Question: What’s the one thing you have in common with billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, or Mark Zuckerberg?
Answer: We all have the same 24 hours in a day.
Every day you decide to get up and go to work, just remember you have the same time as everyone else’s day. The big difference is how you choose to spend that time.
Here are 4 productivity hacks to help maximize your workday.
Prioritize Tasks By What’s Most Important
If you were to get to your desk every morning and write down every single task that you feel needs to get done I’m sure the list will be a mile long. It’s normal for us as humans, to want to bang out as many things on our to-do list as possible. But the question you need to ask yourself, “Is my time best served trying to do 100 things or maybe only doing 3 to 5 big tasks per day?”
Your goal throughout the workday should be to complete the most important 3 to 5 tasks on your list for that given day. The reason I say this, is because if you try to complete every little task that you think is important in a single workday, the quality of your work is going to lack and you’re going to find yourself rushing through things because in your head you’re saying, “I have to get all these things done by the end of day.” The big problem with this mindset is when we rush we are more prone to making mistakes, and potentially missing certain details that could eventually set you back even more in the long-term.
That’s why it’s important that the first thing you do when you get to your desk is write down the 3 to 5 most important tasks for that given day, and focus your time and energy on making sure those tasks are completed the right way.
Not only will you feel more accomplished but it will also free up your calendar so you can spend more time growing the business, spending time with your family or getting that 60-minute workout in that you always complain you “don’t have the time” for.
Learn To Say No
Let’s just be clear, I am not saying that you should say no to everything or everyone. But I am saying that’s it is ok to say no to things that you don’t feel are in your best interest at the present time. If the opportunity is one that will help you grow, learn, and drive your business forward in a positive direction than obviously, you don’t want to turn down those opportunities. But when something arises and doesn’t hit any of those on the checklist, learn to say no. The worst thing you can do is immediately say yes, and then having regret about that decision at a later time.
Schedule Meetings With Yourself
In business, we spend most of our days servicing our clients and working on other people’s agendas. We hardly stop to think, what about our own agenda? Every day even if it’s only for 30 minutes, block out time to meet with you. In order for this to work you need to physically go into your calendar and block off that time and whatever you do don’t cancel these meetings because something else comes up.
These meetings are for you to dedicate time to your own creative endeavors, personal learning, or whatever you feel will help you progress in your own career that you just don’t have the time to do during your day to day.
Know When You’re Not Being Your Most Productive & Have Discipline To Stop
You start to work on some ad copy or completing a proposal for a potential client and for whatever reason nothing seems to be clicking. You get another cup of coffee or Red Bull… and still nothing is working for you. You say to yourself, “I can power through this” when in actuality that’s the worst thing you can do in this situation. The result will lead to more frustration and unproductivity, and that’s when you have to stop what you’re doing and move to something else.
For me, that could be getting up and taking a walk, or exercising. But for you, it could be something different. The goal is to find your thing and keep it in your back pocket in case this situation occurs.
There are really no right or wrong tips for being productive. It’s extremely personal and constantly changes over time. But by focusing on the process and figuring out what helps you maximize your workday, you will quickly start to notice a significant difference in yourself and your business.