14 tips to make 2015 the most productive

Original author: Rachel Gillett
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In this article, Rachel Vest has put together the best productivity tips for 2015.

You probably noticed that we are a little obsessed with productivity.

We asked the most productive people we worked with all year, what do they do in their daily lives to do so much. Here is what they answered:

1. Visualize and plan your day the night before.


Before going to bed, Harvey Deutschendorf , an expert in emotional intelligence and author of The Other Kind of Smart, decides the basic things for the next day: what he puts on, eats for lunch, and what road he takes to work. “The less time and energy you spend on everyday things, the more you will have them on important things,” he explains.

He also advises imagining what exactly you are going to do the next day. “Put this planning in your daily routine and you will be surprised how much you manage to accomplish,” he says.

2. Surround yourself with productive people


“It's very easy for me to work alone, but I find that productivity is maximized when I surround myself with productive people I don’t know,” says Vivian Giang, a freelance journalist who writes on leadership, organizational psychology and gender issues.

She says that working surrounded by productive strangers keeps her in good shape. “I do not browse social networks without a goal. I eat healthier foods and don't take long breaks. I’m kind of competing with them because they always look as if great ideas are constantly coming to them. ”

3. Work while standing


When Camille Sweeney, a journalist and co-author of The Art of Doing, had to interview 15 prominent newsmakers in just a few days, she made calls while standing. “This was the year I got out of the chair and stood next to the desk,” she says. “The difference is very big.”

Before the portable stand-up desktop was delivered, Sweeney improvised and placed her laptop on a square cardboard box on the desktop. Now she alternates between standing and sitting every few hours.

4. Focus on one word per year


“One word creates simplicity, clarity, and changes lives,” said Jimmy Page, author of One Word That Will Change Your Life and vice president of the Brotherhood of Christian Athletes. “You will discover a new passion and goal by following the exact focus that stimulates productivity,” he says.

“The best thing is that one word transforms not only what you do, but also what you become; it affects every area of ​​your life - physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, financial, relationships and relaxation. Focusing on a single word prevents distractions and turns intentions into actions. ”

5. Get the most out of your most productive time.


Sally Poblet, founder and CEO of Wellthie, a healthcare technology company, advises you first to find out when we are most creative, and then schedule it accordingly.

“I think the highest creativity in the morning, so I try to leave this time free for brainstorming, writing and meeting people who inspire me and challenge me,” he says. “I have my obligatory meetings at noon when I am charged with my morning productivity and full of desire to share my plans with my team.”

6. Know when you don't need to be productive


Starr Million Baker, CEO and co-founder of the PR agency INK Public Relations, points out that there are many things we can do in a day. But much more important, she said, are things that should really be done.

“Knowing when to say“ this will not happen today ”is a skill that has given me the ability to focus on things that really need to be done.” Baker says she uses Todoist's task management tool so that all tasks are collected in one place. If necessary, she simply presses the “transfer to ...” button when the time approaches 5 pm. “I value my tasks several times a day because I work in an area full of fire alarms, so priorities are constantly changing.”

7. Slow down and reevaluate to avoid overload


Scott Eblin, author of Overworked and Overwhelmed , says, “When you have more work to do than you can count, you are overworked.” If you feel like a squirrel in a wheel, stop before you do anything else. ” He advises thinking of STOP as a synonym for the formula "Slow down, Take three deep breaths, See what should be done first, and then Continue."

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8. Prioritize


One of the secrets of how to be satisfied with your productivity, according to Erin Bebler and Lara Galloway, certified life and business coaches and co-authors of “Moms Mean Business: A Guide to Creating a Successful Company and Happy Life as a Mom Entrepreneur” (“ Business Moms: A Guide to Creating a Successful Company and a Happy Mom-Entrepreneur’s Happy Life ”), is to spend the bulk of the time on what is really important to you — on your priorities .

When you clearly understand what you want to achieve and what actions will lead you to this goal, it becomes much easier to decide what should be done and what can be postponed or not done at all. In addition, we are much more motivated by the work on what really means a lot to us, and therefore we are able to do much more in a short period of time. "

9. Task packages for creating a thread


Day of the writer and the author of «The Five-Minute Mom's Club : 105 Tips to the Make a Mom's Life Easier" ( «five-minute club moms: 105 tips for making life mom easier") Stephanie Vozza consists of research, interviews, drafts and final edits. She says she’s more productive when she can focus on one task, rather than switch gears. “I try to plan my day around one process; interview day, for example, or writing morning and noon research. I discovered this after interviewing Stephen Kotler, the author of The Rise of Superman , who writes about how being in a state of flux can diminish productivity. ”

10. Check mail purposefully


Co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics Neil Patel says that before you open any email, you need to make sure that you have enough time to reply. “If you decide to answer later, you will have to re-read the email, which is an inefficient use of time.”

And remember that most emails do not require an immediate response (or no answer at all), says Zendesk CEO and founder Mikkel Svein. “Inhale and wait a minute before rushing into battle and sorting out group letters and resolving non-urgent issues. You will find that sometimes the best answer is its absence. Suddenly, you will have more time for answers that deserve your time and attention. ”

11. Do your best to not be distracted.


Wozza likes to spend an hour with the Internet turned off, far from distractions such as email and Facebook, and sometimes she dares even offline for a whole working day. “I found how much time the Internet sucks when they turned it off for me for a day; in 6 hours without interruptions I did a job that usually took me 2-3 days. If you need to check something online, make a list and check everything at once. ”

David Johnson, COO and CFO of Fireman's Brew Brewery, suggests simply closing the door. "You will find it much easier to make progress at work when you are not pulled in different directions."

12. Make a list of easy things to do.


Carson Tate, author of “Work Simply: Embracing the Power of Your Productivity Style” , compiles a list of tasks that can be done in 15 minutes. She suggests keeping this list with her so that she can use time periods productively, such as standing in line or waiting for a dentist.

“Also refer to this list when you are faced with self-sabotage. You can quickly complete the task, which will give you a certain surge of energy and help you smoothly move to work on a more complex project. "

13. Make a list of the most important things to do.


Jones Laughlin and Todd Musig, co-authors of Getting to It , make up another list, the To- Do List. To do this, you need to identify 3 cases or tasks, the implementation of which would most effectively advance you in the direction of achieving your highest priorities.

“Today, productivity largely depends on clarity of mind and the ability to focus on the current task. It can be difficult if some outstanding tasks take up your mental resources. ” Loflin and Musig suggest deciding which of the following important matters (WDs) can interfere with your productivity:
  • Urgent VD: a case that would significantly increase your ability to concentrate
  • Avoidable VD: something you always put off but keep in mind
  • Incomplete VD: our brain is programmed to remember a task until it is complete. When you complete it, your mental resources can be fully concentrated on the current task.

14. Adequate self-assessment


“A strict assessment of oneself is the beginning, middle and end of self-government. This is an important habit for self-improvement, ”says Bruce Tulgan, author of “ The 27 Challenges Managers Face ” (“ 27 challenges that managers face ”).

Tulgan advises to constantly evaluate its productivity, quality of work and behavior. We must constantly ask ourselves: “What can I do to make work faster?”, “How can I exclude the loss of time?”, “Should I plan better?”

“But remember: evaluating yourself leads to self-improvement only if you use the information you receive. Start working on one small goal at a time - the less, the better. When you have completed this task, take the next small step. Self-management and self-improvement come in small steps. This is an ongoing process, because there is always something to improve. ”

We hope this tips will make your 2015 productive.

PS. We recommend another article on the topic - Interview with Chals Dahigg: how the power of habit can help achieve their New Year's goals.

Translation by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult

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