3 Easy Productivity Hacks You Can Start Doing Now

Getting more done with less.  Less time.  Less effort.  Less distraction.  It seems in today's world, there is no shortage of content on how to be more productive in your life and in your work.

The problem with all this great advice, systems, and hacks is knowing which ones to implement and how to implement them.  A lot of the advice given is either too complicated or things most people already know and do (or at least attempt to).

We make things more complicated than they have to be.  Maybe that is the reason, there are endless articles on the subject.  For me, it has always been about keeping it simple.  The good old 80/20 rule or more often the 90/10 or 95/5 rule.  Out of all the things you do and can do to be more productive, there are only a few that truly work for YOU.  The last part is important because what works for someone else may not work for you and your style of doing things.

So, in order to get more productive, first, you need to decide on what types of things that work for you and, second, narrow them down to the 2-3 most important ones.

Here are hacks that I have found work especially well for me and help me to run multiple businesses across the world while still training for Ironman Triathlons daily, and that give me time with my family every day.

1.)  Know Your Peak Times

Peak times are the times at which you are most productive and at your best.  For me, my first peak time is from 5:30am to about 8am.  I eat a good , solid breakfast and rock things to the quiet of the morning.  By 8am, I need a break, so I go train for 2 hours or so.  My next peak time is 11am -noon.  I am refreshed from training and alert.  I usually schedule sales or negotiation type meetings at this time, or any type of meeting that requires me to have high emotional intelligence and think well on my feet.  I then go to lunch and work on any more mundane items until 2pm,  From 2pm-5pm, I schedule any other meetings, do planning, and focus on setting up myself for a great next day.

The point I want you to take from this is to understand when you are at your best and be deliberate in how you manage yourself around these times to get more done.

2.)  Focus and Remove Distraction

When you are going to do work in your peak times, do it with intention.  In order to be your best, you must focus.  Do not multi-task or put distractions in your way.  Remove everything that you know will keep you from getting to your task at hand - which should be your most important task that you can do at that time.

3.)  Set time Limits

Oh, the magic of the deadline.  It keeps you in check.  For example, I set 30 mins to write and create this blog post.  I set the timer on my desk, threw on my headphones, turned off email and other distractions, and got going.  I was done in 26 minutes.  4 to spare.  Setting deadlines holds you accountable and keeps you on track.  Make sure to put them in place during your peak times for your tasks.

I have found that these 3 productivity hacks are pretty universal and can be used by anyone.  Even more important, they are ones that you can implement and start doing today.  So, get going.  You'll be amazed at how much more you get done.