Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts

10 Great Leaders Share How to Get More Done in a Day

If you're like me, there are always more tasks than there is time, so I look for ways to be more productive.

Recently I read an article in Business Insider that shared some of the ways great leaders get more done in a day.

Dustin Moskovitz, one of the co-founders of Facebook and CEO of Asana, doesn't schedule any meetings on Wednesdays.  He says it's an invaluable tool for ensuring he has some contiguous space to do project work.

Beth Doane, founder of an apparel line called Raintees, let's all of her non-scheduled calls go to voice mail.  She sets aside time at the end of the day to sort through the calls and return the ones that are needed.

Jamie Wong, founder of a travel firm called Vayable, schedules three non-work-related activities each week that nothing can interfere with.  She commits to one activity in each of the catergories, "Create," "Love," and "Grow."

Joe Silverman, founder of New York Computer Help, has his own rewards system for achieving goals that he sets.  An example would be to complete a sales goal and get a coffee from Starbucks.

Tracy DiNunzio, founder and CEO of Tradesy, works from home one day a week.  She carves out time blocks throughout the day to focus on whatever is at the top of her to-do-list.

Bobby Harris, founder and president of BlueGrace Logistics, keeps meetings as short as possible.  He never accepts a meeting without a clear agenda and then asks how long they need.  Then he cuts the amount of time in half.  He says to start and stop your meeting on time, every time.

James Borow, co-founder and CEO of Shift, sets aside emails that aren't related to his to-do list.  He says to  treat your email as a to-do list as opposed to just reacting all of the time.

Rob Israel, co-founder of Doc Popcorn, starts each day with a two-word mantra.  He sets aside quiet time each morning to think about what the two words will be...based on what is needed that day.  And example would be the words "peace and play" or "calm and strength."

Lucas Donat, founder and CEO of Tiny Rebellion, gets his hardest work done before other people get up.  4-7 a.m. is the time when he does his hardest work.  He says it allows him to start his day with a sense of accomplishment. 

Robert Kirkman, creator of the comic book and TV series The Walking Dead, creates a sense of false urgency for himself.  He tells himself he has to write 12 pages of script a day, when in actuality he only needs to write 5.  But the sense of urgency he has created causes him to write at least 7-8 pages. 

What are some other productivity tips you use or have read about?  Share them with everyone in the comment section below.

7 Apps That Will Help You Be More Productive

With the right apps, technology can help you be much more productive.

Here's 7 apps that will save you time and help you get more done.

Buffer 
You can use this app to schedule your social media posts and it will post for you.

Coffitivity
Do you like working while sitting in Starbucks?  Is the ambiance of a coffee shop your sweet spot for productivity?  Can't always make it there?  Bring the background noise to your office with this app.

Do Nothing for 2 Minutes
Need to unwind or gather your thoughts after a tough meeting or hours of intense work?  This app will help you unwind.  Sit back and relax...and if you touch your computer before the 2 minutes is up, it will scold you.

Evernote
This simple note-taking app organizes your notes, allows you to search for text within an image, captures everything from PDF to web pages and even has a webclipper so you can save anything you see online with a single click.

FocusWriter
Need  to write a lesson, skit or letter?  FocusWriter provides a simple, distraction-free writing environment.  You get a nice, full-screen blank canvas.  It also includes timers, alarms, goal setting, themes, typewriter sound effects, statistics and spell checking.
Google Docs is a great platform for collaborating on projects or editing documents between your computer, your tablet, and your smartphone. 
This is an organizational tool that will help you organize your personal to-dos, collaborate on team projects, take notes, write research papers, keep a journal, plan a huge event and much more.

Your turn.  What are some other apps that help you be more productive?  Share them with us in the comment section below.

3 Simple Ways to Get More Done

Want to get more done?  Here's three simple steps that will increase your productivity. 

Pick up the phone instead of sending an email. 
If the email is more than a short paragraph, it needs to be a quick phone call instead.  Stop writing email "books" and take care of it with a quick phone call.

Eliminate some meetings. 
Don't meet just to meet.  When you do meet, don't spend half your time "shooting the breeze."  Take care of business and dismiss.

Spend your time on big impact items.
The bigger the impact, the more time you want to spend on it.  The less the impact, the less time you want to spend on it.

Pour your time into the things that will produce the biggest results.  Small details matter, but delegate them to others.

Remember the goal is not to be busy...but to be effective.  They're not the same thing.

Your turn.  What are some other simple ways to get more done?  Share with us in the comment section below.

How to Increase Your Productivity...Get More Done in Less Time

Everyone wants to be more productive.  Getting more work done is very appealing, but how to do it is not always clear.  This infographic will help you optimize your time by following your body's natural time clock.

A Productive Day