Reviewing Progress to Adjust Productivity Strategies

How do you manage your time, energy, and priorities? The most effective leaders I’ve worked with have a clear process for managing their time and energy. It evolves over time, but they’re intentional about it — and that intentionality is what sets them apart. Why is this such an important element of effective leadership? Leadership often feels like juggling a set of glass balls while someone throws more at you - too many priorities, too little time, and no clear end in sight. This leaves many feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or in reactive mode with a non-stop list of to-dos. Successfully cutting through those (very natural) reactions requires building a disciplined, consistent approach each day, week, month, quarter, and year. This is self-management and the foundation of long-term leadership success. ✘ The Biggest Mistake Leaders Make? Overcomplicating it. With so many tools, books, apps, and methods out there, it’s easy to get stuck chasing the perfect system. The most effective way? The one you'll adopt and actually use. Here's a simple way to start (this is part of my personal process and one I teach to clients too): 1️⃣ Centralize Your Priorities Keep a single, organized list for everything — strategic, tactical, recurrent, time-sensitive, and delegated work. Personally, I use Slack canvas because I travel a lot and it's easily accessible. For quick hit things I don't want to lose sight of, I send myself a Slack message and then add it to the list when I'm at my laptop. 2️⃣ Create a Maintenance Routine Develop daily, weekly, monthly habits to manage your list. Be somewhat obsessive about it to build those habits for the long-term. For example: Friday is "review and adjust" day — review your list, track progress or changes, check-in on delegated work, and clean up the list for the week ahead. Sunday/Monday is "planning" day — review priorities, block time for execution, adjust based on changing deadlines, and identify the 3 most critical items for the week ahead. On a monthly cadence, zoom out to ensure you're on track for your most strategic and critical priorities. Ask yourself: Can I delegate part of this project to make progress and get me closer to the end stage? Do I have time set aside to do real work? Is my calendar aligned with my priorities and values? 3️⃣ Adapt Quarterly Every quarter, zoom out to reflect on your process; ask: what's working? What's not? What's one thing I'll adapt in the next quarter? Rinse, repeat, and enjoy feeling in control and on top of the many demands on your time. And remember: this doesn’t require perfection — just a commitment to consistency and an approach that fits your style. -- Looking for more practical leadership strategies? Subscribe to The Violet View, my monthly newsletter filled with actionable tips. Find the link in my LinkedIn header! #timemanagement #leadershipcoaching #executivecoaching #leadershipsuccess

Last Wednesday, I started sharing the big picture, and now I'm breaking down each piece to make it easier to digest. Today, we’re diving into the importance of reflecting regularly on your progress and how it keeps you on track. 🛤️ 1. Why Reflection Matters When you reflect on your progress, you gain insight into what’s working and what’s not. It allows you to: ☑️Celebrate progress: Take time to appreciate how far you’ve come, even if you’re not at the finish line yet. ☑️Identify roadblocks: Reflection helps you catch where you’re stuck or what’s holding you back, whether in your business or personal life. ☑️Adjust your approach: Sometimes, the path you’re on needs a tweak. Regular check-ins help you pivot early before small issues become bigger problems. 2. How to Reflect Reflection doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some simple ways to implement regular check-ins: ☑️Set a weekly check-in: Pick one day each week to review what went well and what didn’t—this can be done using Notion, Google Sheets, or a simple journal. ☑️Ask yourself key questions: 👉What progress did I make toward my goals this week? 👉What challenges did I face, and how did I handle them? 👉What’s one thing I can improve on for next week? 3. Track Your Business & Personal Progress You don’t have to track only the big milestones—small steps count too! Here’s how: ☑️Business: Track progress toward goals like client acquisition, revenue growth, or marketing strategies. Did you meet your weekly or monthly targets? ☑️Personal: Are you sticking to your routines, like daily meditation or workouts? Reflect on how these personal habits are positively impacting your mental and physical well-being. 4. Use Tools That Work for You Whether it’s a whiteboard, Google Sheets, or even Notion, use a system that allows you to clearly see your progress. You could even set reminders on your phone to prompt reflection, making it a regular habit. 5. Adjust and Move Forward Reflection isn’t just about looking back—it’s about adjusting for the future. Once you’ve identified what’s working and what’s not, refine your approach. Tweak your strategies and routines based on what you’ve learned, and keep pushing forward. Taking time to reflect is like giving yourself a roadmap for where you’re headed next. It keeps you in tune with both your business and personal growth. How do you reflect on your progress? Share your tips in the comments! 👇 #accountingandaccountants #construction #constructionindustry #smallbusiness #business

Want to be more productive? Approach your work week like a science experiment. Every Friday, I set aside 15 minutes to reflect on my week. I use a simple process: 1. I review my timeboxed calendar and note when I did what I said I would do and when I got distracted. 2. I use my distraction tracker to identify what pulled me off course. Was it an internal trigger like boredom? An external trigger like a notification? Or a planning problem? 3. Based on this data, I adjust my strategy. For example, I may need to remove an app from my phone or schedule office hours to reduce interruptions. Treating your productivity as an ongoing, iterative process will help move you closer to the most effective, focused version of yourself.  My weekly newsletter shares other science-backed productivity and focus insights. If you liked this post, you’ll love the newsletter. Subscribe at the link in my bio!

The most important offsite I have every quarter: The one with myself. It’s hard to carve out time for introspection and strategic planning, especially when you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions—but self-awareness is one of the things that’s helped my career growth the most. Here’s the process that works best for me to review my progress and refresh my goals: 1️⃣ Find a quiet space (ideally with a whiteboard or lots of Post-It notes and a wall). 2️⃣ Make sure I have a solid block of interrupted time on my calendar (2+ hours if possible!) 3️⃣ Set my Slack status, OOO message, and put my devices on Do Not Disturb. 4️⃣ Make sure to bring my favorite coffee drink and snacks (North Shore Goodies coconut PB is my new obsession) and a fresh notebook.  5️⃣ I use the 60/60/60 method to review the quarter: ⤷ 60 minutes to reflect on the past 3 months ⤷ 60 minutes to turn my wins into mini-case studies ⤷ 60 minutes to plan out my goals for the next quarter Here’s the “4 Ls” framework that I use to assess my progress. (Steal my template in the comments!) ❤️ Loved: ⤷ What went well this past quarter? (Things I appreciated, enjoyed, or found effective) ⤷ What were 3-5 significant accomplishments from Q1? ⤷ What were the results? (I try to quantify my results where possible!)   🤬 Loathed: ⤷ What made things worse? ⤷ What was missing or needs improvement? (Gaps, resources, etc. that would’ve made Q1 more successful) ⤷ What parts of Q1 did I most struggle with and why?   🙏 Longed for: ⤷ What resources, tools, etc. do I wish I’d had last quarter? ⤷ What would’ve made the work more efficient or enjoyable? (e.g., clearer requirements, more time, etc.) ⤷ What would need to change for me to achieve or get those things?   💡 Learned: ⤷ What new knowledge or skills did I gain or develop? ⤷ What training or learning opportunities did I pursue? ⤷ How did those contribute to my overall professional development? ⤷ If I were to do it all again, what would I do differently next time? Once I have my 4 Ls in place, I’m able to turn my wins from the quarter into mini-case studies (more on that in an upcoming post).  ✨ Bonus: You can use a larger-scale version of this exercise for sprint or project retrospectives with your team. Links in the comments. 👇 Do you set quarterly goals for yourself? I’d love to hear more about your process! *Picture of me prepping my 4Ls template before I head to the library to work. Best secret co-work space in town!