Productivity Secrets
Work Less and Accomplish More

Most people would like to be able to get stuff done faster than they do, so they can spend less time working. (and some crazy people want to work the same number of hours but just accomplish more!)

Below are some excellent tips for being super productive. This is what I personally do to speed through my work so I can have more free time to do what I want.

USE this advice. Don’t just read it and say “that’s nice”, then go back to doing whatever pointless busy work you were just doing.

To-Do list Rules to Follow
Never write out your to do list the same day. This starts out the day unproductively. The day before, write out your list on a REAL physical paper - not in wordpad or your pda or anything electronic.

Prioritize Your List:
Put a maximum of 4 high priority items that must be finished that day. Write them in a way that it is absolutely clear which items are high priority. Begin the day by knocking out those priority items, then move on to the others.

Cross Out:
Each time you finish something, grab a bright red or bright blue marker and cross it out. the sense of accomplishment and relieve that comes from seeing that completed will motivate you and give you the momentum to achieve more.

Different To-Do Lists
Sometimes you have too many "to-do's" to fit on one day. Many times, something will pop into your head that needs to get done - but not necessarily right away. This is different from things that you would write on your calendar to do on a certain day.

This is where weekly and daily lists come in handy. Create one list that has everything you want to get done that week. Then cross off and transfer items over to your daily list. Keep a running list of weekly items, every time you think of something new that should be done, write it on the weekly list, then add to the daily list at an appropriate time.

This way don't keep adding things to the daily list and making yourself feel you're not getting anywhere. (once one item is crossed off, something new pops up). That can really kill your motivation and make it harder to fight procrastination.

Multi-tasking is a Myth
When people try to multi-task, most of their time is spent moving from one thing to another. Their focus is completely scattered, it’s hard to concentrate on any one thing, and practically nothing ever gets accomplished.

Focus on one task at a time. Don’t even think about the others until it’s finished.

Stay in Control
In his “Time Management Action Secrets” teleseminar, Alex Mandossian gives a great piece of advice that I regularly follow. He talks about eliminating interruptions.

To do this, you set aside a specific period of time every day where NO interruptions are allowed.

Turn off the volume on the phone, close your email and instant messengers, don’t look at any regular snail mail, don’t check voicemail, and don’t allow any family members or friends to interrupt you. (Determine ahead of time what qualifies as an emergency situation, and don’t let anything else disrupt you.)

Commit to a specific time each day. This makes it easier to enforce, and also helps you develop the habit. By doing it every single day for 3 weeks it will become a natural habit.

It will be difficult at first, of course. But it will become easier after time.

Batch Tasks
Create a daily habit of combining tasks. For instance, take the dog on a walk every day right after lunch. (or you could do it right before lunch…may be a good weight loss plan). Then pick up the newspaper/check the mail as you return home.

If it’s on the way, pass by your outdoor trash can before going back inside, and quickly toss out any junk mail, before it winds up in your “junk drawer”.

When inside, as you walk over to the trash to throw something away, glance around the room to see if anything else can be thrown away.

Get Away From the Office
I personally commit to a minimum of 1 day per week with no work and no email. You need time to refresh and give your mind a break from the stress of work. What's ironic is that less time spent working usually translates into more getting done.

I also recommend dedicating 30 minutes per day to something that can get your mind completely off of work, such as meditating, exercising, playing a video game, or reading a good book. When it comes to games and books, I find things that stimulate your creativity and deeply engage you help the most.

What is Your Time Worth?
How much are you worth? Determine how much your time is worth, and outsource any tasks that have a lesser hourly rate than that.

Improve Your Typing Skills
Obviously being able to type quickly means getting things done faster. This may make a bigger difference in your productivity than you think it will though. All of those extra minutes saved really do add up.

First Things First
Never begin the day by checking email. This is what most people do, and wind up spending hours reading and replying to low priority emails.

Finish your high priority items first, then give yourself a little time to catch up on email, read your favorite blogs and so on.

Never Work an Entire Hour
Work diligently for a solid 50 minutes, then stop for 10 minutes. Stretch, relax, get a drink, eat a snack, etc. Studies show an increase in productivity when a 10 minute break is taken every hour.

Time Limit
Pressure yourself to finish using a countdown timer.

First, estimate how long a task should take, then set the timer for that amount and get to work. (if it's longer than 50 minutes, set it for 50 minutes then take a break. When you come back, set it for however long you think you still need.) As soon as the timer goes off, write a brief note of what you've accomplished during that time.

Telephone Rules
When calling people, get to the point. Don't make small talk, unless the phone call is specifically for that purpose. Tell the person the reason for the call, get whatever information you need, and end the call.

In addition, avoid telephone tag as much as possible. When leaving a message for someone, tell them to call you back at a specific time when you know you'll be available.

Improve Your Reading Ability
Obviously the faster you can read, the more quickly you can get things done. You can either shorten the time it takes to read a book or business document, and spend the extra time doing something else - or double the amount of reading you do in the same amount of time.

Improve Your Typing Skills
Obviously being able to type quickly means getting things done faster. This may make a bigger difference in your productivity than you think it will though. All of those extra minutes saved really do add up.

Don't Remember
Stop trying to remember everything. It just stresses you out, and causes you to waste time trying to remember stuff. Write that "stuff" down, or put it in your chosen electronic device.

Mix It Up
Switch from simple, easy tasks to complex projects, back to simple ones again. This keeps you from draining all your energy by doing one complex project after another. You'll also feel an energy boost by rotating between left brain and right-brain activities.

Know what you do
Keep a time log. Track your entire day, and I guarantee you'll spot time wasters that can be eliminated.

Music
Music has a profound impact your brain waves. Baroque music helps you focus and better retain information. The Focus CD is also very helpful. I listen to it regularly.

Eliminate
Eliminate one half hour television show per day to do other more useful things, like read a book or finish a project.

Just Do It
Great advice from good old Nike. Tell yourself to "just do it". Remind yourself as much as possible. Write it on sticky notes, jot it all over your to do list, put up reminders throughout your home, etc. The more time you spend doing instead of thinking about doing, the more you'll get done.

Trying to change TOO many habits and patterns all at once is just a recipe for disaster.

My suggestion is to take ONE of these tips, implement it for at least a week, then start doing another one.

Make a plan right now to implement one of these before you forget. Doesn’t matter which one.

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