Adam Sicinski

To have a productive day means actually working productively on your highest priority activities. It also means hitting targets and getting results that help move projects and tasks forward. So if that’s the number one goal, then anything that distracts you from this path becomes a hindrance to your productivity. Whenever you notice yourself getting sidetracked with anything that pulls you away from your highest value activities, that is when you need to immediately do three things. First, recognize what you’re doing. Secondly, stop indulging in this activity. And thirdly, acknowledge that this isn’t a valuable use of your time.

To have a productive day requires understanding the consequences of your actions. Everything you do of course comes with a set of consequences. The consequences of your actions can either move you forward in a helpful way, or they can hinder your progress. When we indulge in unproductive activities, we normally don’t take into consideration the consequences that may result. In particular we don’t take into account the long-term consequences. Specifically, the long-term impact of the choices we make. With this in mind, consider the long-term impact of indulging in this unproductive activity. What will it inevitably cost you?

To have a productive day you need to get into the habit of being very decisive. This is especially relevant when it comes to removing yourself from unproductive activities. You need to separate yourself from these activities as soon as possible. Separation will allow you to gain proper perspective of the situation. However, this isn’t just about perspective, it’s also about taking the time to remind yourself about what truly matters. Have a think about the kind of person you are and how you would ideally like to live your life. Reflect also on the goals you would like to achieve. Now consider, how this unproductive activity could deny you these things.

To have a productive day requires effective prioritization. It requires constantly reminding yourself about what’s most important, and then refocusing on those activities. But how do we know what’s truly most important? Well it all begins with getting very clear about the kind of person you want to be at this particular time. The person who indulged in this unproductive activity probably isn’t you. If that’s the case, then how do you prefer to be in this situation? Now, reflect on the goals you want to achieve, along with the various tasks that support these goals. Here is where you will find your highest priority activities.

To have a productive day requires effectively organizing your time around your highest priority activities. You need to get very clear about what you want to accomplish, how you will accomplish those tasks, and how you will adapt when things get in your way. This effectively comes down to creating contingency plans for when things don’t quite go to plan. For instance, what will you do when you get distracted? What will you do when you lose focus? How will you adapt to the inevitable setbacks you might face throughout the day? And, how will you refocus your efforts on your highest priority activities?

To have a productive day means staying focused on the things that matter most. These are your highest value and highest impact tasks and activities. They must support the kind of person you want to be and the goals you want to achieve. And this is where your focus must lie. If however all this kind of feels a little daunting, then break big tasks down into small chunks. Moreover, work incrementally through these chunks within specific predefined time frames. You can even set a timer to create a sense of urgency. This will encourage you to work more efficiently through each task. Also, make work fun. When you enjoy working, you will have a productive day.

When it comes to improving productivity, you’re only as good as the tools you use. Use the right tools, in the right way, and they will immediately help improve your effectiveness and efficiency throughout the day. When it comes to productivity, there are three tools in particular that are of most value. These tools include task lists, calendars and checklists. Use task lists to prioritize key tasks and projects you will work on each day. Use a calendar to schedule specific blocks of time for completing these tasks and projects. Use checklists to systematize and accelerate your workflow as you work through each individual task.

Using the right tools is a great start, however they will end up being quite useless if you’re unable to separate yourself from distractions that interrupt your workflow. There are specifically two types of distractions that you must address. The first are external distractions, and the second are internal distractions. External distractions include people, noise, smells, physical discomfort, and visual stimuli that interfere with your ability to focus. On the other hand, internal distractions come as thoughts and emotions that affect your ability to concentrate. Be ruthless when dealing with these distractions.

In order to improve your productivity, you must commit yourself to working smarter, not harder. This is of course all about effective prioritization. Specifically it’s about focusing on the things that matter most. These are of course the big rocks, or in other words, the tasks and activities that have the greatest long-term payoffs. Yes, you can certainly focus on all the little things. They will no doubt keep you very busy. However, what true long-term value do these activities have? Consider also the opportunity cost. Focusing on the little stuff means that you may run out of time for the big stuff. What could that cost you in the long-run?

Now that you have your priorities in order, it’s time to work through your tasks more efficiently. Productivity is of course first and foremost about working smarter. But in order to work smarter, you must utilize your time more effectively. One way to do that is to group related tasks together and then work through them within fixed time slots. This will save you the trouble of working through similar tasks several times per day. This is of course quite beneficial as it helps you avoid falling into the multi-tasking trap. Multi-tasking involves dividing you attention between two different types of tasks, which often ends up hurting productivity.

Improving productivity isn’t purely about what you do and how you go about accomplishing those tasks. It’s also about the mindset you bring to each task. Specifically it’s all about working with a sense of purpose, a deep desire, and a passion for getting the job done. When you work with purpose all your energy and efforts are aligned in one direction. This naturally helps you to stay focused for longer. However, working with purpose requires an understanding of why you’re doing what you’re doing. It also requires getting very clear about the true long-term value you will gain from working through each task.

One of the best and fastest ways to immediately improve your levels of productivity comes in the form of a timer. A timer is an incredibly effective tool because it helps create a sense of urgency. When we work with no deadline, we are more at ease and kind of relax our way into our work routine. However, when there is an imminent deadline on the horizon, that is when we muster up the extra energy we need to get stuff done in record time. With that in mind, schedule all your tasks into specific time slots, then set a timer for completing each task. This will provide you with that extra urgency you need to get stuff done.

These days, there are an incredible array of tech tools that are designed to help us work more productively and stay focused on our highest priority activities. The goal of these tools is of course to simplify our lives, and to systematize and streamline our workflow. You could of course ignore what’s out there and just focus on using traditional productivity tools such as calendars, task lists and checklists. Technology can however enhance all these tools and provide you with more efficient ways of managing and tracking your progress. However, use technology with caution. As great as it is, it can also very quickly become a distraction.

n order to sustain high levels of productivity over the long-run, it’s important that you stay sufficiently motivated. One of the best ways to do that is to make work fun and exciting. For instance, instead of dreading going through that budget report, why not turn it into a game and challenge yourself to complete it within a certain time frame. Or how about pretending that you are a secret agent on a mission to unlock a secret code that is found within that report. Or what about stimulating some friendly competition between you and your workmates. By making things fun, work no longer feels like a chore, but rather more like playtime.

Working for hours on end, is certainly admirable. But is it really sensible? Does working for longer mean that we will achieve more at the end of the day? Well actually, it doesn’t. Research has found that we can sustain high levels of focus and concentration for short bursts at a time. After this period, our focus and concentration dwindle, until we reach a point where we start to feel mentally fatigued. This subsequently makes us more susceptible to distractions, which of course diminishes our levels of productivity. To avoid falling into this trap, it can be helpful to spend 25 minutes working, and 5 minutes resting every cycle.

To work smarter not harder requires a clear understanding of the priority pyramid. The priority pyramid helps you break your tasks into three categories. These categories include the important stuff, the necessary stuff and the unnecessary stuff. The important stuff includes all the things that you absolutely must get done today. These tasks have the highest long-term payoffs. The necessary stuff includes all the things that you should get done today. These tasks have low long-term but high short-term payoffs. The unnecessary stuff includes all the other things that you could do that won’t provide you with any real value.

Have you ever gotten yourself caught up within the busy bee trap? This is where you work yourself silly for an entire day, but in the end you have little to show for your efforts. You of course thought you were being productive. It seemed as though you were doing all the right things, but you were really only fooling yourself. Yes you were extremely busy, but were you actually focusing on your highest priority activities? Your highest priority activities are what get you results at the end of the day. Staying busy focusing on the wrong things is certainly not a sign of productive output. With that in mind, commit yourself to focusing on what matters.

To work smarter not harder requires understanding the output of your current work habits. There are possibly certain things you are doing right now that are working quite well for you. What are those things? Where are you getting results? How are you spending your time? Where are you being most productive? Identify what these things are and figure out how you can apply these methods into other areas where you’re not getting satisfactory results. Also consider how you could potentially improve your approach and work habits to get even better returns on the time spent working through certain tasks.

To work smarter not harder requires making optimal choices. It requires making appropriate and necessary sacrifices that then give you the time and space you need to focus on what matters most. This is of course all about effective prioritization. There are certain high priority activities that only you can do. These are therefore the things you must focus on. Then there are other activities that are either of a low priority, or they are things others can do for you. To work smarter not harder, you must decide what should be delegated, outsourced or eliminated. Clear the clutter, and you will have more breathing room to focus on what matters most.

To work smarter not harder, requires focusing on all the right things. However, in order to give your undivided attention to what’s most important, you need to avoid the pitfalls of indulging in low value activities. It’s of course all very well and good to say that you will not partake in certain activities, however temptations will always arise and will draw you in, when you least expect it. With this in mind, it can be helpful to create an action avoidance plan. This involves drawing up a list of items that you will avoid indulging in at all costs. Along with that list, write down how exactly you will avoid succumbing to these temptations.

To improve your productivity and results over the long-run requires engagement. In other words, you need to be engaged and motivated to want to improve your performance over time. With this in mind, it can be helpful to challenge yourself to work less and do more by consistently raising your standards of performance. You can of course do this through testing and measuring. Test and measure your results and output, then challenge yourself to do better the next time around. You can even turn your work into a game where you use a timer, and then try and beat your best self from the day before.