Being productive in today’s hybrid world is a challenge, as we split our time between different working environments. Start the year with a team reset for 2023 for a productive year ahead.
Continuous Improvement
Before moving into 2023, it can be useful to reflect on 2022. Most companies implemented the hybrid model this year so there are lots of learnings. What has been working well? What can be improved? How effective is team communication? Are we all clear on the team priorities?
Take some time together as a team to discuss the best way to: 1) plan, 2) report, 3) present ideas, and 4) communicate issues as people work in different locations. Consider using more collaboration tools to streamline status reporting and save update time in team meetings.
Set Team Priorities for 2023
Then shift the focus to what the team needs to achieve in 2023. Review current goals to identify what is still relevant? What new goals and priorities have emerged? What will be realistic for us to achieve this year?
Practical Goal Setting
An alarming number of goals are not achieved. The main reason is because they are not well defined, or the description is too vague. As a result, it can be hard to work on a goal, particularly during busy days when many urgent operational tasks compete for our time.
The key to this is to break a bigger goal into smaller actions. Then you can make small progress on these actions each week. All actions add up and, if well planned, the goal can be achieved by the deadline.
5 Tips for Team Goals in 2023
To turn a high-level goal into a practical action plan, it helps to work together and ask these 5 questions:
Question 1 – What
What change do we want to make? Be clear and be specific. This will help the team decide the work that needs to be done to achieve the goal.
Question 2 – Why
Why do we want to/have to do this? What is the motivation, what impact will it make? Does this fit our overall vision and purpose?
Question 3 – When
When does this goal need to be achieved? Agree the deadline and then work backwards to set target dates for smaller tasks along the way. This helps the team stay motivated and focused throughout.
Question 4 – Why Not
What are the risks, the stumbling blocks or things that may prevent us succeeding? List anything that got in the way in the past; things to avoid this time.
Question 5 – How
How will we achieve this goal? What actual work needs to be done to make it happen? Discuss the target dates for each action and divide out the tasks amongst the team.
Create an Action Plan
Now you have an action plan. A plan keeps everyone on track and gives the project a greater chance of succeeding. Here is a sample Goal Planner for a small project, available for download from the beproductive.ie website here: https://beproductive.ie/productivity-resources
Be Realistic about Time
And finally, take a realistic view of the team workload and schedule. Where will you find extra time to work on these goals? Plan one goal at a time to avoid overwhelm and then once the team makes progress, people will be motivated to tackle the next.
Develop Your Productivity Skills
At beproductive.ie we recommend that you: 1) tweak these productivity tips to find what works best for you and your business and 2) stretch yourself so you can achieve more.
You can access lots of productivity articles on our website on a range of topics including Tips for Hybrid Working, Managing Email, Reducing Stress, Wellbeing and Saying No.
We help people develop productive working routines and enhance their personal effectiveness through our individual Coaching programme, our group Productivity Workshops and Seminars.
Should you wish to develop new skills and habits in your own time you can book our online Productivity Masterclass. To discuss any of these options, contact our Productivity Consultant Moira Dunne.
Written by Productivity Consultant Moira Dunne, founder and director of beproductive.ie
