Achieving more whilst doing less sounds like a contradiction. Yet it’s become the central challenge for leaders everywhere.
The promise of hybrid working was meant to give us back time – less commuting, more flexibility, better work-life balance. Instead? Many leaders find themselves working longer hours than ever, with less time for the work that actually moves the needle forward.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Without intentional productivity strategies, reclaimed time simply gets absorbed into more meetings, more emails, and more busy work that doesn’t produce results.
So how do leaders actually achieve more whilst doing less? Not by working harder or cramming more into already packed schedules. The answer lies in working differently.
Let’s explore practical productivity strategies that create genuine results without the burnout.
Manage Your Energy First
Energy and productivity are intrinsically linked. Whilst we can boost our energy and immune system in various ways, it’s vital to remember that our energy can be depleted. When that happens, we won’t achieve the results we want. In the worst-case scenario, we risk burnout.
The more energy we have, the more productive we’ll be. The obvious productivity strategies include good nutrition, regular exercise, and getting outside. These are sensible foundations to build upon.
However, several less obvious factors might be draining your energy:
When you enjoy what you do, energy seems abundant. Conversely, busy work that doesn’t produce meaningful results drains energy rapidly.
Our brains don’t function well with multiple distractions and constant task-switching. The cognitive cost of context-switching is higher than most leaders realise.
Role alignment matters tremendously. Here’s an uncomfortable question: Do you genuinely enjoy your role? Are you having a difficult week, or is something more fundamental occurring?
If you’re in a position that isn’t right for you, no amount of superfood or time management techniques will solve your productivity challenges. Assuming you’re in a role you find fulfilling, let’s explore practical strategies.
Stop Doing Work Others Can Handle
Many leaders continue performing tasks that someone else in the team could handle competently. Effective delegation represents one of the core leadership skills to develop, yet it remains surprisingly underutilised.
The delegation opportunity exists when:
- Team members have the capability to handle the task
- The task provides valuable development opportunities
- Your time would create greater value elsewhere
- The quality standard can be achieved by others
Effective delegation isn’t just about offloading work. It’s about strategically removing tasks that don’t produce results whilst simultaneously developing team capabilities. This creates a multiplier effect – more time for strategic work combined with a more capable team.
Consider conducting a thorough audit of your activities. Which tasks could be delegated? Which shouldn’t be on your plate at all?
Cut the Busy Work
Many leaders find themselves caught in patterns of busy work that create the illusion of productivity without delivering meaningful results. Reflecting on typical working days reveals numerous opportunities for improvement, particularly regarding distractions and low-value activities.
Perhaps this resonates with your experience?
Common productivity drains include:
- Constant email checking and immediate responses to every notification
- Attending meetings without clear purposes or outcomes
- Detailed administrative tasks that others could handle
- Making micro-decisions that team members could manage with proper guidelines
The productivity strategies that work best often involve systematic elimination of these energy drains rather than trying to do them more efficiently.
Use Parkinson’s Law to Your Advantage
Thousands of time management books populate Amazon. So why do leaders still struggle with productivity? The truth is, most of us resist being constrained by time limits, prioritisation, and calendar management. Yet this is precisely where our freedom lies.
Leaders who plan their time deliberately – often down to the hour – consistently achieve significantly more in less time. The key is systematic planning rather than rigid control.
Parkinson’s Law and Productivity
If you haven’t encountered Parkinson’s Law, it’s worth understanding. From an essay written over fifty years ago for The Economist, this principle remains remarkably relevant:
“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
You’ve likely experienced this truth repeatedly. Have you noticed that in the week before a holiday, you somehow achieve more than you thought possible? The deadline creates focus and efficiency.
The better question becomes: How can I constrain time consistently during my working day?
Practical time management strategies:
- Allocate specific time blocks for tasks and work to those deadlines
- Eliminate distractions completely during focused work periods
- Close email, silence notifications, and signal unavailability
- Experiment with 60, 90, or 120-minute concentrated work sessions
Sending the signal to your brain that you have 60 minutes to complete a report or prepare for a meeting genuinely accelerates the process without compromising quality.
Focus on the 20% That Matters
As leaders, we’re employed to produce results. Applying Pareto’s principle, what are the 20% of activities that generate 80% of your results? If we know that a fifth of our actions produce four-fifths of our outcomes, where should we focus our energy?
A practical productivity strategy
Regularly list your activities in the form of an inventory that you can then categorise. Filing emails or proofreading documents are tasks someone else can handle. However, strategic planning, developing new programmes that directly help clients, or building key relationships – these require your specific expertise and attention.
The most effective leaders ruthlessly focus on activities that directly contribute to results. Everything else has been delegated, automated, or eliminated.
Small Changes, Big Impact
The productivity strategies outlined here work because they address the fundamental relationship between energy, focus, and results. Rather than trying to work harder or longer, they enable you to work more intelligently.
Start with small changes:
- Conduct a week-long activity audit to identify obvious time drains
- Select one delegation opportunity and implement it properly
- Protect one focused work block per week
- Eliminate one category of busy work
These productivity strategies compound over time. Small, consistent improvements create substantial differences in both personal effectiveness and organisational results.
Frequently Asked Questions About Productivity Strategies
Making Productivity Strategies Work for You
Productivity isn’t about working longer hours or cramming more tasks into already packed schedules. It’s about making strategic choices regarding where to focus energy and attention for maximum impact.
The most effective leaders recognise that sustainable productivity comes from developing robust systems, building team capabilities, and maintaining the personal energy necessary for high-quality decision-making. By eliminating low-value activities, delegating effectively, and focusing on genuinely strategic work, leaders can achieve significantly more whilst working less.
Achieving more by doing less isn’t unrealistic. It simply requires different thinking about productivity.
Our brains are remarkable. When we pose the right questions and implement practical productivity strategies consistently, they find solutions we hadn’t considered possible.
Small, consistent improvements compound over time. What productivity strategy will you implement first?