Hardest task first:
Within your quadrant 2 tasks, work on the hardest one when you wake up in the morning. With that out of the way, everything else becomes a breeze.Single-task:
If you are doing something which requires a high level of brain work, focus on doing it one at a time. Don’t try to multi-task and get nothing done in the process. For example, when I’m writing articles, I will focus solely on writing articles, since it requires thinking.Multi-task:
For the lower level, menial work which does not require much brain work. For example, if you are ironing your clothes, you can fit in other tasks, such as listening to podcasts.
Ditch the unimportant. If the work is a nice-to-do task and isn’t a need-to-do task, consider removing it altogether. Why waste your time doing something that’s not important? I’m constantly evaluating things I do to make sure they absolutely need to be done.
Bonus:
Using check boxes in your to-do list gives you the satisfaction of ticking against the item when you are done with it.If you have Live a Better Life in 30 Days Program, read Day 8: Evaluate Your To-Do List, where you learn how to create an effective to-do list marked by 20% high value tasks and 80% low value tasks.
Use a do-later list.
Throughout the day, there will be many things that demand your attention – usually small tasks that don’t take much time but aren’t majorly important. Put them in the do-later list and do them when you’re done with your big rocks.
Create your productivity system:
Earlier, I had a reader ask me the productivity system I use and what to recommend for him to increase his output. I shared there is basically no one system that works for everyone. The key is to experiment and create the system that works best for you. Read more: The Best Productivity System There Is
Efficient:
Be effective first, then be efficient. Effectiveness refers to doing the tasks that matter. Efficient means delivering higher output in lesser time. There’s no point in being efficient doing the non-value added tasks. Read more: Be the Master of Your Time.
Meditate:
It clears the mind, calms the soul, brings your awareness to your priorities and helps you to focus on whatever you are doing later on. I went to a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in ’09 and felt a big boost in momentum after I returned.
Clear your mind:
The higher your mental clarity, the more you can focus on your task, and the higher your productivity. I use an exercise I call brain dumping to clear our distracting thoughts and increase my mental clarity. Read more: Increase Your Mental Clarity in 15 Minutes. Another way is to meditate. It clears the mind, calms the soul, brings your awareness to your priorities and helps you to focus on whatever you are doing later on.
