Do you struggle with productivity? Many entrepreneurs do. However, the truth is, you are already productive. You just need to take it to the next level through the use of focused work.

This is what Paul Axtell helps people do. On Creating Your Encore Career, I talked with him about this. He also shared an overview of some of the key concepts he teaches in his wonderful class, Foundations for Being Remarkable.

Paul has been a wonderful friend and teacher over the years and I have found his insights to continually be useful. They have dramatically improved my effectiveness both at work and at home.

Build an Empowering Perspective

Paul used to have many limiting interpretations of himself and his skills. We all do the same. We ask questions like, “Who am I to be a successful entrepreneur? Who am I to go and start a business?” 

The answer to all of these questions is simply, “I’ve got something to say. I've got something to bring. I'm good.” Confidence is really sourced by that single sentence. 

On top of this, we can build other empowering perspectives in our lives. This can happen by learning something, being in a great conversation, owning your own business, or other similar activities. All in all, if you're not looking forward to something, find a new perspective. Get a collection of seven to 10 perspectives that you can draw on and remind yourself of when you need a shift. 

Have Effective Conversations

Having effective conversations is one of the best skills you can develop. To do so, firstly, treat conversation like it matters. Secondly, get other people to reveal more about themselves. 

Networking isn’t about talking but about asking great questions. Get people to express themselves to you and then keep the conversation going. A great question to ask people to engage them in effective conversation is, “What is keeping you up at night?”

Take Productivity to the Next Level

If you had three two-hour periods every week where you were diving deep on a task, working on a new presentation, or developing new materials and you had someplace to go where there were no distractions, you could get lost in it. Those three periods a week would drive you forward faster than anything else. 

So ask yourself questions like how can you go deep? How many hours a day can you go deep for? Are you unlearning the notion that multitasking is okay? It's possible to be five times more productive (in terms of accomplishment, not activity) while working fewer hours and being less stressed. 

The key is just to focus.