The Tools That Keep Executives Productive

So, Canberra wrapped up its Productivity Summit in August 2025 where economists and politicians dared to talk taxes, red tape and electric vehicle road use charges. Yet, as important as macro debates on red tape and GST reforms may be, it’s also important to recognise what really reduces productivity for executives day-to-day. The chaos of untamed calendars, scattered priorities, 150 unread emails, pointless meetings, a to-do list that never gets shorter and of course endless distractions. (sound familiar?)

In our lives productivity doesn’t start with the Treasury or tax brackets, (although they are important), it starts when leaders lock down their hours, get ruthlessly organised and stop letting chaos dictate their success. Because if you can’t manage your own time, it’s like mending the fence while your house falls apart.

If you thought, “gee, this is my life at the moment” (I know who you are), then here’s a few options for you to get organised in simple way.

I’ve observed the three most common things that reduce personal productivity in executives are:

Email overload
Not prioritising tasks and decisions
Not having visibility of their workload

Email Overload

Hakan Eriksson is one of Australia’s busiest Board Directors with six directorships in large public companies. He manages his inbox ruthlessly by opening an email once and handling it there and then by dealing with it, delegating it or deleting it. Each evening, he has zero emails in his inbox. If he can do it, why can’t you?

Inbox management is critical not only to productivity, but good leadership, responsiveness and client satisfaction. I’m staggered when I hear executives say they read an email a week after receiving it. Just deal with it! What’s stopping you?

Not prioritising tasks and decisions

Spending too much time on decisions and tasks that aren’t really important is not only a productivity killer, but it can also lead to overall poor performance of your division or business. There are a couple of simple tools that can help you make decisions on what to do now, later or not at all. They are a must to get to the decisions and tasks that actually make a difference. Delegation is key here, but that’s a whole other blog. The tools that work well are:

The Eisenhower Box.

US President Dwight Eisenhower famously stated, “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” This method focuses your attention on the matters that are important and, or urgent and discards those that aren’t. It’s quite ruthless and gives you guidance what to work on.

Covey Matrix

By Stephen R. Covey in his 1989 classic ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Covey borrowed Eisenhower’s urgent/important idea but framed it as a practical decision-making tool to help people live their priorities instead of living by pressure.

Both have similarities, subtle differences and simple quadrant matrixes. The best thing about these tools is that you can use them in a formal way through a spreadsheet or productivity app. You can also use the theory in your head when you are assessing a request, email or task.

Not having visibility of their workload

We have all been in a position when we feel crippled by our workload. Even if you are using a prioritising tool like the Eisenhower or Covey matrix, the sheer workload can be tough to get through. The key here is visibility.

That’s when good management of the good old ‘to-do list’ is imperative. Don’t be led to believe you must pay a subscription for a productivity app (all though I do), you just need a free thing called discipline and a way to manage your workload.

Productivity apps like Click-up, Asana or Monday.com are great as they force your hand to make decisions and plan. They are mobile, paperless and have a heap of features that can help you gain visibility on your workload and be more effective.

If you’re a pen a paper person, I suggest downloading a template or just use a paper diary. (do they still exist?). It doesn’t matter if you are paper or electronic, you need to be disciplined at managing your to-do list otherwise they are a complete waste of time and money.

There are many books and articles on productivity so if you are in the weeds, I suggest doing some research as there are plenty of ways to get back on track and be productive. Alternatively, contact one of the Stoke Consulting team who will help you and your team become more productive and effective.

It makes me wonder if the Productivity Summit ended up with a to-do list?

Stoke Consulting

With Stoke Consulting, you can tap into our decades of real world experience in leading, establishing and developing high-performing teams. Using the latest leadership tools, we can help you ignite your team’s performance.

Contact us today.