive. “The camera does not make the picture”, as the idiom says. Having the right tools is just the first step. But what really matters is the set of principles which guide your focus and way of working.

So, let’s plunge into those fundamental principles that will boost your productivity!

Transform your Inputs into Outputs

Productivity is defined as the ability to achieve goals optimizing the given resources.

Resources would include tools like: software, equipment, money, staff, and – most importantly –  time.

The less resources you use, the more productive you will become. However, this principle goes beyond just saving time and money, it involves achieving the desired results effectively.

Look for Balance

Effectiveness and Efficiency are two key terms. Efficiency refers to doing things quickly and cheaply. Effectiveness, on the other hand, refers to doing things correctly. If you want to increase productivity, it’s not about efficiency vs effectiveness but about finding a balance between doing things right and doing them efficiently.

Prioritize your tasks

Oftentimes stress stems from having many unresolved matters in your mind and procrastinating. These unresolved “issues” might generate anxiety. A good rule of thumb is to make a list with tasks and objectives and to reflect on priorities. When writing things down, you get them out of your mind and it’s easier to organize them. This allows you to relieve stress and to keep a clear focus.

Focus

Focus goes hand in hand with productivity. When you concentrate on a task, you can be incredibly productive. On the contrary, multitasking often leads to leaving things unfinished. Steve Jobs, for instance, revolutionized Apple by focusing only on a few high-quality products rather than on a lot of mediocre ones.

Identify Urgent and Important

Learn how you distinguish urgent from important. Urgent matters require an immediate attention whereas important matters are those which relate to your long-term objectives and values. The key is to find a balance between both.

Make it Happen! 

Follow these three steps to make things happen: get stuff out of your mind and systematize them, think of the desired outcome and state the necessary action points.

In brief, by applying these principles to your work as well as to your life you will be able to achieve your goals more effectively. So, it’s not all about buying “Messi’s football” (i.e., the tools). It’s about playing like Messi (applying principles) in your working life!