Seizing the opportunities, overcoming the challenges and managing the stresses of business in 2024 will require some rigorous and healthy work practices.
During a recent FMA Micro Business Mentorship event, Krista Crawford provided the 18-company cohort with some intriguing proposals for how to make the best of each workday. Crawford is the Chair of Vistage, a CEO coaching and peer advisory organization.
“Our brains can only focus for about 50 minutes at a time,” Crawford said. “What I tell people – and this is counter intuitive – is that if you want to be more productive, set a timer and every 50 minutes, walk away from your work, walk away from your computer, go stand on your deck, take a walk around the building. Data indicates you will be more productive.”
Business leaders, she said, can further improve their productivity and effectiveness by clearly prioritizing their work tasks, claiming undisturbed time to focus on highly important items, learning to delegate, injecting fun into your workdays and following the “Eat That Frog” practice.
“The idea is if you have to eat frogs every day, then pick the hairiest, biggest frog first because the rest of your day will be better,” she said. “Get your biggest, most important, most urgent thing done first.”
Finally, Crawford urges people to claim an hour or two of “ideation time” every week to consider concepts, developments or possibilities that may not be urgent but may help shape the future of your company.
