Productivity Hacks for Success

Time is the greatest and most valuable resource. Once it’s gone, you can never get time back. Everyone wants more time. Here are essential productivity hacks to set you up for success to help give everyone time back in their day. Armed with these, you can ensure you focus on only value-added tasks.

SUCCESSFUL TOOL PRODUCTIVITY HACKS

• Invest in multiple monitors – Using a 2^nd, 3^rd, or even 4^th monitor will provide you with increased flexibility, improving your productivity.

• Perform a digital reorganization – Between emails, files, and our desktop, there can be a lot of clutter on our computers. Every so often do a digital reorganization, deleting what you no longer require, and filing away what you might want to keep. The more organized you are, the easier it will be trying to search for something next time.

• Protect your time – Block off your calendar. There are certain times of the day where you are more effective. Align tasks that require concentration to the times of day when you know you can focus. If you needed to be creative and know that early morning is your best time in that state, block it off in your calendar.

• Use email rules – Most emails don’t need to be answered right away, or at all, for that matter. When used correctly, email rules in Outlook can help with organizing your inbox, directing a particular email to specific folders. This is especially helpful for any distribution lists you might be included on, giving you the ability to check them later. For every rule you create, add an exception to ignore the rule if your name is in the TO or CC box. Doing so ensures you see the email as the sender called you out specifically.

• Create templates – If you find yourself saying that same thing in many emails to others, create templates. Instead of typing everything out in its entirety, a templated, canned response can save you significant time.

• Use the Dictate option in Microsoft Word – Do you have a large report or document you need to create? Instead of typing it, have you considered dictating it? Give it a try, and you will save time. It’s essential to make sure you edit the document before finalizing it. Use the “Read Aloud” option in Microsoft Word to hear how the document sounds, too.

• Use Grammarly – Don’t let simple mistakes ruin your credibility or message. Sometimes, you need a second set of eyes on a document or email before giving it to someone else. Grammarly can be that tool. It checks simple things like spelling and grammar while also offering you a host of other great features like style and vocabulary enhancements. I recommend integrating with both Outlook and Microsoft Word.

• Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint – Collaborating with team members can be frustrating when email is exclusively used to share documents. Use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or SharePoint to work more effectively. A system like SharePoint online can allow everyone to work on the same document at the same time.

SUCCESSFUL PROCESS PRODUCTIVITY HACKS

• Update your Stop List – Sometimes, you need to stop doing certain activities because they no longer provide value. After completing a time audit to understand better how you are spending your time, eliminate low-value items. Guaranteed, some activities can be stopped. There might be reports that you or your team have been creating that no one uses anymore.

• Be comfortable with declining meetings – Are you attending a meeting where you don’t think you need to be there? Decline it. What’s the point of attending something where you are not going to provide value?

• Minimize distractions, interruptions, and notifications – Every beep, ding, or disruption doesn’t require your immediate attention. Turn off your notifications on your phone when you are at work, so you use the time you have allotted effectively.

• Prioritize your most important work first – Set yourself up for a productive tomorrow. The night before, prioritize your most important work first that you need to accomplish. Focus on no more than 2-3 significant tasks that you want to achieve. Other distractions will pop up. If you try to tackle too much, there’s a good chance you won’t be successful.

• Meeting agendas – If you are setting up a meeting, ensure that there is always an agenda in place. No one wants to go to a meeting, unsure of what is being discussed. The agenda shouldn’t have any more than 4-5 items on it, too.

• Batch – Whenever possible, batch similar tasks together. Multitasking often isn’t productive, and in fact, switching between tasks slows you down.

• Use other communication methods instead of email – Use video or pick up the phone. Instead of going back and forth over email, creating a seemingly endless chain between you and others, pick up the phone, or use video chat. A few short minutes discussing something over the phone or virtually, can save you hours of back and forth emails.

• Set a goal of Zero Inbox – Some people express frustration with their workload, complaining about the number of emails in their inbox. They put in a crazy amount of additional hours, trying to catch up, feeling exhausted and burnt out. Little do they realize that they are feeling overwhelmed because their inbox is gross and chaotic. Clean up your inbox, deleting what you don’t need, filing others in folders you might want to keep. Mixed with using the right rules, then strive to get to Zero Inbox by the end of the week. You’ll feel less stressed and stretched, making you more productive.

PERSONAL SUCCESS PRODUCTIVITY HACKS

• Follow the Two-Minute Rule – If it takes less than two minutes to do, do it immediately. There’s no point in having small tasks left hanging around.

• Go for 90-days goals – A lot of changes occur in one year. If you operate in 90-day cycles for any goal or initiative, it’s a better time frame to work with. There’s less of a chance of starting something that could result in wasted effort.

• Leverage the power of delegation – You don’t need to do everything. Allow others to help you and grow as a result. Delegate tasks to others, freeing up capacity for yourself. Share responsibility with high-potential members of your team, as you see fit.

• Use short deadlines to maintain focus – Far too much time is given to accomplish specific tasks. With too much time available, many will procrastinate. Set shorter deadlines for yourself and your team. Doing so will ensure that what’s completed is only what’s needed and nothing more. Just be mindful to ensure that the deadlines are realistic.

• Maximize work from home days – This one depends on your organization, but if you can schedule at least one work from home day per month, do it. Some people can accomplish more in 1 day working from home than they can do in 3-4 days in the office. There are just too many distractions in the office.

• Always reward yourself – When you achieve certain milestones or have a productive day, reward yourself. Rewards don’t have to be significant either. If you use micro-rewards, it can help you improve your motivation and productivity.

• Schedule Personal Development Time – Pay yourself first. The same logic applies to time. You need to invest in yourself, scheduling time for personal and professional development. Schedule time each month for yourself. Even if it’s one hour, book it. Please don’t move it either or use it for completing other tasks.

With the time saved by leveraging the advice given from all these other productivity hacks, I hope you can find the time to prioritize yourself. Your productivity has a massive effect. Free yourself up, and achieve more by doing less.

For a regular dose of advice, tips, and tricks, follow me or my podcast, The Chris Hanna Show on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Let’s connect.