Thank you for joining me for the second half of the Top 20 Productivity Hacks. Do you know if you save one hour per day that adds up to seven in a week and thirty in a month and over three hundred and sixty hours per year, which equals nine, forty-hour work weeks?
This concept of creating one hour of time can change your life. Just think of what you could do if you had one extra hour per day to use in your life?
It’s about setting priorities and taking charge of our willpower. It means changing habits and behaviors that cause us to waste time. Last week, we took a look at hacks #1-10. Today we continue with 11-20.
11. Start with Put-Offs
Do your least favorite tasks first whenever possible. It is easier to knock these items off your list first so you can have a more pleasant and productive day.
12. Set Your Week For Success
Plan out your week. Here at Ascend, we use a document called “My Weekly Planner.” You celebrate your wins by recording your top 3 accomplishments from the prior week at the top. You write down your top 3 projects for the upcoming week in the second area. These are the important tasks that you must complete no matter what. You then have a section to remind yourself of the positive actions you should do for others.
Another part of the document breaks down those top 3 projects for the week into bite-sized chunks.
13. Plan your Days
Once you have scheduled your priorities for the week, it is much easier to break those projects into bite-sized chunks and assign the smaller tasks throughout the week. At Ascend we use a document called “My Daily Dashboard” to break down the activities for the day. These may include who we need to reach out to or any follow-ups we need to make.
14. Turn your Notifications off
We have alerts for everything, but it is impossible to stay in your zone when you are constantly stopping to check emails, posts, tweets, etc. You will become more productive if you silence your alerts.
15. Just Say “No”
If you are a people pleaser, it may be easy to take on more than you can handle. This will only end up disappointing others, which is what you were trying to avoid to begin with. When you can’t deliver on your promises, it is best to be upfront and say “no” as needed.
16. Take One Step at a Time
Increase your productivity by working on one task at a time until it is completed. You will be more focused when you are not trying to bounce from one item to another.
17. Be Aware of Your Time
Keep track of how long you spend on various projects. You may be surprised by how long it takes you to complete certain tasks. Time tracking can be helpful in decreasing the time consumed on individual items on your schedule.
18. Stay Realistic
Don’t overwhelm yourself by setting unrealistic deadlines. If you are not in charge of setting the deadlines, set your own a few days before it is due to make sure you do not have to rush through it and produce poor-quality work.
19. Schedule Breaks
It is okay to take breaks when you need them, in fact, you should take small breaks to stretch and move around about every 60 to 90 minutes to increase your focus, blood flow, and get you back on track.
20. Keep Your List Top-Of-Mind
Put your planner/to-do list where you can see it. Use a pen to check completed items off your list. It has been shown that it’s more satisfying to your brain’s dopamine levels when you physically check things off your to-do list.
Just by making some minor changes in your habits and behaviors, you can seriously increase your productivity. Remember, taking charge of your productivity decreases your stress levels.
Download the free worksheets, which include the 20 hacks, Daily Dashboard, My Weekly Plan worksheets, and a door sign to keep out distractions here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16q5dAUzzkCA8cCiIPOevnUmx9PzxeV69?usp=sharing
My purpose is to help business owners succeed in business and life. If you find value in this article please share it with your business associates because time is your most valuable resource.
Make it a GREAT Day!