Being more productive enables accomplishing more in less time, freeing time for additional work, skill-building, or reading.
Most people view productivity as completing eight hours of work in six hours. However, these tips aim for long-term productivity enhancement — achieving one month of work in three weeks, or one year of work in nine months, or even ten years of work in seven years. The focus should be long-term thinking.
1. Managing Your Energy
Managing your energy > Managing your time.
While understanding where time goes matters, the real impact comes from performing most important tasks during peak energy periods.
For example, if high-energy peaks occur in the morning, reserve high-energy tasks then. Assign mid to low-energy tasks toward the end of the day.
2. Focus
When adding tasks to a To Do List, consider: "How much of an impact can this do right now for me and for my team? For the outcome I'm trying to achieve?"
If the answer isn't "A lot" or at least "Quite a bit," the task probably isn't important enough, and focus should shift elsewhere.
3. Daily Themes
Having a daily theme benefits people working on several different projects. Structuring weeks by focusing on only one project daily might seem counterproductive — suggesting you're not doing as much as you can.
However, daily themes increase long-term productivity. Through flow state benefits, they enable faster work delivery across all projects.
4. Your Day Starts the Night Before
Waking with clear daily structure is essential. If you don't know what your day looks like upon waking, productivity likely suffers.
Starting from minute one knowing what to do is crucial. Having a routine and knowing yesterday night what your day looks like matters greatly.
Not planning means using high-energy morning time simply jotting down daily tasks — wasting valuable limited energy that doesn't last long for most people.
