15 Daily Habits Highly Successful People Have (and the Rest of us Probably
Don’t)
Tips for getting more done and improving the your daily productivity.
Inc.|
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Christina DesMarais
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The people who achieve the most in life don't conduct themselves like everyone
else. They're disciplined, figure out which routines help them succeed and
religiously stick to those daily habits. Here are a few you may have never
considered.
1. Do your to-do list in the order of importance, not when it was written.
"I always have a to-do list of 20 things. However, more than 50 percent of the
things on my list never get done. All the time more important things will pop up
and my time is better spent dealing with that thing than anything else on the list. I
felt guilty in the past that I wouldn't finish things on my to-do list and instead was
always adding new things to it. However, now I call my to-do list my 'queue' and I
am always very strict of always allowing important things that pop up to be added
to the top of my queue so that I get it done first. This means that a lot of things
don't get done, but what I have realized is that most of the time if something
doesn't become important enough to deal with now, it's probably not worth doing
anyways. Having a queue system like this sounds like chaos and prohibitive of
getting everything done, but I've found that letting the unimportant tasks die to
more important tasks that pop up is critical to a fast-growing startup and getting the
right things done."
—Brooks Powell, founder and CEO of Thrive+, a supplement designed to alleviate
the negative effects of alcohol, most recently seen on the season finale of ABC's
Shark Tank
2. Put your body and soul first.
"I have a very strong boundary around my morning routine, and it has nothing
directly to do with business. I wake up peacefully to soft music. I then go turn on
my sauna and I have thirty minutes before it is hot. I spend this time doing a
biblical devotion and watching motivational things like sermons, TED talks and
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YouTube motivational videos. I do not check emails or expose myself to any social
media or news. In the sauna, I use my product and stretch to prepare myself for a
workout. Then I train for 45 minutes and wrap up back in the sauna for blasting or
meditation. I do this whether I have slept good or not, I have a hang over, I have a
busy day, an early flight or whatever the day requires. I have found that if I don't
practice self-care of my body and my soul, I am not running my business from the
proper energy or space. Having proper head space is the most important factor to
being successful. I have found that if I don't hold my self-accountable to a hard
core boundary of doing this first, it becomes last."
—Ashley Black, bestselling author of "The Cellulite Myth" and inventor of the
FasciaBlaster
3. Communicate constantly.
"We're all struggling with information overload these days. I find the best way to
deal with it is to process information quickly and dispense with as much of it as
you can. I read articles, digest the information, and then toss the magazine or close
the screen. If I keep coming back to it, it muddies up other unrelated topics.
Likewise, I Slack, text or email the second I'm thinking about something I need to
communicate to someone else so I don't risk that thought getting caught in the web
of all of the other information I'm trying to process."
—Sara Snow, CMO of Bambino, a membership babysitting app recently featured
by Gwyneth Paltrow on her lifestyle website Goop, as well as an Emmy-award
winning TV producer, news anchor and TV host, public speaker, and media
contributor
4. Tune out distractions.
"Every day, I dedicate a period of about 30 to 60 minutes when I turn off all
electronics, and most of the time this aligns with my daily exercise. This daily
digital detox allows my mind to wander to what really matters, eliminating any
distractions from others. I use this time to check in with myself, set personal
priorities and focus on important issues for both myself and my business. I've
found that these small breaks give me a sense of peace and help me better navigate
everyday business decisions."
—John H. Stevens, M.D., president and chief executive officer of HeartFlow, a
medical technology company that recently secured over $240 million in Series E
financing
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5. Wake up and exercise.
"I make sure not to look at my phone or email before I start so my mind is
completely clear. That gives me an uninterrupted hour when I can center myself
and think about what I want to accomplish that day. I usually spend my exercise
time focused on the things that I don't always get to think about when I'm really
busy at in the office. Working out for that hour gets my body and mind going. I
feel like my brain works 40 percent faster and I'm so much more productive when I
exercise in the morning. I'm energized and ready to conquer for the day ahead."
—Jon Ziglar, CEO of Parkmobile, a parking app in the U.S. which recently
partnered with BMW and lets users pay for parking, reserve parking and find realtime parking availability
6. Do the boring stuff uncommonly well.
"I am a firm believer of picking all of the low-hanging fruit first. If you can line up
all of the mundane tasks in your day-to-day life, everything else just has to fall in
place. Whether it is making your bed daily, or sending out a thank you note to a
return customer, when you do the boring stuff uncommonly well you'll be head and
shoulders above your competition."
—Jake Crandall, founder and owner of Oklahoma-based Okie CrossFit and Okie
CrossFit Tahlequah who once weighed 300 pounds and has since helped 13 people
lose more than 100 pounds and over 100 people lose more than 50 pounds
7. Empty your brain.
"Over the last two years, I've developed a habit where I spend an hour every Friday
doing a brain dump. I get anything that's on my mind out on paper. Work stuff,
personal stuff, board stuff, book stuff, things I need to delegate or follow up on,
things I've thought about but didn't have time to get down yet--everything. Once
it's all on paper, I prioritize urgent tasks for first thing Monday morning (I don't
take meetings or calls on Mondays), and give myself deadlines for other tasks that
are due throughout the following week, or even month. I've found that this allows
me to go into the weekend with a clear head because, often, in my experience, the
anxiety I feel doesn't come from not getting something done, it comes from not
knowing what I should be doing next. This process alleviates that unknowing and
allows me to actually enjoy my weekend."
—Nathan Ryan, cofounder and CEO of Blue Sky Partners, a consultancy that helps
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companies put systems in place so they can scale, and former CEO of an
international digital agency which helped startups become acquired by major
corporations such as Verizon and Red Bull
8. Listen.
"When I walk into the office every morning, I ask myself, 'Are we doing enough?
What more can we do to create the best employee experience possible and
empower people to build technology they're passionate about?' Early on I listened
to Jacob Morgan, who said, 'If you were to bottle up your employee experience
into a pill form, would you take it? If the answer is no, how can you expect your
employees to?' Culture is a side effect you feel because of the place you work. To
attract and keep the best talent means giving them a good experience. I strongly
agree with something Steve Jobs once said--to hire people to tell us what to do, not
the other way around. When we started Arity, it was important to me that we solicit
feedback from our employees and implement ideas they have that can make our
products, our teams, our company, ourselves better. Every day I look for
opportunities to engage with the team to build trust amongst and support our
people to accomplish our mission together."
—Gary Hallgren, president of Arity, a mobility insights and solutions company
born from Allstate which collects driving data at a rate of nearly a billion miles
per month to make transportation more efficient
9. Give your eyes a rest.
"If you can't see well, you can't work well. Stay productive by giving your eyes a
break throughout the day so they aren't strained from focusing on your computer
screen all day.
—Drew Smith, director of North America channels for Transitions Optical,
manufacturer of photochromic transitions lenses worn by over 70 million people
worldwide
10. Get out of the office.
"Talking to customers face to face, meeting with industry experts and learning
from folks outside of your immediate sphere are all great ways to expand your
perspective and increase your knowledge base. And, these activities are only
possible by getting out of the office. You can't learn everything sitting at your
desk. But you can definitely learn more by leaving it from time to time."
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—Alex Maleki, VP of business development at tech incubator Idealab which has
created more than 150 companies with more than 45 IPOs and acquisitions
11. Feed your mind.
"A most important habit of success is the monitoring of daily nutrition. But by that,
I am not talking about what successful people eat or drink. I am talking about what
they feed themselves through what they, read, what they listen to, who they talk to
and what they watch. In every day, the truly great ones I have had the chance to
work with use a piece of that day to feed themselves something that will give them
an inspirational advantage over those they're competing against. Whether it is
looking for inspirational quotes, watching videos of people offering lessons on
excellence, or reading a chapter in a book that will help them in their journey, there
is a piece of every day that is committed to growth."
—Don Yaeger, award-winning motivational speaker and an 11-time New York
Times Bestselling Author who has written extensively on what makes great teams
great and coaches top businesses on improving team culture
12. Own your schedule.
"When it comes to planning your day, most people react to what others ask of them
which results in a loss of control. I've adopted a set schedule that allows for
important activities to occur yet prevents interference of my priorities. My
schedule includes activities which are important to me placed throughout the day.
As an example, I perform my morning routine daily without interruption. This
routine includes time for meditation, exercise, reading, naming three things that I'm
thankful for and determining the day's big win. There are a million competing
priorities when you have your own company, so it's important to specify which one
you'll focus on achieving daily and prioritize accordingly. Finding a way to have a
win each day is a great way to keep your spirits high during the inevitable struggle
that is startup life."
—Matthew Tillman, founder and CEO of Haven, Inc., a software company that
builds technology to streamline global trade which is processing more than
100,000 containers annually in ten months after launching its latest product
13. Save your focus work for earlier (or later).
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"If I really need to focus in on a task, I typically don't try to get it done during
business hours. My time in the office is used to meet with my team, share feedback
and gather insight from them to help me do my job better. I usually tackle the
deeper tasks in the quiet of my home office either at night or early in the morning
when I'm mentally fresh, uninterrupted, and undistracted, or on our company-wide
work from home day, which is Friday."
—Adam Fingerman, cofounder and chief experience officer for ArcTouch, a San
Francisco-based mobile app development company that has designed more than
400 custom apps for more than 150 clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies
to influential startups
14. Take care of yourself.
"It comes down to taking care of yourself--your body, mind and spirit. I have a
regular exercise regimen. I start every day with a 40- to 50-minute workout: a
combination of cardio, core strength and resistance training. During the day, you
need to eat great food that fuels you without robbing energy, drink lots of water
and stay hydrated. It's amazing how much water your body needs during the day."
—Hunter Muller, president and CEO of HMG Strategy, LLC, an international
network of more than 300,000 technology leaders, search executives, and
technology partners which has hosted more than 70 live events in the U.S., Canada
and Europe
15. Understand the power of no.
"Every day I meet or have conference calls with prospects of mine who ask if I am
capable of certain tasks which will enable them to meet their sales goals. I've heard
the expression 'Say yes and figure it out later,' but personally, I believe in setting
expectations right from the start. If I know I can't do something or if I know I'll
need additional resources, I convey that immediately. It may not be the answer my
prospect is looking for, however, I have found that when I do this, I earn much
more respect for being honest and caring about our relationship vs. solely focusing
on my bottom line. The same thing goes for when I'm in a negotiation process. No
matter what business you are in, your goal of course is to make money. However,
when I look at each of my opportunities, I ask myself one very important question.
'Does this have the possibility of generating enough financial gain based on the
time commitments it will require?' If I say yes to everything, I risk spending all of
my time on projects that will not allow my company to grow. If the answer is no, I
am not afraid to push back with my reasoning. I keep calm and professional of
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course, but everyone deserves to have their voice and concerns heard no matter
what side of the fence you are on. Sometimes it's hard for business owners to be
honest with themselves about this, but you must value your time. Not every
opportunity will work, and that's OK. There is always the next one."
—Eddie Levine, CEO of e-commerce company Hub Dub and cofounder and
president of the consulting firm Wholesale Breakthrough, which have experienced
double and triple growth, respectively, since launching
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Your best days are likely the ones in which you take good care of yourself
while being highly productive. To make it happen, though, you need to be
intentional with how you use the minutes of your day. Here are more than a
dozen habits highly successful people practice to push themselves to the
next level.
1. Find your purpose, refer to it, and let it guide your path.
"Knowing and following a personal, specific purpose empowers us to live
with greater confidence. Having an active awareness of our purpose leads
to deeper satisfaction as we readily know if a choice or task serves or takes
from our purpose. Set aside time and explore your purpose. Write it down,
refine it, share it, and refer to it often no matter how large or small. It
doesn't have to be monumental: 'Make memories with my family,' 'provide
for those I love,' 'create jobs,' 'serve others,' etc. Just be certain to make
your purpose your daily mantra."
--Doug Bloom, Philadelphia chair of Tiger 21, a peer membership
organization with more than 650 high-net-worth wealth creators and
preservers worldwide
2. Connect with someone.
"Humans are inherently social. We've an innate desire to connect with one
another--whether it is over a meal, traveling to other countries, or watching
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a movie together. Due to this, I make a daily effort to get out of the office
(when feasible) to show up and meet interesting people as a means of
identifying opportunities, striking partnerships, connecting, and learning
new things. But I believe that how you show up is just as important as the
act of showing up itself. You can't expect every meet-and-greet to be as
simple as driving down to your local coffee shop, so I'm adamant about
immersing myself in their world as well: catching a plane, meeting them in
their office, [or] driving to their home. I've been fortunate enough to start
and invest in numerous successful businesses because I showed up to
meet someone, many of whom I was meeting for the very first time.
Ultimately, relationships are what drive businesses forward, and there is no
better substitute when developing a relationship than to show up."
--Adam Jiwan, founder, CEO, and Chairman at Spring Labs, a blockchain
startup that raised $14.75 million in 2018
3. Practice the SAVERS habit.
"Currently, I use a process from The Miracle Morning book, by Hal Elrod.
It's based on the acronym SAVERS: Silence (meditation), Affirmations,
Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribe (journal). Every morning I
meditate for 10 minutes, then move into five minutes repeating my
affirmations, spend five minutes doing visualization exercise (seeing your
future and what you must do to attain it), read for 10 to 15 minutes, then
finish with 10 minutes of journaling and preparing for my day. Being able to
clear my head and focus on my goals and priorities has made my days
more productive and less stressful."
--Krista Morgan, co-founder and CEO of P2Binvestor Inc., an online lending
platform that has raised more than $13 million in equity
4. Get updated on industry news first thing, then work out.
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"I am a creature of habit, committed to routines that keep me informed and
energized. Every morning, I begin my day with a 30-minute review of my
news feeds, favorite websites, and alerts. No work email yet, just an
overview to get a sense of industry activity to share with my direct reports
through Slack. Then I work out. As an avid mountain biker, I try to get a ride
in multiple days a week (personal trainer and home gym the rest of the
week), followed by a shower and breakfast. Once in the office, I exercise
my Domo muscles (Domo is a business intelligence and data visualization
tool). The data-driven platform gives me an early view into new issues or
opportunities within my company. Together, these pre-work rituals allow me
to dive into the normal course of business activities mentally and physically
prepared with insights into my industry and company that keep me ahead
of the curve."
--Drew Edwards, founder and CEO of Ingo Money, a provider of mobileforward, turnkey instant deposit and payment services solutions that works
with companies including Visa, PayPal, KeyBank, and Safelite
5. Clean up your inbox over the weekend.
"Email can be a huge time suck. I've found that it's best to prep my outbox
over the weekend while I have some downtime. I block time on Sunday to
start responding to emails and save them as drafts, so I can hit send first
thing Monday morning. This helps me go into the week less stressed
without dumping things on my team over the weekend. To limit time spent
on email Monday through Friday, I check Apple Mail to read messages in
batches every couple days. If something is urgent, my team knows I'm big
on texting."
--Isaac Oates, founder and CEO of Justworks, an HR technology platform
supporting more than 60,000 employees of entrepreneurs and companies
in all 50 states
6. Endure short-term pain for long-term gain.
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"Almost all of life's decisions, business and personal, come down to the
same question: Can you accept short-term pain for long-term gain? Losing
weight, firing a producing employee that is problematic elsewhere, exiting
markets that are profitable but aren't your focus--all point to the same thing.
Most people choose to focus on short-term gains and get long-term pain.
People who want to win are willing to accept some level of professional
pain to find opportunities that might elude everyone else."
--Marty Puranik, CEO of Atlantic.net, a cloud service provider serving
15,000 businesses in over 100 countries
7. Learn something new before the kids wake up.
"Every morning, before my children wake up and I get ready to leave for
work, I will typically spend around 30 minutes reading the news. As I read, I
make a point of researching any topic or context I'm unfamiliar with. There
is something very energizing to me about starting the day with this mindset
of curiosity--of learning something completely new or broadening my
perspective on an issue or concept. It's important to me, before I spend the
day focused on my work and company, to expand my horizons, and tune in
to what is going on in the world and the reality and interests of others. I find
there is often an opportunity to apply these findings and discoveries in my
work, even if at first they seem far-removed."
--Jonathan Cherki, founder and CEO of ContentSquare, an AI-powered
user experience analytics and optimization platform that raised $42 million
in capital last year and works with companies including Walmart, GoPro,
Avis, and L'Occitane
8. Live below your means.
"The great part about the human spirit is our ability to adapt to our
surroundings and environment. Whether you own a billion-dollar company
or work the night shift at the local gas station, I firmly believe that your
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future is highly dependent on your habits, today and tomorrow. Something
that I always do, and would encourage everyone else to do, is take that
bonus, that compensatory raise, that record-earnings year for your
company, and defer the use of those funds through savings or investment.
By saving or investing those funds instead of digesting them into your bank
account, it may be the difference between a want today versus a future
need. I encourage people of all ages to maximize their retirement
contributions from annual compensation increases before doing anything
with after-tax dollars."
--David Kilby, published author and president of FinFit, a financial wellness
benefits company with more than 125,000 clients
9. Stop adding value.
"It is seductively soothing to be doing tasks that add value. 'Am I adding
value?' is so easy to answer because almost everything you do usually
adds some value. It is much harder to answer the question 'Is this the best
use of my time?' To wit, it's easy to be busy improving the product but it's a
lot harder to look up and realize the product is good enough already and I
should be focused on finding the right distribution partner."
--Kon Leong, co-founder and CEO of ZL Technologies, an information
management provider with clients spanning the Fortune 500, including half
of the top 10 financial services companies
10. Read a chapter or a section out of a book, or an article.
"Studies show the more you read, the greater your chance for success.
When you have an insatiable desire to learn you grow personally and
professional at a faster rate. You could take one thing from the chapter or
the article and implement it, and that one thing could make a huge impact
in your future."
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--Nicole Middendorf, author, wealth advisor, founder, and CEO of
Prosperwell Financial, a financial services company with over $160 million
in assets
11. Start your day with clear focus and gratitude.
"It's too easy to jump into the day's activities and lose sight of the big
picture. Spend time each morning doing something that will help you grow
as a person and as a leader. I start my day by reading the Bible and in
meditation. Then, I listen to something positive, uplifting, and motivating
while exercising and getting ready for the day. Each morning I post my topthree annual goals to the top of my calendar, where I will see them. I also
share with my team three things that I feel blessed for each day."
--Robin Kocina, a Minnesota Women Business Owners Hall of Fame
honoree and president/CFO of Media Relations Agency, a performancebased marketing agency
12. Make a to-do list.
"This act of writing down what needs to get done helps me feel less
anxious, because the tasks seem less on paper than in my head. The list
also allows me to see what is a priority or time-sensitive, and I can order
what needs to be done accordingly. And crossing off an item, or deleting it,
gives me this sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, even if it is just the
task of dropping off a package at the post office."
--Tracey Welson-Rossman, co-founder and CMO of custom software
development firm Chariot Solutions and founder of TechGirlz, a nonprofit
inspiring tens of thousands of middle-school girls to pursue technology
careers
13. Take time every Sunday to write out the full list of what you want
to accomplish for the week.
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"I consider how [these tasks] align with my bigger goals for the month or
quarter, and once I've got a solid list, I draw a line on what must [be]
accomplish[ed]. I try to keep that to just three things, and everything below
the line can be pushed. Then I review my calendar to make sure my
schedule has time carved out for me to be successful. The 30 minutes this
takes on a Sunday help me manage my time and hit the ground running on
Monday."
--Dave Evans, co-founder and CEO of virtual manufacturing platform Fictiv,
which has raised $25 million in funding
14. Practice being humble.
"I believe that cultivating humility is crucial to success for any professional
as they advance their careers and assume greater leadership in their
organizations. It is equally important for growth and development in our
personal lives. I try to cultivate humility every day by being present and
aware--whether I'm stuck in traffic, changing my son's diaper, or
apologizing for a mistake I've made. Embracing these humbling moments
gives me motivation to keep learning, listening, and improving as a
husband, father, son, brother, friend, colleague, leader, and human being."
--Raul Vazquez, CEO of Oportun, named one of Time magazine's 2018 "50
Genius Companies Inventing the Future" for its work providing over 2
million small-dollar loans, which have saved its customers more than $1.3
billion
15. Seek out tough feedback.
"I make a point to connect over coffee daily (or weekly) with people on my
team who aren't my direct reports. I always ask them to tell me something
they don't think I want to hear, whether it's a challenge they're facing, or
something about the business that they're concerned about. Not only does
this give me an opportunity to see inside parts of the organization that I
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might not see every day, and a unique perspective and understanding of
the complexity of their day-to-day, but also gives me a new way to think
about where my help and leadership can make the most impact. It has
repeatedly broken down barriers and opened up the lines of
communications across our organization."
--Jennifer Tescher, president and CEO of the Center for Financial Services
Innovation (CFSI), a nonprofit that brings together hundreds of financial
institutions, employers,
innovators, and policy makers
16. Write out your to-do list early in the morning.
"I watch the sunrise, have a cup of coffee, and write out the list of all
meetings and tasks for the day. I do this every day with paper and pens,
and sometimes in different colors."
--Dede Gotthelf, owner of the Southampton Inn, which has received several
Best of the Best awards from Hamptons publication Dan's Papers
17. Keep a detailed calendar while looking back at this time last year.
"I maintain a detailed calendar each day of the week, and keep copies of
my schedule for at least a year. Each week, I review the prior year's
calendar to see what projects I was working on and whom I was meeting
with around the same time the year before. This process gives me a 360degree perspective on how I progressed on those projects, what projects I
need to complete or restart, and reminds me to reconnect with specific
people. Looking back at what I was doing the year before helps me stay on
top of important projects and professional relationships."
--William T. Sullivan, executive director of the Samuel Waxman Cancer
Research Foundation (SWCRF), which has increased philanthropic
revenue by 30 percent since 2017
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As 2018 gets closer, many professionals focus on what they can do better next
year. Increasing productivity at work is a common New Year's resolution, as there
is almost always room to improve anyone's practices.
To help you get started, here are 27 productivity tips to begin 2018 right.
1. Build up your energy.
Highly productive people seem to be brimming with enthusiasm, but that doesn't
come naturally to everyone. To help you get your energy levels up, take a moment
every morning to write down your purpose, or the why behind your current pursuit.
It serves as an excellent reminder as to why you're giving your work your all and
can function as its own source of motivation.
2. Control your calendar.
While working in an environment where everyone can view your Google
or Outlook calendar can be convenient, it can also set you up for problems if you
don't take control of your time. Others may view empty spaces as opportunities to
schedule meetings, even if you intended to use the time for other tasks.
Instead of leaving your calendar in the hands of others, block out the time you need
to handle critical tasks. That way you won't be derailed by an unexpected meeting
request.
3. Create a mini crisis.
Some people thrive under pressure, allowing them to accomplish more than they
originally thought possible in the time frame. You can recreate that sensation by
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blocking out less time than you actually think you need. Often, you'll find your
focus improves when you begin working and ultimately finish on time.
4. Ditch your smartphone notifications.
While completely shutting down your smartphone isn't always practical, managing
your notifications is. Frequent pop-ups are distracting and almost guaranteed to
pull your attention away from the task at hand.
When you need to complete detail-oriented work, shut noncritical notifications off
so you can focus with greater ease.
5. Schedule email time.
Email notifications are another notorious concentration-breaker, so giving in to
every alert is guaranteed to make a heads-down task a challenge. Don't let email
take over your day. Instead, schedule time at the beginning and at the end of the
day specifically for email. Then, unless something especially critical is coming in,
feel free to ignore it the rest of the time.
6. Put time-suck websites in time out.
If you find yourself losing time to sites that aren't essential for work (and use a
Mac), consider blacklisting them for periods using the SelfControl app. Websites
you add to the list will be automatically blocked for the selected time, ensuring you
can't distract yourself with your hunt for a perfect unicorn meme to share with your
friends.
Windows users can try similar applications, like StayFocusd for Chrome or Cold
Turkey for additional controls.
7. Avoid lyrics.
A lot of professionals enjoy ambient sound when they work, but music with lyrics
(at least those in languages you speak) can actually be distracting. Choose either
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instrumentals for ambience or white noise to block out sound instead, and you
won't be as tempted to stop and sing along with the tune.
8. Tackle must-dos first.
While it seems like common sense, many people forgo certain must-dos in favor of
more straightforward, though less critical, tasks. But this can leave you scrambling
if you don't allow for enough time to get the work done.
To break the cycle, always start with essential projects first, no matter what. You'll
thank yourself for your diligence come the afternoon.
9. Take on two-minute tasks second.
Small tasks can make your to-do list seem insurmountable. So, to pare things
down, after handling your must-dos, head straight to your quick tasks. You'll get to
check items off your list, which is rewarding in its own right, and make the rest of
your day feel less encumbered by minutiae.
10. Get into a groove.
Whenever possible, group like tasks together. When your brain is already engaging
in a particular way, use it to your benefit by focusing on similar activities in rapid
succession.
11. Cut meeting times by 25 percent.
While meetings can be vital to your business, they have a nasty habit of expanding
to fit the available time slot, even if those extra conversations don't provide value.
To avoid the meeting version of scope creep, cut the time by 25 percent. You'll still
tackle the important topics but be less likely to have unnecessary discussions.
And, if getting together in person isn't completely necessary, consider eliminating
the meeting entirely. Your staff will thank you.
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12. Consider standup meetings.
When people settle into a chair, they're more likely to get comfortable in the space.
If you need things to progress quickly, embrace a standup format, forgoing chairs
completely. This keeps people from settling in and encourages them to get to the
point and move on with their day.
13. Perfect is the enemy of good.
When it comes to your business, you probably want to make sure everything is
perfect. But perfection can ultimately be the enemy, and is often an illusion,
especially if you keep pushing to improve something that is already good. Don't
drill away at something that is in respectable shape. Instead, move on to other tasks
and accept that good can be good enough for success.
14. Know when to delegate and outsource.
Most business owners want to keep everything in their hands, but this can leave
you overloaded. Learn which tasks truly require your input and which can be
handled by properly skilled professionals. Once you split up the work, delegate or
outsource quickly so people can get started on their to-do lists.
15. Don't neglect professional development.
Regardless of your position, there is always more to learn. Professional
development helps you acquire new skills and perspectives, letting you be more
effective. If a new competency allows for a higher level of productivity, then work
to gain it.
You can take a class or explore free resources online, depending on your schedule,
so make a commitment to learning something new today.
16. Embrace automation.
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In today's technological world, there are many options for automating processes,
such as emails and proposal or quote delivery. If there's a task you can automate,
look into it. It can shrink your to-do list significantly.
17. Unsubscribe and unfollow.
If a newsletter or Twitter feed isn't providing you with value anymore, then
unsubscribe or unfollow immediately. This will clean up your inbox and feed,
letting you find helpful information quickly and lessening the time you must
dedicate to inbox maintenance.
Repeat the process weekly or monthly for optimal effect.
18. Check in with yourself.
At least once a week, check in with yourself by assessing how you're feeling, and
then make plans to remedy any negative emotions that may be lingering. Selfcare is important for productivity, so don't continually neglect yourself in the name
of getting more done at the office.
19. Have a "no" strategy.
Saying yes to every task leaves you overwhelmed, but saying no can be its own
source of stress. To make saying no easier, create a strategy in advance, including
email templates or scripts, to simplify the conversation. This will decrease the
amount of time you spend in the discussion while ensuring your point gets across
effectively.
20. Invest in dual screens.
Having two full-size computer screens is incredibly beneficial, especially if you
have to refer to a report while creating a document, or any other resource plus
activity combination. The larger screens make text easier to read, and the dual
monitors prevent constant switching between pages or applications, making it
worth the investment.
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21. Don't fixate on where you start.
When people begin a project, they often default to starting at the beginning. But if
you're stuck, don't be afraid to abandon the introduction and instead focus on
another segment. Sometimes, it's easier to start in the middle of a document, or
even at the end, so don't restrict yourself to a particular order if it just isn't working.
22. Use templates.
If you are repeatedly creating the same documents, you're wasting time. Instead,
create or download templates for your most commonly used formats and content
types. Then you can simply start with a template instead of reinventing the wheel.
23. Save, save, save.
If you're working on a long document or report, hit the Save button as often as
possible. While many programs have autosave features, the delays can be quite
long. To preserve your work, make a habit of saving after every key point.
You can click the icon or use a keyboard shortcut to get the job done, either of
which only takes a second. But, if it saves you from having to rewrite paragraphs
of information, it's worth it.
24. Learn the keyboard shortcuts.
Speaking of keyboard shortcuts, make it a priority to learn them. They're incredible
timesavers and are available in almost every program. Start with those associated
with your go-to applications and expand from there to get the most value.
25. Ignore the news.
Trying to keep up with the news is essentially impossible, allowing it to generally
function as a time sink. Plus, it can be trivial and even unreliable, and isn't
necessarily great for your brain. Do yourself a favor and ditch the onslaught of
news that can easily take over your life. It's worth it.
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26. Stop multitasking.
Ultimately, multitasking is a myth that many of us fall for at some point. Instead of
dividing your attention and rapidly switching between activities, commit your
focus to the task at hand and you'll see your productivity rise.
27. Get everything you can out of Excel.
Microsoft Excel is everywhere, and most people encounter it regularly during their
career. But few professionals are truly Excel power users. In as little as an hour,
you can learn to use advanced features such as pivot tables, graphing, and
vlookups, all of which give you access to business analytics capabilities that help
you visualize data in just minutes, which are capabilities that shouldn't be ignored.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
PRODUCTIVITY
Here Are 6 Ways to Start Your Week Off On the Right Foot
The key to being productive throughout your week is the plan you make at
the beginning. Here are six ways you can up your planning game.
By Bruce EckfeldtFounder and CEO, E&A, Gazelles/Scaling Up business
coach@beckfeldt
As a leadership coach, one of the main things I work on with leaders is
their productivity. This is a common problem in many organizations, especially
with high-growth companies. The rapid growth of the business and pace of change
leave many executives struggling to stay organized and focused, which results in
lackluster personal results.
The key to any productivity system is to focus on value, not effort. Executives who
focus on checking as many things off their to-do lists as they can each day without
thinking about what they put on those lists will get a lot done, but often fail to
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deliver significant results. Executives who consider what the most important,
highest-impact actions are will create long-term value and be exceptionally
successful.
One of the best habits that will help you in this pursuit is to develop a personal
weekly planning process. By taking the time to plan your week, you can identify
the best use of your time and energy and organize yourself for success. Here's how
I plan my week on Sunday night so that I can hit the ground running Monday
morning with confidence.
1. Do a mind sweep.
The first thing I do anytime I'm thinking about the bigger picture and trying to plan
is I do a mind sweep to clear my thoughts. This process walks through a list of
prompts in different categories, looking for things I'm trying to remember and
commitments I've made (what scientists call cognitive load), and gets them out
onto paper. This gets the distractions out of my head so I can focus better on the
work at hand.
2. Review the week to come.
My next step is to review the coming week's schedule. I recommend using
a Defensible Calendar strategy, which improves your productivity by organizing
your schedule into large chunks of time with tasks grouped by importance and
urgency. This will make it easier to organize and manage your work.
If my plan is not well organized, I request changes to free up continuous time in
my calendar to create focused time and to optimize travel and logistics. This is also
the time to identify any prep work or reviews I need to do for the week.
3. Look forward to three to five weeks out.
Once I have this week under control, I look ahead three to five more weeks for
anything that requires me to take any kind of action in the next seven days. I look
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for things like travel arrangements, larger project work, and creative development.
Doing this prevents surprises that create fire drills for me or my team.
4. Reflect on the last week.
Once I have a good grasp on the future, I look back at the last week or two and see
if there are any open items or actions from previous events that I may have missed.
I look for opportunities to write quick thank-you notes and to confirm any actions
or plans coming out of previous meetings. I'll also take this time to reflect on what
went well and what didn't, and how I can improve my schedule and planning going
forward.
5. Check your longer-term goals.
Next I check my quarterly objectives and key results. Based on where I want to be
at the end of the quarter, I check to see where I need to make progress and set tasks
for the coming week. I'll also reach out to people with whom I need to coordinate
or collaborate to schedule time or set up meetings.
6. Sort by urgency and impact.
Once I have my tasks and reminders written down, I begin to sort and organize. I'll
make notes on complexity and size and then sort them by two major criteria. First
is urgency, which is how critical the task is to this week. Basically, if I push it off
to next week, will it cause problems for me or others? The second criteria is
impact, which is how much value this task creates for me in the short and long
term.
If I've done things correctly, my schedule will be well-structured and I will have a
plan for how the week will unfold. I will have several time blocks for focused
work, grouping similar tasks so that I can stay in the same mindset and minimize
task-switching.
Of course, life happens, and on Monday morning something unexpected could
come up and I'll need to replan everything. And that's fine.
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The value of planning is not that a plan will execute perfectly. It's that when it
doesn't, you'll understand what's on your plate, what your priorities are, and how
you want to re-organize things to stay on plan.
PUBLISHED ON: JAN 29, 2019
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of
Inc.com.
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