12 tips to improve productivity, allowing you to control your work day

If you have to scrutinize your attention during the day, these productivity tips will allow you to keep control over your working hours .

1. Start your work day by asking yourself the question: “What ONE thing could I do today for no more than 30 minutes, which will have the greatest impact on my business?” Then do this one thing before you start the rest.
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I warn you: be extremely realistic about what you can do in 30 minutes. From a larger project, highlight one thing that you can handle in the allotted 30 minutes.

2. Each week, set aside a full 4-hour period (half a day) for important matters. In order to deal with issues that increase the value of a business, we need large periods of time, while for entrepreneurs, time is constantly being sprayed into small pieces.

Choose one day a week when you can set aside continuous 4 hours to do the most valuable work. At this time, turn off your email, lock the door, and perhaps even leave the office completely to work in a remote place where no one will be distracted.

3. Do the “worst thing” first. Instead of wasting your emotional energy, not daring to begin this item of the plan, ask yourself every morning: “What business from today's list scares me the most?”. And just do it - right away, on the spot. This will release a tremendous amount of energy that you can apply to other activities.

4. Focus on a few things that really matter. Most successful businessmen share the slogan: “Less is more, but better.”

Remember, your attention is not infinite, so distribute it intelligently. Concentrate on the best way to do 1-2 things, instead of doing ten things superficially.

It is often more expensive to do half the price than not to do at all. If this is an important task, complete it before moving on to the next.

5. Hire a personal assistant. Most people are afraid that they will not be able to provide sufficient load to a personal assistant. From the experience of working with thousands of business owners, I can say that the situation is almost always the opposite: your assistant will not have a disadvantage, but an excess of work.

You can charge him:

• organize your trip;
• find or organize your files;
• update your blog;
• keep a schedule of meetings;
• view incoming mail;
• invoice;
• troubleshoot computer problems when you are not in the office;
• record important dates and remind you of them;
• liaise with your team on key issues addressed at the meeting;
• etc.

6. Hire outside assistance for each job that costs less than $ 25 / hour so as not to be distracted from the main thing. For example, hire additional office staff; those who will carry and move things; those who will carry out your small assignments. It is important that the time saved can be reinvested in more valuable activities for the development of your company or in improving the quality of your personal life.

7. To reduce e-mail correspondence, do not rush to reply. Remember, the faster you answer, the more they will write to you again.

8. Do not use your inbox as a task list. Email is a great way to share information or make quick notes, but it’s not suitable as a task manager. To manage your plans, use the list or a special task manager application, not email.

9. If you make many appointments every month, consider using a special application that allows you to do this more efficiently. Only one such application now saves me 5 hours a week by reducing the planning work. (We recommend reading a useful article about 5 new mobile applications that increase your performance )

10. To save time, use several sample signatures in emails. They can be used to create letterheads and templates for duplicate emails that you or your employees send out.

11. Quench “recurring fires” forever. Find a systematic and permanent solution for three recurring problems that you regularly have to face. This can be done by eliminating the cause or instructing someone to work on these issues, having previously trained him. Remember, it is almost always better to prevent than to cure.

12. Increase your tolerance for not fulfilling unimportant tasks. Some things are just not important. What is your desire to put a tick in front of the next item in the task list? Often, the best way to accomplish a plan is to refuse to perform several tasks.

PS We recommend another article on the topic - Five misconceptions about productivity, which we inspire.

Translated by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult