“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor

Focus is a lot like light. When you turn on an overhead light, the room brightens because the light is diffused; it scatters everywhere equally. There is very little power in diffuse light. However, if you focus light into a tight beam, you get a laser powerful enough to cut through metal. Focus is like a laser, and it is necessary for productivity. 

First, you need to turn a laser-like focus on your top priorities. The Resource How to Use the Pareto Principle for Productivity at Workwill will help you do that. Then, you need to focus on the most important activities that support your priorities. 

One powerful tool that can make you more positively productive is bundling. When you bundle, you set aside time to focus solely on one activity that you usually do throughout the day. 

Filing

Many people file throughout the day, immediately returning documents and folders when they are finished with them. While it is necessary to stay organized, you waste time and effort every time you stop to file something. You will be more productive if you bundle the filing by saving files until a designated time in the day and then do all the filing at one time. 

E-mailing

Most people answer e-mail as soon as it arrives, and for some people, this is their primary job duty. But unless you are paid to answer e-mail when it arrives, stop doing so. Instead, set aside times during the day to open, read, and handle e-mail. If you bundle only this one thing, you will improve your productivity! (See the Taining  Writing and Managing E-mail for more tools to help you.)

Faxing and Copying

Don’t make several trips to the fax or copy machine during the day. As with filing, save the documents to be faxed and copied and do these activities at one time.

Telephones

Believe it or not, you do not have to answer the phone when it rings—unless that’s your job! Use your voice mail message to tell callers when you will be returning calls that day and when the designated time arrives, listen and respond to messages. Bundling phone work is even more productive if you turn off your ringer, so you are not tempted to answer the call.

Social Media

More and more employees are responsible for creating, monitoring, and responding to social media. This, too, is an activity that works best when bundled. Set aside time on your calendar to focus just on this activity for a certain amount of time each day. 

Bundling improves productivity because it requires you to focus totally on the task at hand. This focus helps you work more efficiently and effectively; you deliver a higher quality result faster than if you scatter your focus by dipping in and out of the task.

What activities in your work day could you bundle to become more positively productive?