If you’re wondering how to make the most of the little time you have, we hear you. So we searched the web high and low to bring you this round-up of our favorite productivity hacks, straight from the experts. Fill up your coffee cup, read on and get set to conquer your week.
1
From Harvard Business Review
GET ENERGIZED BY THE EASY STUFF
If you tend to procrastinate or just feel overwhelmed by the work of the week, zeroing in on simpler tasks first can give you a feeling of accomplishment and a boost to keep going.
“Making progress on work that is meaningful is among the most energizing and satisfying experiences anyone can have. Therefore, it makes sense to engineer your workflow for ease and progress. University of Minnesota professor Theresa Glomb recommends organizing your work for a ‘downhill start.’ Like parking your car on a slope facing downhill, what can you do to set conditions such that you need only lift your foot from the brake to get moving? Clear off your desk before you start a new task? Write down your two top priorities for the next day before leaving in the evening?”
2
From Entrepreneur
LET YOUR BRAIN LEAD THE WAY
Pure Barre founder Carrie Dorr says she organizes her day based on how her brain functions.
“I know what time of day my brain is most creative and during those hours I turn off the electronics and turn on the music. I know when my brain is most operative, and I’m good to handle operations work and answering emails. So I plan my day accordingly.”
3
From Forbes
SAY NO TO MULTITASKING
Multitasking sounds good in theory, but in execution—not so much.
“Learn to single-task. The human brain isn’t wired to multitask. In fact, according to research, multitasking reduces productivity by as much as 40%. This is because toggling between multiple tasks limits your focus, hampers working memory and increase stress and mental fatigue. So boost your productivity by focusing on only one task at a time. You can also use tools like RescueTime or Timeular to make sure that you don't lose sight of time in the process. In addition, avoid over-committing and assess your priorities regularly to prevent burnout.”
Read the whole story—10 Incredibly Easy Ways To Improve Your Productivity—by Noma Nazish for Forbes.
4
From Inc.
JUST SAY NO IN GENERAL
Not every opportunity is going to be a good fit for your business. Having the courage to say no can help keep a clearer vision of your goals and prioritize the tasks it takes to achieve them.
“Learn the power of No. Only allocate your time to the most worthwhile tasks, which help you meet your goals. Sometimes, this may mean saying "No" to new projects, clients, or responsibilities that won't grow you in the direction you want.”
Read more from 8 Essential Productivity Tips for the Busy Entrepreneur, by John DiScala for Inc.
5
From Filtered
TRY TIMEBOXING INSTEAD OF TO-DO LISTS
This tip ranked #1 out of Filtered’s ranked list of 100 productivity hacks. The premise is as simple as moving your to-do list to a calendar, allotting actual times to complete the tasks instead of being overwhelmed by choice on a long to-do list with no context of deadline for each item. “Time-boxing will improve your life. At the core it’s simple: assign a fixed period of time to a task, schedule it and stick to it. It works because it touches on so many aspects of behaviour: single-tasking and focus to achieve more and feel less stressed, prioritising work to observe deadlines, frequent feelings of accomplishment, and being transparent so people can see what you’re doing and help. The tricky bit is chunking the tasks and estimating how long they’ll take, but this skill improves rapidly with practice. Key to this is time-boxing into a shared calendar and taking commutes, meetings, and other commitments into account.”
Read Filtered’s definitive guide to the 100 most useful productivity tips
YOUR TURN
Which productivity hacks work best for you? Which ones come up short? Share your tips, tricks or gripes with our seller community in the comment section below.