Making the Most of Your Time: 5 Productivity Tips Top to Live By

It’s not enough to dream of success. It’s not even enough to set goals.

The only way to truly achieve your dreams and build the business you’re meant to build is to sit down and just do it.

And that’s where many of us…well, fail is a strong word. But it’s the doing that trips us up more times than not.

We overbook our calendars until today’s to-dos become next week’s past dues. We procrastinate on the things that are important while attending to things that are merely “nice to do.” And sometimes we simply take on too much—even when we know better.

The answer? Embrace these five productivity hacks to get more done in less time.

1. Rituals and Habits: Simply put, a ritual or habit is a consistent way of doing something. You have a morning ritual (wake up, brush your teeth, work out, shower, and head to work), evening ritual (check homework, tuck the kids in, watch the evening news, and hit the sack), weekend ritual (sleep late, mow the lawn, catch a movie, visit your mum), and many others.
   
   The trouble is, if you’re not careful with your rituals, they can turn into productivity killers. Is checking Facebook or email a part of your morning ritual? Is turning on Skype a part of your at work ritual? Distractions such as these can turn even your best intentions into hours of wasted time.
   
   Take a good look at your rituals. What are you doing that you should not be - or that should be moved to another part of your day? Make your rituals more efficient, and you’ll automatically get more done.
   
2. Calendar Management: Want to know how much time you really have available for that new project? Try blocking off time in your calendar for all your existing client work and other tasks. Fill in all your client calls, your business administrative tasks, time for meals and breaks, outside appointments, and everything else you’re committed to. What’s left might just shock you.
   
   Make it a habit to block time in your calendar for every commitment, and you’ll never again over-promise or over-commit.
   
   
3. Learn to Let Go: Here’s a news flash. You do not have to do everything in your business. You can (and should) hand off those low-level tasks to someone else. Hire a VA to create your documents and manage your calendar. Let your tech support person manage your blog and email.  The time you free up will allow you to work on what’s truly important—and that only you can do.
   
   
4. Work Hard, Play Harder: You are not a machine. You cannot work all day every day and hope to be at your best all the time.
   
   Take a day off. Get some rest, or relax on a long, slow hike. Take a friend out to lunch. Go shopping with your kids. See a movie or a play. Do something - anything - other than work.
   
   Not only will you return to the office feeling much more refreshed, but you’ll find yourself more creative and productive than before as well.
   
   
5. Focus: Multi-tasking is impossible. You cannot efficiently file a VAT return while you’re simultaneously surfing Facebook, keeping an eye on the kids, and answering the phone every time it rings.

Instead, use your calendar to block time off for important tasks, then turn everything else off so you can focus. No phone, no Facebook, no kids or husbands or neighbours or pets demanding “just a minute” of your time. Tune everything out, and you’ll find your work getting done much faster.

Managing your time and turning up your productivity is not something that comes naturally to most people, but when you learn to master this skill, you’ll find your business grows right along with you.