Search Results for: productivity

Productivity Rules & Hacks – Ways To Save Time Vol. 4

Read Vol. 1, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3.

1. Timeboxing

For a certain amount of time (I suggest 50 minutes according to this study) do only the task at hand and nothing else (no phone, no email, no conversations, no Social Media and no leaving the building in case of fire). Nothing.

2. Wear headphones

You don’t have to listen to music, but wearing headphones will discourage possible colleagues, roommates and spouses to interrupt focused work.

3. Batch phone calls

Don’t always be available. Keep your phone on silent by default and return calls and answer messages in batches (e.g. 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening).

Productivity Rules & Hacks – Ways To Save Time Vol. 3

Read Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 here and here.

1. Accept the fact that Your memory sucks

Get everything out of your head, even (and especially) if you are a genius. Write it down in a notebook, put it in your to-do-list app, on a note on your phone, on a post-it, or make a voice memo. It doesn’t matter how, but get it out.

2. Use As few tools as possible

There are new and amazing tools popping up every day, but make sure you pick a few that work for you – and not all of them (my go-to’s are Google Calendar, Google Keep and Any.do). It doesn’t matter what you use. Pen & paper are fine as long as you understand the next rule:

3. Routine beats tools

You need discipline, which means two things in order to stay sane, save yourself hours, prioritize, scrap useless tasks and (mostly) do what matters:
1. Plan your day either the night before or first thing in the morning.
2. Write a short daily log every night to become aware of what you actually spent your time on.

Productivity Rules & Hacks – Ways To Save Time Vol. 2

Read Vol. 1 here.

1. The 5-Minute-Rule

The biggest cure against procrastination is to not set your goal to get a big scary task done but to just work on it for 5 minutes. Most of the time as you enter a flow state you will find yourself to continue well beyond the first 5 minutes and the biggest hurdle – the start – has been taken care of.

2. Seinfeld’s Productivity Chain

If you want to be good at something (and therefore need less time to do it), do it every day. Including on Christmas and your birthday. No exceptions.

3. Tiny Habits

Doing small beneficial actions combined with the 5-Minute-Rule helps you create good habits and routines very quickly.

Productivity Rules & Hacks – Ways To Save Time Vol. 1

Some productivity rules & hacks

1. decide what’s important

In 5 years, 80% of what you are doing today will not turn into anything. Most of what you spent your time on right now is just busywork and has no useful outcome.

2. Prioritize health (food, sleep and exercise)

Taking care of those basics can help you triple your outcome because they increase your focus, motivation and energy levels.

3. The 2-Minute Rule

If you can do something (such as writing a quick email reply or a house chore) in 2 minutes or less, do it now. Planning it for later, remembering it and doing it in the future will longer than taking care of it instantly.

Top 10 Productivity Hacks

  1. Work on something you’re actually passionate about
  2. Work offline as much as you can; disconnect from the internet & remove distractions
  3. Do the difficult/uncomfortable tasks first
  4. Avoid unnecessary work; eliminate or delegate what doesn’t move you toward your goal
  5. Avoid meetings; Meet only when you meet and make it effective
  6. Start work early & work fewer hours
  7. Declutter your workspace and keep it clean; Work on one thing at a time
  8. Simplify information streams, crank through blogs & email
  9. Wake up early (sorry)
  10. Work on your most important task (MIT) before your urgent ones

Source: zenhabits.net