We are all busy nowadays. I often hear people saying they don’t have time to do this or that. Unfortunately, often the “this and that” are the things they’d love to do. How is it possible then that a small number of people can allocate time to enjoy life, whereas others seem to be chasing their tails when it comes to time management. Don’t we all have 24 hours in a day?
Those busy lives are the reason for a new profession to be created, that of a productivity coach.
What is a productivity coach?
Productivity coach is someone who can help you be more productive in any and every area of your life. The job of the productivity coach is to find out where you’re currently spending your time and help you reclaim some of it. Professional productivity coaches can be costly, but are definitely worth it. If you can’t afford a professional one at the moment, don’t worry. A productivity coach can be someone within your organisation who aims to improve processes and efficiency; or he can a friend who is more organised than you.
Who needs a productivity coach?
The simple answer is everyone. Whether you’re a newbie in this area, or have years of experience, it’s likely that there’s more to be learned. Think about it, when a world-class athlete becomes number one in the world, do they stop training? Do they ditch their coaches, because they’ve made it? No. On the contrary, they train even harder to remain at the top.
If you want the be better at something, you need to work with someone who is better than you in that thing already. That’s how you can gain new insights on how to do things in a more efficient way, as well as what tools and processes you can use to save yourself time.
Interesting fact: Around 1830, the word “coach” was used in the Oxford University as a slang for a tutor who “carries” a student through an exam.
Can I succeed in life without a coach?
Of course you can. It’s likely to take you longer to get where you want to, though. People have the tendency to procrastinate and get sidetracked with other things. I’m no exception for that. I’ve been meaning to write this article for three weeks now. I knew I wanted to do it and I love writing, but I went on holiday to Tenerife, remembered how much I like the Spanish language and started learning Spanish instead. As exciting as those new things can be, it’s important to keep an eye on your main goals. Distractions and temptations will always be present and it’s how you manage them will determine how much time you’ll have for the things that will make you happy in the long run.
How to recognise a great productivity coach
The main characteristic of a great productivity coach is their happiness level. Productivity coaches are masters in managing their time. This means that their stress levels are reduced. They know what they want and how to get it. This allows them to live more fulfilled lives. And as Tony Robbins says: “Success without fulfillment is failure”. If someone says they’d help you get more productive and are stressed most of them time themselves, maybe that person won’t be the best coach for you.
When working with a coach, ideally, you need to catch up with them at least once a month. This means that if the person you are thinking of approaching won’t have the availability, perhaps you should have a backup plan.
A great productivity coach will keep you accountable for commitments you’ve made. That’s his job, to make sure you don’t deviate from the plan; or at least not to an extent that will be detrimental to the final outcome. Unlike friends, who often make excuses for our reduced productivity, the coach will remind us what we need to do and why. The coach will guide you to do the things you have to. This is the way to make progress.
Start by being your own coach
The fact that you’re reading this article means that you’ve recognised you need to up your game. The next step is to take action and learn from the experiences of people. Read books and articles on the topic, try to organise your day using a time/task management tool and see how far you get on your own. Once you are aware of where your time goes, even without a coach, you’ll be able to make improvements.
If you’re wondering where to start, you can have a look at my other productivity articles and especially the one on reducing stress by using lists.
