How to Multiply Your Productivity by 10x

“Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.” — Alan Lakein

One of the most common challenges faced by entrepreneurs is a lack of time. Knowing this information, why is it that some entrepreneurs are so much more productive than others when we all share the same 24 hours in a day? Is it because some entrepreneurs use time management tools to keep them on track? Or is it because they simply have a high level of awareness and respect for their own time? Let’s explore these questions.

Time management is the ability to plan and control how you spend the hours in your day to effectively accomplish your goals.

Time management enables entrepreneurs to work smarter — not harder — so that they get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high. Failing to manage your time damages your effectiveness and causes stress to build. With that said, when was the last time you were able to plan your day to the minute and control your time effectively? There are always fires to put out and distractions that take you away from even the best-laid plans.

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” — Paul J. Meyer

Most entrepreneurs have had the experience of not having enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you need to. Given the busy lives that we all lead, remaining organized to stay productive can be a challenge. It is easy to get caught up on the wrong path and waste valuable time you need to get things done. If you can relate to this, let me share the top seven strategies that I use to get things done and maximize your productivity by 10.

1. Write 3 MITs (Most Important Tasks) down every day.

A Most Important Task (MIT) is a critical task that will create the most significant results. You do not want any ambiguity in your workdays, it’s a productivity killer. Each morning you should take the time to prioritize the three most MITs for the day. Be clear with what you write and use more than a three-word description.

For instance, “research fitness” is not the ideal way to phrase your task. Your tasks need to be specific. Instead, use “review and compare prices of fitness studios X, Y, & Z”. This will prevent you from drifting to semi-related tasks that do not accomplish anything.

2. Use the One and Done Rule.

As mentioned earlier, we need to always be open as entrepreneurs to address a new task, especially an unexpected one caused by incompetence, negligence, or misconduct of something that has happened. Similar to a firefighter, we need to “be ready to put out the fire”. As soon as a new task is present, schedule a specific time for you to handle it. Do not wait till later to deal with it right away.

3. Apply the Pomodoro Technique.

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique where you break down all of your tasks into 25 minute focused blocks of time. Between each time block, there is a five-minute break. And after completing four Pomodoros you take a longer break; usually 15 to 30 minutes.

The magic happens after repeated usage. Once this the Pomodoro Technique becomes a habit, your ability to focus during the duration of the timer is 10x better. That is why this tactic is so powerful. It uses conditioning to put you in the zone instantly.

4. Use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix.

The keywords to remember are urgency over importance. Use time effectively, not only efficiently. Separate your tasks into one of the four categories:

1. Do — Important and urgent (i.e. presentation due tomorrow)
2. Plan — Important and not urgent (i.e. exercise, working on a presentation two weeks in advance)
3. Delegate — Not important and urgent (i.e. social media updates, phone calls)
4. Eliminate — Not important and not urgent (i.e. surfing the web)

Important tasks are the ones that contribute to your immediate livelihood and long-term goals, while urgent tasks are ones that require immediate actions or have incoming deadlines.

5. Start your day tough, or start your day small.

You have two options:

1. Do the hardest task first so everything else feels easier

2. Do the easiest tasks first to build up some momentum.

The first option will immediately pay off as your remaining tasks will feel easy by comparison. But the second option will help ease you into the work process. Lowering the chances of procrastination. Which option sounds better to you? Give both methods a shot and see which works best. Everybody is different, so experimentation is key.

6. Batch Similar Tasks.

An example is cooking, batch other tasks like cleaning the dishes or wiping the counters down with it. Another example is by batching your social tasks together, like emails, text messages, and voice-mails together. Always batch similar tasks together when planning your day, it will definitely make your work process flow more smoothly.

7. Work Near Natural Sunlight.

A neat productivity tip is simply working near natural light more often. Studies show that exposure to sunlight improves sleep, thereby improving your well-being and in turn your productivity levels. So if you can, try and sit near a window (an open one would be most ideal). You’ll get the benefit of improved productivity and better sleep as a result.

8. Listen to Music Between Tasks.

A study from the University of Toronto (2007) shows that if you can’t listen to music in between tasks can help productivity. It helps you clear your mind, relax and be better prepared for the tasks to follow.

Note: There are many strategies that you can implement to manage your time better, but the key to time management lies in the way you think about time. Your lack of time is a symptom of the overarching mindset you may have about time.

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Previously Published on medium

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