Improving CIO Productivity

In order to improve productivity CIOs should focus on these ten areas:

• Set Goals. Set specific goals with actions and incremental milestones that you can track. Define IT and personal goals in terms that create a clear definition the the desired end-state. Written goals help you establish clarity of purpose and provide accountability. Regularly review them and your progress against them.
  
  
• Focus on What Matters. With the many communications channels and other distractions vying for your attention, staying focused is a constant challenge. Don’t let the urgent, the convenient and the immediate distract you from the important. Stay focused on reaching the milestones that support your goals. Be proactive. Create the habit of working intentionally. Minimize your distractions. Make a “not to-do” list and adhere to it.
  
  
• Set Standards. Don’t mindlessly follow social and cultural norms. Instead, follow your own values. Establish your own principles of operations. Define the few principles by which you will operate your business and your life. Let them guide you instead of following the latest fads and over-hyped products.
  
  
• Say NO. You cannot do everything. You cannot implement every system or soulution requested. Of course you might like to, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Learn to say no. Or if it is truly worthy, learn to use “yes, if …” instead of just “yes.” In other words, put conditions on activities you can influence by adding limitations.
  
  
• Delegate. Just because there are activities that you can’t say no to doesn’t mean you have to be the one that does them. No one is successful on their own. Solicit the help of others. Outsource activities that others can do as well as or better than you. Delegate responsibilities to people that have more bandwidth than you.
  
  
• Be More Productive at What You Do. For those activities you must do yourself, find ways to be as efficient as you can. Your time is your most valuable resource - don’t squander it. Create reusable templates for anything that you do repeatedly. Employ tools and computer applications to automate your tasks as much as possible. Streamline your processes so that there is little wasted time and effort, particularly where there are hand-offs between people.
  
  
• Get Organized. You can’t be your most productive if you’re not organized. Stacks of inbound correspondence mixed with reference material and time sensitive documents aren’t conducive to quick reference and follow-up. Establish a filing system that gives you ready access. Set up a “one-touch” approach to dealing with e-mails, letters, text-messages, bills, reference materials, voice messages and other requests. Utilize the “Do, Delegate, Delete or File” principle.
  
  
• Maintain Your Energy. Being tired robs you of the energy you need to stay productive and focused. Get a good night’s rest of uninterrupted sleep - seven hours, if possible.
  
  
• Don’t Worry. Leave your worries behind. Do what you can to resolve your problems and that is good enough. Worrying and chronic stress are bad for your health and energy level and provide no substantive benefit to you or others. Studies show that 92 percent of what people worry about has already happened, won’t change a thing or is completely unfounded. Channel your energy into more productive uses.
  
  
• Take Time to Smell the Roses. Pretend there isn’t as much availability on your calendar as it affords. Take a break. Carve out some time for reflection.