Adapted from an article by Jeff Haden published June 14 on Linkedin. Haden is a speaker and a contributing editor for Inc. Magazine.
And there is more.
8. Rework your morning routine.
“Then make sure you can get to that task as smoothly as possible. Pretend you’re an Olympic sprinter and your morning routine is like the warm-up for a race. Don’t dawdle, don’t ease your way into your morning, and don’t make sure you get some ‘me’ time.”
9. Refine one repetitive task.
“Think of a task you do on a regular basis.”
“Now deconstruct it. Make it faster. Or improve the quality. Pick something you do that has become automatic and actively work to make it better.”
10. Eat one meal differently.
“Eating can take up a lot of time, especially if you eat [in restaurants].”
“Pick one meal to eat efficiently. Turn 30 to 60 minutes of dead time into 10 minutes of refueling and recharging. Bring something healthy you can eat at your desk like a salad or fruit. Use that meal to fuel up in a healthy way. Then move instantly on to doing something productive.”
“You’ll feel better. And you’ll get more done.”
11. Outsource one task.
“I was raised to think that any job I could do myself was a job I should do myself.”
“Then I realized the kid down the street could cut my grass. He could use the money. I could use the time.”
12. Fix that one thing you tend to screw up.
“I’m terrible about putting meetings and phone calls on my calendar. I figure I’ll get to it later … and then I never do. Then I spend way too much time, often in a panic, trying to figure out when and where and who.”
“All that time is wasted time. So I committed to a process, not a goal. I immediately enter every appointment into my calendar the moment I make it — regardless of what else I might be doing.”
13. Take advantage of your commute.
“Make it productive instead. Review your to-do list and think of the best way to knock off those tasks. Listen to a podcast or audiobook.”
14. Pick one task during which you won’t multitask.
“Plenty of research says multitasking doesn’t work.”
“I feel sure there is at least one thing you do that is so important you should never allow a distraction or a loss of focus.”
“Choose an important task and when you perform it, turn everything else off.”