Author: Thomas Crown

Do you know anybody who’s not busy? Most of us wake up each morning facing crammed calendars and mile-long to-do lists.  Here are the top ten tips that help me get things done that I must or want to do without losing my mind:

1. Write It Down.

Write down every task, every commitment. This frees your mind from the energy- and attention-sucking job of trying to remember.  David Allen (Getting Things Done) points out how uncompleted commitments take up psychic energy. Each commitment makes you a bit more tired, more distracted, and thus, less productive.  The first step in managing your time is moving every commitment out of your head and into a trusted system. I use Evernote to capture these commitments, but you can start with a simple pen and paper.

2. Get a Head Start.

The best way to hit the ground running is to start the night before. Before leaving your workspace take 15 minutes to look over the next day’s commitments. What appointments can’t be missed? What do you need to have with you for those appointments? (Make sure you’ve gathered those materials and have them ready to go.) What one to three tasks must get done? Decide what you’ll do first. Look at the task list and decide whether any tasks can be delegated, or crossed off the list altogether.

The busier your day, the more important it is to do this quick survey the day or evening before. You won’t waste time in the morning deciding where to start, or gathering materials.

3. Do Your Most Dreaded Task First

Every one of us has one or more tasks on our to-do list that we dread doing. Maybe it’s that unpleasant phone call you don’t want to make. Or that budget analysis you’ve been putting off because you don’t know how to start. Or that project that just overwhelms you because it’s so massive. Whatever it is, it distracts you with guilt because it keeps getting pushed to the next day and the next. It’s time to end that cycle. Do it first thing.  Do something about that overwhelming task. Maybe you can’t finish it in one day, but you can at least get started. Whatever it is, just do it. Then let the satisfaction of crossing it off your list carry you into the rest of your busy day.

4. Turn Off Distractions.

One of the major productivity killers is the distraction of constant interruptions.  Today, emails, phone calls, shared links, people appearing at your cubicle, all are distractions.  The technology that is supposed to improve our lives can make it difficult for us to maintain focused attention. But here’s the thing: you can control that technology. When you’ve got an important task that requires focus, create the space to give it your best.  Shut down your phone (or at least turn off the ringer). Silence your email alerts. Disconnect the internet (or at least Facebook and Twitter). Close your office door.  Give yourself thirty minutes or an hour of undisturbed time to focus on the matter at hand.

5. Take Breaks.

There’s a limit to how long anybody can devote deep focus to a task. No matter how busy you are, after a certain amount of time the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Mental or physical fatigue starts to impair your effectiveness.  So schedule periodic breaks even during the busiest days. Take ten minutes to stand up, stretch, get a drink of water, walk around the block. You’ll return to your work refreshed and ready to be even more productive.

6. Batch Process.

If the demands of your day include routine tasks, do similar tasks at certain times during the day.  Answering emails? Returning phone calls? Entering expenses into a spreadsheet? Instead of interrupting your other tasks to do these things piecemeal, batch them. Set two or three times a day to check and respond to emails. Return phone calls in the early afternoon. By batching similar tasks, you save the time lost to ramping up many times a day and reap the benefits of momentum.

7. Eat Breakfast

There are countless studies confirming the importance of breakfast for maintaining our health. Healthy people are more productive. No matter how busy you are, eat a decent breakfast. It’ll fuel you for a terrific start to your day.

8. Get Some Exercise

Healthy people are more productive. Exercise makes you healthier, so be sure to get some exercise every day. You don’t need to spend hours at the gym to get the benefit of this.  Take a walk around the block, or do some isometrics at your desk. Just do something to get your heart pumping and your blood racing. It will enhance your general well being as well as your ability to think clearly.

9. Delegate

I hate to ask for help, and often it seems more trouble to explain a task to someone else than to just do it myself. But not everything that needs to be done in your life must be done by you. Check that to-do list carefully. What tasks could someone else do, thereby freeing you up to focus on the things only you can do? Look around you: who is available to do some of those tasks? A secretary? A colleague? A family member? A paid helper? An important key to productivity is doing only those things that only you can do. Give somebody else the opportunity to contribute by doing those other tasks.

10. Say No

How many commitments have you made that don’t really need to be kept at all? Have you taken on tasks that don’t actually matter to you or anybody else? Has your day been hijacked by somebody else’s priorities? If your calendar is jammed, if your to-do list is miles long, take ten minutes to look at each item. Can any of those appointments or tasks be removed to create some reasonable margin in your life?

When someone calls or asks you to take part in some activity, consider if it fits into your own priorities. If the answer is no, then just say no. Practice it ahead of time: “Thank you for inviting me, but no.” “Thank you for asking, but no.” “Thank you for thinking of me, but no.”