For years I have been coaching and training people to help them improve their productivity. While most of my clients have already some basic or even extended knowledge of timemanagement and productivity theories, to others everything I teach them is brand new. Surprisingly, their achievements during coaching or after training is unrelated to their level of knowledge when we start out.
Take the case of Robin, one of the few young adults I have coached over the years, helping him graduating from high school while struggling with ADD. Even though he was still very young and the coping strategies that I offered were all new to him, he made a quick progression during our work together. In Robin’s case it was probably his determination that made him pay attention, despite all the distractions and stress his last year in school brought him. It helped him not only to graduate but also get an A+ on his high school research paper.
On the other hand I have trained seasoned professionals that had familiar with timemanagement strategies for a long time and still couldn’t stop themselves from procrastinating or getting distracted. As one client, a seasoned entrepreneur herself, said: it takes more than knowledge to master such skills. She came to me to finally learn how to do that, after reading books for years and following one course after another. “There’s only so much knowledge you can soak up, at a certain moment you just need to put it into practice. What I need is someone who will help me turn theory into usable techniques.” So that’s what I did, helping her incorporate all that knowledge and turn into something that really worked for her.
Motivation is one thing
One of the key factors to change, they often say, is motivation. And although that is actually true, in the case of the young adult and experienced entrepreneur neither one was more motivated than the other. Both were extremely motivated, and it helped them make a lot of progress while working with me. And sure, it took one a lot longer than the other to really put it all into practice. But I don’t think that motivation that made the difference.
Insight another
The real difference was made by the way they acquired the insights that helped them improve their situations. Manon spent years of reading, building knowledge without finding out how what kept her from being productive and finding the right balance between work and life. She needed help to connect the dots and understand how her traits, skills and professional as well as personal situation were all part of the story. She needed more insight to really make it work.
Robin on the other hand put it to practice right from the start. As I thought him some techniques, he was responsible for testing them and tweaking them so that they would fit his personality and his situation. And he did, fast and successfully.
Conclusion
So it comes down to the ability to adapt to a situation, combine knowledge with insights, see how circumstances and traits both affect your performance. And then, with a little guidance, change them so you can work faster, better and with more satisfaction.