Google’s productivity expert: The No. 1 skill that gives successful employees a competitive edge

Laura Mae Martin has taught some of the world's brightest engineers and executives how to work smarter.

Martin is Google's executive productivity advisor. It's her job to help employees and C-suite leaders at the tech giant get more done — without burning out. 

When it comes to productivity, she says, the most common problem isn't a missed hack; it's that people try to take on too much work.

The most productive people share one skill that gives them a competitive edge in the workplace, according to Martin: setting specific, concrete priorities instead of vague, indefinite goals.

Goals can feel abstract and "far off," while priorities are more specific and immediate, Martin says, making them easier to tackle. 

The way Martin sees it, a goal could be to get promoted to a managerial position within the next year, while a priority could be to develop leadership skills by volunteering to take on a team project this quarter.

In this case, the priority (leading a team project) is an immediate, strategic action you're taking to achieve a more opaque goal (getting promoted).

Martin suggests choosing three priorities to focus on at a time as "very few of us can focus on 10 large things."

Once you have your priorities, list them somewhere that's visible to you. Write them on a Post-it note and stick it on your laptop or add a recurring reminder to your calendar to encourage yourself to be consistent in following them. 

Martin also suggests communicating about your top three priorities with your teammates and manager, to avoid confusion or conflict.

Of course, other smaller priorities — like cleaning up your email inbox or scheduling a meeting — will arise. Martin encourages people to visualize their tasks like rocks, pebbles and sand in a jar.

It's easier to put the large rocks (big priorities) in the jar first and let other small things fill in the space around them instead of trying to add big rocks to a jar that's already filled to the top with sand (smaller tasks and distractions). 

When anything "urgent" pops up, ask yourself whether these tasks align with your priorities and could benefit your career long-term before getting sidetracked. 

In some cases — like a client emergency or an assignment from your boss — you'll have to shift your focus. But in other cases, declining an unnecessary calendar invite or politely refusing to assist a co-worker on a task can help you stay focused and accountable for the work you already have on your plate.

Part of prioritization is learning how to say "no" more, Martin says.

There's a delicate balance between protecting your time and maintaining positive relationships with your colleagues. Sometimes, you have to be a team player. Other times, you simply have too much on your plate, or the task just doesn't align with your interests or priorities. 

"I am a recovering yes-sayer and found it really hard to say 'no' because I wanted to maintain social capital," says Martin. "But it's worse to overcommit and underdeliver."

The best way to say no is to give a specific reason why you can't do what someone is asking or to start by telling the requester you need to think about it. For example:

"You want your colleagues to feel supported and respected," Martin says. But you also need to protect your priorities, she adds, because "time is a finite resource."

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