Becoming a parent is a game of efficiency. Your child needs to get picked up from daycare whether you’re finished with your work. I’m enthusiastic about all things productivity, and nothing is more satisfying than checking off a to-do list.
Over the years I’ve discovered certain hacks that save me precious time. I share them with you…
Delegate
If the task at hand involves research, admin stuff, or even things you don’t like or are not great at…delegate. You should be focused on tasks that bring in money, highlight your strengths and help you grow. I love using Upwork, where I have a slew of individuals who specialize in a variety of strengths from research, data entry, transcribing, and more. It’s my small army around the world that helps me get the job done for a relatively low cost.
End of Day Routine
I schedule 30 minutes at the end of each day to do an “end-of-day close-out routine.” This includes reviewing and following up on important emails, checking tomorrow’s calendar, and updating my to-do list for the following day. I do this religiously. Therefore, when I get to my desk the next day, I know exactly what I need to do and am prepared for the day ahead.
Check Email Between Big Tasks
We all know email is a huge time suck and now enter Slack and Teams, it’s amazing we get anything done. I have made it a goal to remove all notifications and sound when working on an important project. I try to knock out 1-3 important items on my list and then take a peek at my email. By constantly going from one task to another, it causes us to work harder and longer. Get into a flow state by reducing distractions as much as possible. You can also do what productivity hacker, Tim Ferris of the 4-hour Workweek does. Ferris only checks his emails twice a day. If you’re worried you’ll miss out on an important email, take a tip from Ferriss and set up automatic responders. These automated messages will alert the person reaching out to you that you’re only checking email twice a day and that if it’s a truly urgent matter to call.
Create a To-Do List and Prioritize it
Part of my end-of-the-day routine includes writing out my to-do list. But then I go a step further, I number the order in which each item needs to get done. Sometimes our to-do lists are so long, that we don’t know where to begin. This prioritized list creates enhanced efficiencies and allows you to go from one task to the next without question.
Lump Meetings Together
I try to avoid meetings in the morning when I am more energized and willing to get challenging tasks done. Therefore, I attempt (notice the word attempt, as it’s not a perfect system) to schedule my meetings in the afternoon.
Automate
Take some time to look at your day-to-day tasks and see if any of those action items can be automated. Zapier.com is a great tool for automation with a myriad of ways to take stuff off your plate. For example, automatically adding emails to your newsletter or sending an email when a new contact is added to an excel sheet. You would be surprised how much time you save when you use automated platforms.
Bonus hack: Listen to the professionals. I am a huge fan of the podcast, The Productivity Show. They provide chock-full of advice, hacks, and tools to become more productive at work and in life. Available on where you get your podcasts.
Is there a productivity hack that you have discovered? I’d love to hear. Share it in the comments below.
