The Critical
Important + Urgent
Crises, imminent deadlines, showstoppers and big business opportunities.
Programme — Personal & Team Productivity
What would a 15% uplift in productivity mean for your organisation?
Many leaders assume complex AI is needed to deliver a 15% performance improvement. Not so. By taking a strategic approach to personal and team productivity, gains of this magnitude are commonplace — and Conor has spent thirty years showing some of the world’s most sophisticated companies how.
“Using the techniques and disciplines covered in the programme, he and his team were 15% more effective across the board.”
The Thinking
Effectiveness first. Efficiency second.
It starts with Peter Drucker — the “grandfather” of American management.
In his famous work, Drucker observed that effectiveness is not about doing things faster or better. That is efficiency. Effectiveness is about “doing the right things” — you cannot be effective doing the wrong things better and faster.
The implication is that we should be strategic about how we spend our time. And that depends on the kind of time your role gives you.
Demand-led roles
Conor spent the early part of his career in manufacturing, where most people worked to the rhythm and cadence of the process. The same is true in restaurants, kitchens and service teams, retail, call centres — even delivering babies. When you are busy, you are busy. There is no choice.
Discretionary time
Very many managers and team leaders, on the other hand, have discretionary time. They decide what to prioritise next. What is the next task? That decision is where productivity is won or lost.
Over thirty years of working with people and teams, Conor has rarely seen anyone with what might be described as a Personal Productivity Plan. The few who have one stand out immediately.
The Matrix
Important versus urgent.
Highly productive people prioritise using the Eisenhower Matrix — popularised by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and also known as the Important–Urgent model. It splits the working day into four areas.
The Noise
Urgent, less important
The unending daily stream we respond to first.
The Escape
Non-urgent, low value
The pretend jobs of mid-afternoon exhaustion.
The Value
Important, non-urgent
The Key Result Areas — where you actually add value.
Because we prioritise urgency over importance and value — we ignore the good stuff until it becomes urgent. That is the essence of the case for a Personal Productivity Plan.
The Plan
From a to-do list to a Daily Plan.
The people who use a Personal Productivity Plan share distinct characteristics.
- Calm, focused and noticeably less stressed
- They think ahead
- They are careful with their time — almost to the point of selfishness
- They know the value of time and invest it well
- They are able to say no
- They get stuff done
Most important of all, they don’t just work to a to-do list — although that in itself is not a bad start. They create a realistic Daily Plan: clear from the outset about what they want to get done today, what will add value and what will contribute to the goal. They create a link between WHAT needs to be done and WHEN they allocate time to do it.
That is the essence of a Personal Productivity Plan: clarity on your role and responsibilities, the ability to prioritise, and execution against a realistic plan.
None of this requires AI. There are tools and applications that help — but tools are not the issue. It is a mindset and behaviour shift: becoming results- and value-driven rather than busy.
The Results
What changes when a team adopts it.
Thirty years of programmes with some of the world’s most sophisticated companies.
Conor shows people and teams how to use the common work applications they already have to instantly become more effective, and helps them build a strategic framework so focus shifts to value-added work. When everyone on a team adopts the approach, the synergy is enormous.
On that foundation the programme layers better meetings, improved delegation and follow-up, improved project management and team accountability.
- Sharper meetings
- Improved delegation and follow-up
- Stronger project management and team accountability
- Lower stress and better work-life balance
- Going home at a reasonable time — to family, loved ones, sport and relaxation — knowing you are on top of the job and getting results
A very senior director of a global software giant reported that, by using the techniques and disciplines covered in the programme, he and his team were 15% more effective across the board.
Just think what that would be worth. What would a 15% uplift mean for your organisation?
Schedule a CallNext Step
Start with a conversation.
Tell Conor what you are trying to achieve and what is getting in the way. You will get an honest view of whether — and how — he can help. No pitch, no jargon.
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