The Daily Plod - Productivity and Business Management for Not for Profits

Have ever spent hours tweaking something which was already at a very good standard? Upon reflection was your extra effort and time worth it?  More often than not the pursuit of perfection is the enemy of productivity.  At some stage the extra effort returns smaller and smaller benefits.  Instead of chasing perfection, let's chase efficiency.  Law of Diminishing Returns: Perfection v Productivity The Law of Diminishing Returns means that the more time, effort, or resources you keep putting into something, the less extra benefit you get back.  Have you ever tried to pour concrete? From my experience, the more you try to make it perfectly smooth the worse it gets.  Or, If you spend one hour preparing for a presentation, the quality improves a lot. If you spend two hours, it gets even better. But if you spend ten hours obsessing over small details, the improvement is so small and does not actually change the nature of the presentation.  How to overcome the...

  What is the Sunk Cost Fallacy  The sunk cost fallacy occurs when an individual continues an endeavor solely because they’ve already invested resources—such as time, money, or energy—even though abandoning it would be the more rational and efficient choice. Why do we fall into the Sunk Cost Fallacy Trap?  We fall into the sunk cost fallacy because our decisions are driven more by emotion than logic. Fear of Loss: We are more scared of losses, than potential gains of walking away.  Failure: It is hard to admit that we might have failed. We might not want to face the fact that we were unwise previously.  Optimism Bias:  We become overly optimistic that things might turn around.  Emotional Attachment: The more effort we invest into something, the more we become emotionally attached. Famous Examples Sunk Cost Fallacy Concorde Project The most famous example of a sunk cost was the Concorde Project. The Concorde was a joint project by the British and French...

  In a world where we can easily have 100 items on our ever growing to-do-list, it is easy for decision fatigue and burnout to occur. This method provides clarity and helps focus on the items the truly matter.  What is the Big 3 Method: The Big 3 method is simplistic in its approach - each day pick the three most important tasks (your "Big 3") that will make the most impact if completed.  These tasks take priority and once completed you can then turn your attention to less important tasks ("secondary") tasks.  “Instead of making just a millimeter of progress in a million directions, he began to generate tremendous momentum towards accomplishing the things that were truly vital.” - From the book  Essentialism by Greg McKeown. "Before trying to get more of everything done, get the most important things done first."  - Mark Horstman, The Effective Manager   Why This Works: 1. It is simple and easy to implement.  2. It provides clarity and focus - you...

    How to be an Effective Email Communicator BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)  The BLUF method (Bottom Line Up Front) is a communication style that delivers the most critical information at the start of an email or message. It's particularly effective for busy professionals and decision-makers who need quick access to the main point. The core idea of BLUF is to take what would usually be the last line of email, this usually being the main point or request and move it to the first line. Any supporting information then follows after, providing context, background information and reasoning.  Benefits of BLUF: Saves time: Readers quickly grasp the message without wading through details. Improves clarity: Reduces misunderstandings by highlighting key points upfront. Enhances decision-making: Provides actionable insights immediately. Professionalism: Demonstrates respect for the recipient's time and a structured approach to communication. Verbs in Subject Lines Subject lines a...

  Is it possible to process your inbox to zero everyday? Yes it is. This will the first in a serious of two blogs on how to increase your productivity and have a zero inbox at the end of each day. How to Process Your Daily Emails like a Boss  Before you even proceed with implementing the below processes, the absolute golden rule is your inbox is NOT A TO-DO LIST.  Three Block Method Emails should only be checked three times a day, in 30 minutes scheduled blocks’. These times should be in the morning, midday and end of the day. The specific time you check your email is not important, as long as the scheduled blocks are spaced evenly throughout the day. I know what you are thinking, 1.5hr a day for email, that is too much time! But the inefficiency of checking your email throughout the day is even worse. Furthermore, if you actually tracked the time spent checking emails this would be greater than 1.5hrs per day. As you get acquainted with this method of processing emails,...