7 Tips to Staying Productive. I mentioned in my previous article, The Time Management Myth, time can’t be managed but your actions and behaviors can.
I talked about how you can make a Top 6 List before you end your day.
Here are 7 more of the Top Productive Actions you can start taking today:
1) Turn Your Car into a Library
Between high school and college, I don’t think I finished 1 complete book, but because I have done the above since 2005 I have listened to over 150 books, articles, and seminars about building a business, investing, leadership, and internet marketing. Think about how much time you spend in the car each day, whether it is a commute for work or just running errands, it really adds up.
2) Schedule your email time and stick to the schedule.
I mentioned this briefly in my previous article but here is how you can take action and start today. First, turn off your alerts. How many times have you seen the pop up that notifies that you’ve got mail!? You click on it and before you know it you have already spent 10 minutes away from your most important task. Have set times that you will check and respond to your emails.
If not responding right away drives you crazy, then you can set an autoresponder that says you respond to your emails at certain times and will respond back to them at that time. If you can’t do that, then close out your email and keep it closed until you are at least finished with the task at hand. Take 5 minutes to respond to the most urgent email and get back to the next on your Top 6.
3) Unsubscribe to Newsletters and Email Lists
Since we are on the subject of emails. This is another one that can suck away your time. Even if it is just going through deleting your emails, this takes time away from other more important tasks. Only keep subscriptions that are vitally important and click unsubscribe to all the rest.
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4) Dido the email schedule with Phone Calls too.
I have set times for this too. I check my messages right when I walk in the office. I didn’t say I call them back, I just check them. I will then return the most urgent during a quick lunch break. And the rest at the end of the day. If a call comes in between those times. I don’t answer it. If it’s important they will leave a message or they will email and get your autoresponder.
5) Don’t Check Facebook During Working Hours
This is a must! Unless your work actually requires you to be on Facebook, don’t do it! This is a for sure way to get distracted. I don’t even set aside time for this during the day. I will check this in the afternoon or evening. If your work requires you to be on Facebook, then before you even log on, write down your objectives for being on Facebook, get them done, stay on target, and get off. By the way, the above goes for any other social media as well.
6) No thank you, but thanks for asking
When someone asks to go to grab some lunch, get coffee, or, my achilles heel, happy hour, you get excited. It’s nice to know others want to be around you. This is where your Top 6 really comes in to play. If they are not done yet, you cannot go, period. The more clear you are on your goals and priorities the easier it is to say no.
7) Up in the Morning with the Rising Sun
If the sun is out already when you are getting up, then it is too late. Books upon books have shown that the most productive and successful people get up early before everyone else. It’s a fact that you are at your best right after waking up from a good night’s sleep. Why let that go to waste? Get some of your most important stuff done during this time. You can be done with half your day before most people even start theirs.
Well there you have it. Stay productive. Stay Active. Finish your business.
If you found this helpful, if you have any other tips that have worked for you, or if you have any questions please comment below, it is greatly appreciated.
Jason
Founder
BestOnlineMarketingSystem.org
DANIEL says
Great Post and I like your choices of pictures . The topic is always actual as we need to focus on the work we want to get done and not to get distracted.
Jason says
Thx for reading and making a comment. Please comeback and visit, I will add new information every couple of days.
Cheers.
William Brown says
Boy you are doing very good at coming across with productive facts well structured and no misspelled words and you said you did this 6 out 7 in 30 minutes. You have me beat by a long stride. That was a job well done so you can be proud of yourself for the work you did in 30 minutes. I am going to have to try these 6 or 7 facts.
thanks
Willie
Jason says
You are too kind Willie. Yeah the biggest one that has helped me, is not checking my email or FB so much and doing tasks that actually grow my business! lol
Thx for reading and commenting!
Nigel says
Nice tips but I find it hard to ignore my emails, maybe I always think they’re important, most of the time they’re not! Cheers
Jason says
Lol, I hear you Nigel. I used to check my emails first thing in the morning….it became second nature. When I get into my office and grab my cup of coffee and click on my first email, I will now catch myself and say, “Wait a minute, where is my Top 6 list? I need to complete tasks that help grow my business before I start checking my email.”
For more info on what I mean about my Top 6 List read one my post “The Time Management Myth” and it will explain it further in detail.
Cheers.
Rufat says
Great tips Jason! I totally agree with you that when it comes to self discipline, most people fail to accomplish their daily tasks and this is one of the main reasons that people fail to achieve their goals. If you are a goal oriented person and stay productive, you can achieve in one year what others achieve for a couple years. And this is really very important. Especially, many people hang on social media sites instead of focusing on their own sites by creating quality and helpful content. I always try to follow tips that I found in your article and hope other people will benefit from your post. These tips come from experience and it’s always good to learn from others mistakes.
Jason says
Thanks Rufat, for your comments. I hope to continue to put out material that you and others will benefit from.
To our success!
Cathy says
Hi Jason,
I would like to echo what you have just discussed in this article.
1) I spend 30 minutes of commute to work and during that time, I listen to my web tutorials. So with a to and fro journey, I could complete an hour of video.
2) I do less email now that I have my blog. I spend more communicating with fellow bloggers and leaving useful comments/replies.
3) Already unsubscribed from most of them except for those whom I think could actually give me ideas on what to write for my blog article.
4) I don’t pick up phone calls – my receptionist does and she’ll only pass me the relevant ones.
5) I have stopped going on Facebook. Way too distracting.
6) Yes, I would love to – maybe twice a month now. Most people end up gossiping when they meet. Doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. I would rather get a few extra hours writing my blog.
7) My alarm has been set to 5 a.m. for the past one year. I spent at least 2 hours in the morning, working on my site before going to work. Fresh mind delivers fresh ideas indeed.
🙂
Jason says
Cathy, thanks so much for your feedback! And as I was reading your words, I had no doubt in my mind that you also are very successful in what you do too.
To our success!