This article is based on Belinda McKeon’s talk at the Developer Marketing Summit in 2023, hosted by our sister community, Developer Marketing Alliance.
I recently read a shocking statistic: 66% of US-based employees feel they have an unhealthy work-life balance. Even more concerning, long working hours have led to 27% of employees feeling depressed, 34% experiencing anxiety, and 58% reporting irritability.
These figures are way too high. To me, they highlight the urgent need for better productivity and time management strategies.
Luckily, as a Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Amazon Web Services with over a decade of experience across IT, media, and retail, I've developed a set of productivity mechanisms that have transformed my approach to work – and I’m going to share them with you today.
These techniques didn't come to me overnight; they've evolved throughout the various roles I've held and companies I've worked for. I've found that they've helped me spend less time in my emails, keep my stakeholders updated, and block out the time I need to focus on my priorities.
While everyone is different, I hope that at least one of these practices will transform your day-to-day work, enhance your productivity, and help you regain your most precious resource: your time.
Here's what we're going to cover:
- Why productivity is important and what it actually means
- How to approach delegation as an individual contributor
- My favorite mechanisms for productivity
By the end of this article, you'll have practical tools to help you be more productive during your working hours, so it doesn't bleed into the time you've set aside to spend with your loved ones or even alone, relaxing. Let's start this journey to transform your workday and achieve a healthier work-life balance.
What is productivity?
First, let's agree that productivity isn't just important – it's downright crucial if we want to balance our work lives and our personal sanity. It's not just about juggling work hours and personal time. It's about finding that sweet spot where you can smash your professional goals and have a life outside of spreadsheets and meetings.
Productivity isn't just about getting things done; it's about doing things that truly matter efficiently and with purpose.
So, what makes up our productivity? Let's break down the three key elements.
Mental energy
Cognitive capacity plays a super important role in productivity. When we're well-rested and emotionally balanced, our minds are sharper, so we can tackle challenges as they come up.
To support this, we need to prioritize sleep and do things that increase our mindfulness. Personally, I can't sit there and do things like meditation and deep breathing – my brain hates that. For me, mindfulness comes from going for a walk, exercising, or cooking a delicious dinner.
Internal motivation
Internal motivation is what keeps you hustling even when no one's watching. A way to increase your internal motivation is to set personal goals and find the "why" that gives you meaning.
I don't think you'd find any kids who grew up thinking, "I want to do B2B marketing for an IT company." But they absolutely do think things like, "I want to help people, bring people together, and make the world a better place."
When I'm growing my developer community and seeing the amazing products and services they create, that's my "why" – my internal motivation.
External motivation
External motivation comes from things like recognition and rewards. These act like personal reinforcement.
If you create your network, whether it's within your business or beyond, for instance at an industry event, and actively engage with them, you can get that feedback and recognition.
When these three elements come together, they create the recipe for productivity. This empowers us to harness our potential and enhances both our professional achievements and our sense of fulfillment.
How to be more productive: The Eisenhower Matrix
Let's jump a bit more into the "how" with the Eisenhower Matrix. This method stems from a quote attributed to Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. He's been quoted as saying, "I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are rarely important, and the important are rarely urgent."
Eisenhower evaluated tasks based on their importance versus unimportance, and urgency versus non-urgency. He placed them into one of four boxes that have come to be known as the Eisenhower Matrix. Tasks are then handled according to which box they're in.
