Life Hacks: 10 Ways To Increase Productivity at Work, at Home, Anywhere

by Sydney Hazelton in Advice, May 14, 2008

Having not enough time is a very common complaint. I have read many books preaching different methods and ways on how to increase productivity. Here are my top 10 strategies to be more effective and efficient at all times.

Eliminate unimportant tasks

There are many tasks which we all have to get done by the end of a day. In the midst of rushing to complete all of them, we have to simply eliminate the unimportant task. Evaluate each task that you do in a day. There are bound to be many tasks which will not have any effect on the bottomline. So, cut down on unimportant ones.
Two-minute rule

If a task is important and needs to get done, ask yourself whether you can complete it in 2 minutes. If yes, do it immediately or as soon as you think about the task. If you can reply to an important e-mail in two minutes and you’re already at the computer, do it. By following this simple two-minute rule, you will find yourself having more time to complete other stuff.
Set short deadlines

Give yourself shorter deadlines so that you will remain on task and focused. There is a tendency for all of us to waste time when there is a lot of time given to complete an assignment or a project. Very often, we push the task right to the back of our mind and forget about it until it’s a few days towards the deadline. Even though we can still complete it in time, imagine what more we could do if the task could be completed in the shortest possible time.
Limit important tasks in a day

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I would suggest to limit the important tasks to just three each day. Ask yourself which tasks, if completed, would make you really satisfied and happy. These are the things which you have to complete and try to do them early in the day, when you are at your most energetic and raring to go.
Set short-term goals

I’m done with long-term goals. I have no idea what I will be doing 10 years down the road. But I know what I want to do in the next few weeks and months. I feel more motivated when I am engaged in short-term projects instead of long-term ones. This is primarily due to the fact that I lose interest very quickly. I may feel very excited about one thing this week but the excitement wanes towards the second week. So, to keep myself focused, I give myself projects which can be completed very quickly, preferably within a week or two, or at most a month. That keeps me going.
Cut down phone calls

If you’re at work, make sure that each call has a purpose. No more socializing or gossiping with your colleague. Get to the point and make excuses to shorten the call if the other party wishes to drag it.
Cut down meetings

I have realized how pointless meetings can be. Meetings are such a waste of time, really. There are many things which can be discussed over the phone or via e-mail, instead of face-to-face meetings. There is time wasted in coordinating and setting a meeting date and time, preparing an agenda, and getting people to be on time for the meeting. Meetings tend to drag on longer than necessary. As far as possible, use the phone or better still, send a well-constructed e-mail to discuss issues. Some meetings are unavoidable. So, try to set the end time of the meeting before it starts and everyone will remain focused on agenda at hand.
Check e-mail once a day

Limit checking of e-mails to once or twice a day at most. Switch off e-mail alerts and concentrate on tasks at hand. They are just distracting you from the important things you need to accomplish. Another tip is not to check your e-mail in the morning. That is when most people start to e-mail others. You will realize that you will continue to have a stream of e-mails throughout the day. Try checking at noon and just before you leave for the day. These two times are the best because at noon, people are done e-mailing and you just need to take note or reply quickly with little distraction. In the evening, you may just want to make sure that there is no urgent task which needs to be completed before you head home.
Am I inventing things to avoid the important?

From time to time, you have to ask yourself whether you are inventing things to do, just to avoid doing the important tasks. This happens to me all the time. I will want to check e-mail to see if this person has replied (even though I just checked like two minutes ago) or give some excuses to avoid doing the more important things. Remind yourself about this several times throughout the day.
There must be a better way

At all times, you have to ask yourself whether there is a better way of doing things. Highly likely, there are more effective and more efficient ways to handle a particular task. So, keep improving.