5 Productivity Strategies for Marketers

Every year marketers are expected to top their performance from the year before. More leads. More effective sales enablement tools. Better open rates, more page views. And it’s a challenging gig. The stakes are high and sometimes budgets do not increase to match these higher expectations.

But while results are expected to constantly improve, there is one resource that is a critical part of the process that is non-renewable: time. You are expected to do better, achieve more, and you still have just 24 hours in a day.

So how do you get the results you need with this limited resource?

There is a way to use productivity strategies to your advantage so you can reach your goals without clocking 20-hour work days. The key to achieving your marketing goals is not only ingenuity and innovative thinking, it also requires being strategic with your time. Today we’re sharing five productivity strategies that will help you maximize your time and reach your marketing goals.

The key to achieving your marketing goals is not only ingenuity and innovative thinking, it also requires being strategic with your time.

5 Productivity Strategies for Marketers

1. Use the Big Rocks technique. Draft out your goals for the year. Then determine what your goals are for this quarter. These goals should help you reach your annual goals. Then consider what you need to get done this month that will help move the needle toward your quarterly goals. And finally, make a list of the action items you need to take this week to help you reach those monthly goals. These are what matter most: your “Big Rocks” for the week.
2. Schedule each project at a specific time on your calendar. Each day you should have no more than three projects that matter most. Schedule these on your calendar. Protect this time just as you would a meeting with a colleague. Time for these “Big Rocks” projects should be blocked out on your calendar every day.
3. Give your projects time constraints. Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” This means no matter how much time you have to complete a project, the chances are high that you’ll use all the time allotted to you. Be strict with your time. According to Cal Newport in his book Deep Work, setting time limits helps you focus on what really matters. “This approach demands more careful thinking about how you organize your day, leading to more value being produced.” If an expense report usually takes you four hours, schedule it for two and see what happens. Chances are you’ll get it done in two.
4. Schedule blocks of time when the Internet IS allowed. This is another challenging idea from Cal Newport. Rather than constantly having browsers open and hopping off and onto social media throughout the day, restrict your Internet time. This rewires your brain to focus for longer stretches. And you are then forced to use it more strategically when you do get online.
5. Use the Pomodoro Technique. Whip this hack out when you’re feeling unfocused or unmotivated. Work in 25 minute increments with a five minute break in between. Use a physical timer, stopwatch or even the digital version on your smartphone or computer. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work. Don’t check email. Don’t answer a text. Just work for 25 minutes. Then take a five-minute break. Then get back to it. Repeat. This technique helps you get in a rhythm when focus is near impossible. Because you know there is a break in sight, you can focus and be productive.

Productivity and time management really come down to one thing: strategy.

Strategically plan your day. Strategically limit your time on a project. Strategically avoid the Internet and give your attention to the work that really moves the ball down the field.  With clear goals, an organized calendar, and the discipline to protect your time, you will find that you actually do have enough time in the day to reach those marketing goals that once seemed out of reach.