Generally your day starts with a phone buzzing with notifications. Emails, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and your calendar are all blowing up before you even roll out of bed. Our attention spans are shortening because of the constant onslaught of the information overload. Your value as a marketer is tied to your ability to keep up with all-things-marketing-technology which is becoming harder and harder to do. So how can we improve marketing productivity?
There are plenty of resources. Here are 50 blogs for you to check out from LifeHack. We’ve been seeking out ways to make us more effective and happier with our work. Here are a handful of things that we’ve found helpful.
How to Improve marketing productivity:
1. Don’t check your email so much
Try to limit screen time first thing in the morning and before bed. You’ll sleep better and worry less. Go to the office and get situated. Plan your day and then read your emails.
2. Plan your day
Try out this day planner from Storyline. It was made for getting past writers block, but is a great tool for marketers to improve marketing productivity. This approach to day planning is helpful because it separates the important from the unimportant. It also recognizes that the brain is a muscle that needs breaks.
3. Start with the hard stuff
You’ve planned your day. Now start with the hardest projects first. This may seem like a no-brainer, but everyone likes to do the fun stuff first. Delay the gratification of completing the easy tasks until later, and you’ll feel more accomplished and get more done.
4. Reward yourself
Build time into your day when you can take a moment for yourself. Eat a snack, go chat with a colleague, or just take a deep breath.
5. UNSUBSCRIBE
You signed up for a marketing email three years ago and they email you a ten times a day. You don’t read them; they just cause anxiety because you feel like you can’t keep up. Unsubscribe from things that aren’t practical. You can always go looking for the information you want later.
6. Delete Delete Delete
Delete apps that pester you with notifications or waste your time. I’m talking to you Candy Crush. Consider deleting Facebook from your phone. That will keep you from getting lost in your Facebook feed for an hour. Nothing against Facebook, but your phone should be a machine that serves you.
7. Go for a walk
“Walking meetings” were famously started by Steve Jobs and have become part of the culture of Silicon Valley. Not only is it good for your health, it’s also a great way to get your creative juices flowing.
8. Say “no”
Most people overcommit to things that they don’t enjoy because they feel bad saying no. There’s nothing wrong with saying no. In fact, it’s really healthy to value your time enough to turn down things that you don’t enjoy or take away from other more beneficial activities.
9. Get 1Password
We were spending way too much time trying to remember all of our passwords. We implemented the application 1Password to manage passwords on our computers and phones. It’s super easy to use, secure and allows you to have unique passwords without having to remember them.
10. Stop working
You need to disconnect. The marketing world is “always on” but you can’t be. You need to have hard stops in your day, even if your job demands you be on-call until 9PM. Create a mental timeout from work and stick to it. You won’t always be able to maintain that, but your time off will be much more rewarding. Unless you’re the CEO, you aren’t responsible for the fate of the company. You can leave it alone for a few hours. Work will always be waiting for you on the next business day.
11. Get Inspired (bonus)
What makes you tick? I mean really. You need to have a fulfilling source of energy whether it’s work or a hobby. Ditch the left-brain, right-brain paradigm and embrace the fact that we are all creative. You need an outlet. Taking “you time” will allow you to be more present, effective and happy.
We hope you’ve found these 11 hacks to improve marketing productivity helpful.
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