When you have a productive day it seems to fly by and you accomplish everything that you set out to. When several days like this are strung together it helps you make gains in your business that are highly beneficial.
So, what can you do if you aren’t as productive as you would like? There are many little tips and tricks that you can experiment with, as highlighted below, that all can directly contribute to creating a more productive day. Consider trying some of the suggestions below and seeing how they impact and alter your productivity.
Use the Mark Twain analogy.
“I love the Mark Twain analogy brought back to business light by Brian Tracy. Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worse things that is going to happen to you all day.” — Shawn Freeman, Founder and CEO of TWT Group
Take extended breaks.
“I get to work shortly after waking up early. It seems early morning can be a very productive time. In addition, I try to take some extended breaks throughout the day — so getting away from it for an hour or two — seems to make the work spurts more effective.” — Shawn Schulze of HomeArea.com
Wake up early and start your day.
“Wake up early every day and dedicate a couple hours to getting as many tasks done as possible before you are faced with possible distractions. Early mornings that are distraction free are a great opportunity to catch up on emails and other little busy work that will help you get ahead.” — Christopher Dziak, CEO of Pure Nootropics
Make your goals realistic and achievable.
“You have to have realistic goals. You could be highly productive but if you expect to get more done than humanly possible it’s going to cause a backlog of work and crushed expectations. Set reasonable goals that you can 100% accomplish in a day.” — Bill Auer, Founder of Tampa Bay Air Charter
Prioritize sleep at night.
“Get enough sleep every night. This is something that many people fail to do. We hear everyone talking about working crazy hours and nonstop, but if you don’t get the proper rest every night you become sluggish and your productivity suffers greatly. Everyone is different in terms of how much sleep.” — Jim Epton of Dom Huga Ltd
Have a game plan each day.
“Go into the day with a game plan. Have a few small goals that you want to achieve and finish them first. It is amazing how that snowballs into accomplishing more. Instead of spending the whole day on one big thing, you knock out several little things and part of the big one.“ — Sean Christman, Founder of Slamdot
Make to-do lists.
“I make to-do lists for everything. When I am able to see everything I need to accomplish in the day mapped out I can visualize it and create a plan in my head to make sure it all gets handled. It’s hard to be productive if you can’t see the whole picture at once.” — Ari Evans of AAA Handbags
Complete a project before starting a new one.
“Don’t start another project until you are done with the first one you started. If you need to do an RFP response and you know it will take 3 hours to complete do it all at once. Starting little projects in between will set you back more than you know, and nothing will ever truly get done.” — Ben Walker, Founder of Transcription Outsourcing, LLC
Early morning physical activity.
“Do something physical first thing in the morning to get your blood flowing. This could be anything from an intense workout, to a morning swim, or just a walk around the block with your morning coffee. This is a great way to get your body geared up for a productive day.” — Tom Munroe, CEO of RugStudi
Get plenty of rest.
“Sleep. Stay on a schedule. Tackle the tough things first and prioritize everything else. Start the day with a list of what you need to get through and stick with this throughout the day regardless of what may come up.” — Marc Webb, Founder of Real PDL Help
Let your productivity level influence when you work.
“If you stop being productive, stop working. Make that time productive by taking time to refuel. Get back to work when you can get stuff done instead of just putting in hours.” — Matthew Kolb of All High Schools
Bounce right out of bed in the morning.
“Don’t lay in bed in the morning when you wake up. Get in the habit of getting up right away and jumping right into a routine. If you wake up with high intensity you can carry that momentum with you throughout the day. The last thing you want to do is start your day being lazy and sluggish.” — Andrew Tran, Founder of Therapy
Plan the night before.
“Plan out your day the night before. Take 30 minutes before the end of the day to prioritize your plans and tasks. That will help clear your head so you can focus on winding down and de-stressing from the day’s activities so you’re fresh to attack the day in the morning.” — Joseph W. Belluck of Belluck & Fox, LLP
