Category Archives: Time Management

Even the most successful people have had their struggles with productivity. If they didn’t, then there wouldn’t be the insurmountable resources available at their disposal. But, whether it’s a book, video, podcast, or article like this one — the quest to produce more in less time goes on forever. Here are 20 one-minute hacks that will boost your productivity.

Here’s the thing though. Boosting your productivity doesn’t have to some grand, life-altering spectacle. In fact, sometimes the most powerful methods are the smallest ones. Case in point? The following 20 hacks that only take around a minute to complete, but will definitely give you that much-needed productivity boost.

1. “What’s one thing I’m committed to doing today?”

When you wake-up in the morning don’t look at your phone. After all, it will make you more stressed out and overwhelmed, as well as more difficult to prioritize tasks. And, it can even make you feel like you’re already behind in your day.

A better idea is to ask one simple question, “What’s one thing I’m committed to doing today?” It’s a simple and effective way to focus and prioritize what’s most important. If you can’t just settle on one item, then consider creating a 1-3-5 to-do list. Here you would simply jot down one large task, three medium-sized tasks, and five small tasks that you want to complete.

2. Make your bed.

“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day,″ retired U.S. Navy Admiral Seal William H. McCraven said in a commencement speech at the University of Texas. “It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.

“And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed,” added McCraven. What’s more, research from the National Sleep Foundation has found that making your bed in the morning can lead to better rest at night.

3. Eat cake for breakfast.

“It doesn’t literally have to be cake,” says Beyond the Headline podcast host Jenna Abdou. But, “the point is to find a way to eat something that brings you joy in the morning.” Additionally, Abdou believes that this can also be used as a mindfulness exercise and help you practice gratitude — both of which boost your productivity.

Whatever you have for breakfast, Abdou says, “Savor it without using your phone or thinking about work and responsibilities.” Instead, “Enjoy the moment, and think about all of the things that are going right in your life.”

4. Disable notifications.

According to one study, it was found that when working in front of a computer, the average person gets distracted or interrupted every 40 seconds. That’s just mind0boggling. The easiest solution here would be to just turn off your smartphone or at least disable email, social media, or instant messaging notifications.

You can also set screen time limits on your Android or iPhone. Or, you can block apps or distracting websites at certain times using tools like Offtime, Freedom, Moment, or RescueTime.

5. Adopt positive affirmations.

“We tell ourselves things we want to believe and over time we convince ourselves that they are true,” explains Deanna Ritchie, Editor-in-Chief at Calendar. “If we allow ourselves to repeat self-deprecating thoughts, we will also start to believe these thoughts — even if they aren’t true.” Eventually, “These thoughts weaken our well-being and can lead to loss of motivation, decreased self-worth, and even depression.”

Want to counter this debilitating mindset? Repeat positive self-affirmations. In fact, research shows that these have the power to decrease stress, increase creativity, and improve problem-solving skills.

Deanna suggests that when you aren’t feeling motivated, try out the following four self-affirmations:

• “I Will Make Today a Great Day.”
• “I Have a Lot to Offer.”
• “I Will Never Give Up.”
• “I Am Imperfect, and That’s OKAY.”

6. Say “no” to at least three things.

I do this every Friday when planning out next week. I just scan my to-do-list and calendar. I then identify three commitments that aren’t worth my time. For instance, I could swap out an hour-long virtual meeting with a 15-minute phone call or not RSVPing to an event that I was on the fence about.

7. Abide by the two-minute rule.

Made famous by David Allen in “Getting Things Done,” this is a straightforward concept. If there’s something that takes you under two minutes to do, just do it instead of putting it off.

Moreover, as James Clear explains, you can also use this technique to stop procrastinating and form new habits. Examples would be reading one page of a book at night or tie your running shoes as opposed to proclaiming that you’re going to run 3 miles.

8. Work on Pomodoro time.

Hopefully, you’re aware of this popular time management strategy. If not, it’s where you break your time into 25-minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break. After four Pomodoros, you would take a longer break, like 15-minutes. The reason why this works is that it helps you eliminate burnout and manage distractions.

9. Apply the spider technique.

Another way to fight back against distractions? Try out the spider technique.

“If you hold a vibrating tuning fork next to a spider web, he will come out because he thinks it is a prey,” explains Sabine Staggl. Co-founder of Noisli. “If you repeat this over and over, the spider won’t come out anymore because he has learnt that there will be no prey waiting for him.”

“The same goes for your distractions,” adds Staggl. “You can train yourself and learn to not pay attention to the distractions around you.” And, you can do so by forcing yourself to re-focus, knowing your weaknesses, and avoiding them. For example, if noise is an issue, then you could invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

10. Optimize your life in seconds.

Here’s a common problem when it comes to productivity. We tend to add things to our life. For example, because health plays such an integral role in how productive we are, you might begin an exercise regiment.

What’s the issue here? Well, if you’ve never made much time for physical activity before, then suddenly adding an hour to your day for this activity can be overwhelming. Instead, you make incremental improvements. In this case, you could walk when on the phone, go outside for one-on-one meetings, or invest in a standing desk.

Other suggestions would be learning keyboard shortcuts or avoiding Parkinson’s Law. You may also want to download time tracking software to help you see how you’re spending your time.

11. Try one-moment meditation.

Why should you meditate? Well, science shows that it has the ability to reduce stress, control anxiety, enhance self-awareness, and lengthen attention spans. But, that’s not all. It can also improve sleep, prevent age-related memory loss, and diminish the perception of physical pain.

Best of all? You can meditate anywhere. Seriously. Martin Boroson, Founder of the One Moment Company, states that instead of wasting time when stuck in traffic or waiting in-line, use that moment to find peacefulness and become more present.

12. Learn your ABCs.

As noted over at HBR, the ABC method is a quick and easy way to improve your focus and prevent distractions from interrupting you. First, you need to become aware of what’s distracting you. Next, breathe deeply. And, finally, choose what you want to do next thoughtfully.

13. Clear up your computer and desktop.

“A clean desk or desktop can be like taking a deep breath, allowing you to focus,” says psychologist Pamela Rutledge. On the flip side though, a cluttered one can make you feel anxious. It’s also much harder to locate items when you need them.

And, if you make this a daily habit, it will only take a moment to achieve. For example, throw away any trash that’s on your desktop, return items to their home, remove unnecessary desktop icons, and close tabs when not being used.

14. Eat, drink, and chew gum.

I’m talking about consuming “brain” food like blueberries, fish, and avocados. Staying hydrated and drinking coffee more strategically. And, when do need an energy boost, smell citrus or herbs like rosemary. These have been found to stimulate alertness and improve focus.

And, when all else fails, chew a piece of gum. It’s very simple. But, this can increase the flow of oxygen to parts of the brain in charge of attention.

15. Look at a photograph.

“When I face a tough decision, I look at a picture of myself as a toddler that I carry in my wallet,” said Google Associate Product Marketing Manager Martin Aguinis. “I ask myself, ‘Am I making this younger version of me proud?’”

“Looking back at this picture reminds me that I need to compete with myself to produce more,” adds Aguinis.

If that’s not your cup of tea, then view images of cute animals like puppies. As one study shows, this can improve your focus since it can make us more alert and engaged.

16. Delegate by following the 70 percent rule.

As you know, delegation is a tried and true way to free-up your time. But, what tasks should you hand-over to others?

Don’t spend too much time thinking about this. Instead, follow the 70 percent rule. In a nutshell, this means that if 70 percent of something can be done better by someone else, then delegate the responsibility to them. Like, I know a little bit of coding. But, when it comes to troubleshooting my company’s app, I have more talented developers work on it.

17. Automate recurring tasks.

For all of those tedious and recurring tasks you have, use a tool like IFTTT or Zapier to automate them. One example could be having a recently published WordPress article automatically shared on your social channels.

18. Use dictation.

According to a study from Stanford, speech-to-text is three times faster than writing. So, consider using your voice to add calendar entries or compose messages or to-do-lists.

19. Change-up your work location.

I’m known for working in multiple places throughout the day. Like I might work from my desk in the AM, but then get out of the office and work from a local cafe. Even if you can’t do that, at least experiment with different work stations in your office or home to keep you from falling into a rut.

20. End each day by asking “Did I do my best?”

To me, this reminds me of Ben Franklin’s daily routine. But, this technique has been used by freelance writer Daniel Dowling to replace ambitious and unrealistic goals.

While it may seem vague, it completely transformed his productivity. “Without asking myself if I’d done my best each day, I’d either have wallowed in self-reproach or failed to reflect on my performance at all,” explains Dowling. “Instead, I’d turned self-criticism into a self-improvement habit.”

What do you think of when you hear the word “productivity?” I think for most of us, we conjure images of someone focusing on a task so intensely that they’ve entered a zombie-like form of meditative state. You might think of the type A personalities in your life who overwhelm you with their ambition, planning, overachieving, and urgency. Or, worst of all, because they’re all work and no play, they eventually go all Jack Torrance from The Shining.

Here’s the truth with productivity. While it does involve self-discipline, organization, and focus, that doesn’t mean you have to uptight. There are plenty of ways to get stuff done while still enjoying your life, and dare I say, have some fun along the way.

Kick-off your day with a pump-up playlist.

Creating and sticking to a morning routine is a common trait among the most successful and productive people. While everyone has their own unique ritual, it usually includes activities like physical activity, eating a healthy breakfast, reading, journaling, and setting a daily intention.

What else should be included? How about a playlist that gets you amped for the day? Research suggests that athletes who listen to motivational music during sports activities and exercise increase risk-taking behavior. Moreover, music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain. It can also improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. And, according to researchers at John Hopkins, music can keep your brain young.

Besides your morning playlist, you may also want to have some music playing in the background while working.

Savor victories.

There’s a tendency to jump from one task to the next. I get it. With so much to do, you have to take moving forward. Like Short Round proclaimed in Temple of Doom, “Hey, Dr. Jones, No time for love!”

But, what happens if you just keep on going lie the Energizer bunny? Well, you’re eventually going to lose your passion. Instead of doing something because you love doing it, you’re just going through the motions. And, even worse, that will cause you to burn out.

Regardless of how big or small, always celebrate your accomplishments. After all, celebrating your achievements changes your physiology and psychology for the better, strengthens bonds and attracts more success.

Pat yourself on the back and treat yourself. You don’t have to go overboard. But, take a break and purchase a latte or purchase a new book you’ve wanted to read. As for team accomplishments, something as simple as handwritten thank-you notes — or an office party, to team outings are all effective ways to celebrate.

Make your workspace your own.

“Research suggests that we are more productive when we are working in spaces that reflect who we are. We feel more comfortable with familiarity,” wrote Max Palmer in a previous Calendar article.

“You know yourself best, so do what inspires you and sparks your creativity,” explains Max. “Start with functionality: You need a comfortable chair and a desk with enough space to spread out.” Personally, I’m all about standing desks. Even if you feel the same, then pair that desk with an ergonomic chair. Or, swap the chair out entirely for an exercise ball — which has been found to increase productivity.

Next, consider the form. “Maybe that means pictures of your friends and family, or perhaps it means Christmas lights and posters of your favorite ‘80s rock band,” Max adds. I’m also a fan of small plants and keeping my desk clean with the help of a basketball wastebasket. “Whatever it is, it should make you feel proud of your space and fresh well into the afternoon.”

Switch-up your environment.

Even if you love your workspace, spending too much time there can put you in a rut. So, whenever you feel like you need to kick yourself into high gear, work from somewhere else. At the time of this writing, that’s not possible because of COVID-19. But, if you’re working from home, consider setting up shop in a different part of your house or sitting outside.

Once we get through quarantine, consider working from a coworking space, coffee shop, or any other location that inspires you. It depends on your personality. If you need to be outside, work from a bench in a park. Prefer silence? Your local library is a great option? I’ve even heard of people who enjoy working in a hotel lobby or bar.

Dream of gamification.

To be clear, there are several ways that you can gamify your work. For starters, you could have a healthy competition with your colleagues. Using data visualization, you can track each other’s progress and display leaderboards.

Other ideas to gamify your life are:

• Attaching rewards to lists, like taking a break about crossing off a to-do-list item.
• Engaging in time-based challenges, such as giving you 60-minutes to finish a task.
• Tapping into the element of surprise. You could send your team an unexpected gift or use dice to select your own reward randomly.
• Making deals with friends or co-workers. Add accountability by challenging you and someone to complete several commitments by a specific deadline.
• Using productivity apps. Download Habitica, Do-It-Now, Fitocracy, Productivity Challenger Timer, or Forest.

Get the most out of your breaks.

As noted earlier, you can’t work nonstop. You need to take frequent breaks to refresh and recharge. The key is to use this downtime wisely. Examples could be finding a sense of calm by meditating, taking a nap, or finding a creative outlet like writing. These activities can help put your mind and body at ease while also keeping you in the present.

You could also use this time to take a walk outside, exercise, engage with a hobby, or play a game. All are effective ways to blow off some steam and clear your head.

Socialize with your team or co-workers more often.

If self-isolating has taught us anything, it’s the importance of spending time with others. I mean, we’re social creatures, so it’s good for us emotionally, mentally, and physically. There was even prior research that “people who have a ‘best friend at work’ are not only more likely to be happier and healthier, they are also seven times as likely to be engaged in their job.”

So, take the time to get to know your co-workers. Have lunch with them, go on breaks together, and collaborate on projects. When appropriate, have some fun, like challenging each to some sort of competition, like a dance-off or fantasy football, and participate in team-building activities. And, it wouldn’t hurt to socialize outside the workplace as well.

Bring-in your four-legged best friend.

As a dog owner, I was thrilled about this as one study found that office dogs can reduce stress, increase productivity, and improve communication among team members. Furthermore, studies conducted at Miami University of Ohio show “pet owners are happier and healthier, have better self-esteem, and suffer less depression than those who don’t own pets.” And, researchers from Central Michigan found “that dogs fostered trust and collaboration among colleagues.”

Have snacks on standby.

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to bring some joy into the workplace is through food. In fact, according to SnackNation, “67% of full-time employees with access to free food at work are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ happy at their current job.” So. whether if it’s for your home office or for your entire team, have plenty of snacks available. Need some ideas? Well, here are 100 healthy snacks that will boost productivity.

Stop being productive and enjoy yourself.

“There’s too much emphasis these days on productivity, on hyper-efficiency, on squeezing the most production out of every last minute,” write Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.

As a consequence, we’ve “forgotten how to relax. How to be lazy. How to enjoy life.” So, Leo purposes that as opposed to increasing productivity, “it’s good to Get Less Done, to relax, to breathe,” occasionally — like when you can’t get motivated.

“Sure, we need to produce sometimes, especially if we have to pay the bills, but an obsession with productivity is unhealthy,” he explains. “When you can’t get yourself to be productive, relax” and enjoy yourself. “Let go of the need to be hyperefficient” and feeling guilty.

If that seems impossible, don’t worry about it. Just breathe and take it one step at a time. Some ideas would be to spend more time outside, allowing more time to complete tasks, and surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people.

“Step by step, learn to relax,” adds Leo. “Learn that productivity isn’t everything” and that “you don’t need to fill every second with work.” But, when it’s time to get stuff done, “get excited, pour yourself into it, work on important, high-impact tasks … and then relax.”

Whether you call them your golden hours or peak work times, or biological prime times, these are when we have the most concentration and energy. As such, we shouldn’t waste these hours. Instead, we should spend them on our most important and challenging tasks. But, before we get there, we first need to identify when you’re actually the most productive.

The most productive hour, day, week, and month of the year.

You likely already know when your most productive time is. For example, I’m a morning person, and wake-up at 5:15 am every day. Because of this, I’m more alert in the A.M. But, I also have also worked with people who are night owls, and forcing themselves to wake-up as early as I do would be counterproductive.

However, after analyzing 1.8 million projects and 28 million tasks gathered from Priceonomics customer Redbooth, says that the most productive time of year is at 11 am on a Monday in October.

That timeframe is extremely specific, but they also found “that most people don’t really get going until 7 am (a typical start time). The study shows that after 5 pm (typical finish time), work quickly tapers.”

However, the “percentage of tasks completed (9.7%) peaks at 11 am — just before the typical person takes lunch.” The data has shown that productivity takes a hit between 11 am and 1 pm, “and after 1 pm, productivity never quite returns to its peak.”

“The highest percentage of tasks (20.4%) are completed on everyone’s favorite day of the week: Monday,” Priceonomics reveals. “Tuesday (20.2%) is just behind — and after that task completion perfectly tapers off as the days progress toward the weekend.” Fridays are “nearly 20% less productive than Monday.”

“We complete far more tasks in the latter months — September (8.8 percent), October (9.5 percent), and November (9 percent) — than in the earlier months,” notes the post. “We only complete 7.2 percent of our yearly tasks in January,” The reason?

Priceconmics suspects that it “maybe because the early year is typically for setting goals, not completing them — and as we near year’s end, we’re struggling to get everything done.” You have to learn how to work smarter — not harder.

How to find your most productive hours.

Hopefully, the data from Priceconomics can be of use. For example, instead of scheduling a meeting on Monday mornings, you do that on Friday afternoons when most of us aren’t as productive.

But what if you want to find out when you’re most productive? Well, here is a simple process that can help you figure this out.

Choose a time tracking period.

The first step you need to take is to determine when you want to start tracking your time and for how long. Some suggest that you can get away with just tracking your time for a week. But I disagree. The longer you follow your time, the more accurate of a picture you’ll have. Ideally, you should do this for 30 days.

Get the right tools.

You can honestly stay old school and use a pen and paper for this activity. You could also use a notebook or index cards. Other options would be creating a spreadsheet (or this one from Chris Baily) or premade worksheets like the 168 Hours Timesheet.

If you prefer to go digital, you may want to try out time tracking tools. Some of the best available are RescueTime, Clockify, Toggl, or ATracker — and of course, Calendar.

Maintaining your time log.

Here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, actually tracking your time.

Jeremy Anderberg writes that there are two necessary frameworks for tracking your time. The first tracking is using the time of day. If you go this route, “you’ll write down your activity for a set chunk of time, say 9–9:15 am. Set a timer for every 15 minutes (at first, at least; it can be longer as you’ve gotten into it), and take a quick second to jot down what you’ve been doing.”

The second is by the task. “With this method, you’ll go about your day and activities as normal, and simply write down what time you change tasks and start something new,” explains Anderberg.

Jeremey suggests that you try both out and see what works best for you. “For my first few days of time-tracking, I did so by the task. I’d write down, to the minute, when I started and stopped doing something and moved on to a new activity.” For him, this helped “figure out how long things actually took, and how my day was naturally being structured

“After that, I went into tracking by time increments, which is more useful for planning purposes, understanding what times of day you’re more likely to waste time, how to structure your breaks, etc.,” he adds. “Another benefit is that when you have a timer to “remind you to write down what you’ve been doing, it re-focuses you if you’ve gotten off track.”

Regardless of which approach you take, there are some essential things to keep in mind:

• Be honest and consistent.
• Record your activities in real-time.
• Note when you start and end an activity, as well as the duration.
• Be meticulous and include as many details as possible. For instance, instead of just writing done “working,” record the specific thing that you were doing. But, you don’t have to be perfect.
• Don’t just focus on your workday. Create categories and subcategories for home, family, social, commuting, and health and wellness.
• Make sure that you write down how you feel for each activity.
• Leave room for additional notes like what interrupted you or if a task took you longer then expected to complete.

Chris Bailey, the author of “The Productivity Project,” also suggests that you eliminate factors that may affect your productivity, such as caffeine, diet, waking up without an alarm, or staying up too late. He also recommends keeping a log of your energy levels every hour.

After you’ve done this for around month, go ahead, and analyze your data. Pay close attention to patterns — primarily when there’s a surge or dip in focus or energy. For most of us, because of ultradian rhythms, this would be after working for 90 to 120 minutes.

You should also be on the lookout for how much time you’re dedicating to low, medium, or high impact activities and where you can improve. Think about using time tracking — don’t think of it as time policing.

How to create more “peak” hours during the day.

That may seem like a lot to take in. But, after a week or two, tracking your time should become a habit. But, the main takeaway here is that you also listen to your gut. As I’ve said, you probably have a clue when you’re most productive without having to track your time. But, it’s still worth doing to see what exactly you’re doing and spending your time.

Knowing this, you can then use your “peak” hours more wisely. For me, I’m ready to tackle the day before 8 am. So, I block out from 8 am to 10 am for the most critical task of the day in my calendar. I then take a 30-minute break and get back to work until noon.

Since my energy may start dropping by then — my afternoons are spent on lower energy tasks like meetings. Then I have a snack later in the afternoon, take a break, get revived, and get going again for several hours.

I’ve also been able to create more “peak” hours in the day by taking care of my health — mainly getting enough REM sleep, eating a nutritious diet, and finding ways to relieve stress like meditating and exercising. The reason? All of these can impact your productivity.

Additionally, I also remove the unnecessary items from my calendar. The easiest way to do this is through delegation or dropping them entirely. It’s an effective way to ensure that you aren’t wasting your golden hours on things that aren’t important.