The magic happens after repeated usage. Once this hack becomes a habit, your ability to focus during the duration of the timer is 10x better. That’s why this tactic is so powerful, it uses conditioning to put you in the zone instantly. And since concentration is half of the productivity battle (the other half is actually starting to work), this tool is an incredibly powerful hack to add to your arsenal.
Each morning you should take the time to prioritize the top three tasks for the day. Be clear with what you write and use more than a three-word description. (Read about other effective ways to prioritize tasks.) For instance, “research hotels” is bad. Instead, use “review and compare prices of hotels x, y, & z.” This will prevent you from drifting to semi-related tasks that don’t actually accomplish anything.
All it takes is one email notification and, before you know it, you’ve wasted 20-30 minutes organizing and responding to multiple emails. What you should do is choose two times a day to do emails. I recommend once before lunch and once more before finishing up your workday, that way it doesn’t accidentally seep into your work time.
For some people saying no is hard, but if you really want to elevate your productivity levels then you can’t let people order you around all the time. For most people, a firm “no, I’m busy right now. I’ll let you know if I’m available later” should suffice. This is about as close to “no” as you’re going to get with your boss, but what’s great is that it keeps a professional air about you as you do it, and it shows your boss that they can’t just drop new tasks on you without hurting another.
It’s inevitable that small tasks will pop-up throughout your day, but you don’t want to waste time contemplating whether or not you should do them. Instead, just ask yourself if you can complete the task in less than two minutes. If the answer is yes, do it. You’ve only lost two minutes of your day. If the answer is no, add the task to your to-do list (below your top three tasks for the day) and take care of it later.
There’s a lot of distracting websites out there that – while entertaining – ruin productivity for each of us. Start using site blockers so that you can work without the constant threat of distracting websites. Just go to Google and type “your browser” and “site blocker,” you’ll easily find a great one to use.
However, everybody is different so it may take some experimentation to find music that helps you focus. A good tool for this is Focus At Will, it uses music scientifically driven to improve your concentration. You could also use general background noise to improve your focus. Coffitivity emulates the chatter of a coffee shop, which has been shown to actually improve focus.
Do you send email updates regularly? Create a template to save some time. The same thing applies if you give presentations or make spreadsheets a lot, find or create a template to work with and it’ll save you a ton in prep time. As an example, I frequently use canned responses in Gmail whenever I get a question/request that I've answered before. This saves me loads of time on a task that can often be a major distraction.
An example is cooking, where you can batch other tasks like scheduling your meals for the week, prepping the ingredients for your meals, and cleaning the dishes. Another example is by batching your “social tasks” together, like emails, text messages, and voice-mails together. Always batch similar tasks together when planning your day, it’ll definitely make your work process flow more smoothly.
What you do at the beginning of the day will dictate the flow for the rest of the day.
The way I see it, you have two options:
The first option will immediately pay off as your remaining tasks will feel easy by comparison. But the second option will help ease you into the work process, lowering the chances of procrastination. Which option sounds better to you? Give both methods a shot and see which works best. Everybody is different, so experimentation is key.
These situations happen time and time again because we don’t bother adding them to our to-do lists, we assume that we’ll remember to it later. This most often occurs with low-level tasks (e.g. get milk, take out the garbage), but if it happens enough then you’ve got a big problem on your hands. Avoid this by simply adding each new task to a to-do list. You don’t even need to think about it, just quickly jot it down and you won’t run the risk of forgetting to “take care of it later.”
If you try and remember everything you need to do, you’re going to end up with a lot of unfinished tasks. Don’t take the risk, write down everything you need to remember. Keeping a pen and pad works just fine, but feel free to use an app on your smartphone to do this. It’s really your preference. Now, another personal preference of mine is to use the Todoist app to keep track of EVERY habit, task, and errand that I have to run.
If you use the internet, then you have passwords to memorize. But if you actually memorize your passwords, then you’re wasting your mental energy on something that can be handled by an internet tool. Download a password manager so that you don’t waste all your time and energy remembering or searching for login passwords.
Before your day starts, whether it’s the first thing in the morning or the night before, create a plan of attack for the day. Start by writing down your tasks that are already scheduled for a specific time, such as your working hours, meetings, doctors’ appointments, etc. Then see how you can effectively fill in the rest of the time. Write each task that you want to get completed into your schedule so there is no question what you’re doing next once something has been completed.
Often, goals seem so far fetched that we procrastinate on even starting them. Maybe you don’t know where to start or the project just feels so overwhelming that you don’t feel like you have the time or energy to put into it. Break down these goals into smaller, more attainable goals that seem more approachable. These tasks should be easy to complete and simple to weave into your schedule.
