{"id":15939,"date":"2022-03-09T09:56:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T17:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alejandrorioja.com\/blog\/?p=15939"},"modified":"2023-10-10T02:13:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T09:13:48","slug":"productivity-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alejandrorioja.com\/productivity-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Be Super Productive: Killer Productivity Tips 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Summary<\/h4>

Being productive is essentially a skill, and like any other skill, it can become better with practice. First, you have to pay attention to the internal productivity factors like having a routine that works for you, satisfying your physiological needs, doing breathing exercises, and waking up before everybody else. Once you\u2019re ready from within, you can start to implement external productivity factors like eliminating time wasters and toxic relationships, making quick decisions, using hardware and software tools like Trello, Asana, Slack, etc. Essentially, you have to self-discipline and figure out what works for you in terms of productivity. It might be challenging at first, but if you are persistent you will see great results.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Being productive is a skill, and like any skill it can be learned and mastered<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We live in a world where our responsibilities increase, distractions arise 24\/7 and our time just seems to keep on decreasing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a productive person is all about understanding the factors (whether external or internal) that affect how we perform a task and designing our lives around them so that we make the most out of our time available. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find that you don\u2019t have enough time, lack motivation to start or simply feel that your output can be improved here are some tips that I\u2019ve found very useful in becoming ultra-productive. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These tips have allowed me to run my <\/span>businesses<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>Flux<\/span>), write 100+ blog posts, <\/span>rap<\/span><\/a>, and read dozens of books per year. (btw, I highly recommend Audible<\/a>) <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So without further ado, let\u2019s jump right in and get deep work done<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Read the full version of this article on Future Sharks<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fundamentals<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pareto Principle<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you read nothing else this year, at least make sure you read this paragraph carefully and internalize it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80\/20 rule) states that roughly 80% of our outcomes come from 20% of our efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working on just the right things can lead to far more effective results than trying to focus on everything.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With this in mind, a productive person identifies which tasks can lead to the most output and works on those first, while deferring the other tasks for later or delegating the other tasks to someone else<\/span>, like a freelancer on Fiverr<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a very simple decision matrix to discern what\u2019s important from what isn\u2019t, you should rank your tasks every day by how much closer they bring you towards your long term goals and solely work on them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn how to communicate<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being assertive is a highly useful skill.<\/strong> Not having to repeat yourself saves you time and energy. It also creates a communication environment where fewer mistakes due to misunderstandings are made. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internal productivity <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have a productive routine<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Make being productive a habit (and a choice!). Learn how to focus and remained focused.<\/strong> Bundle activities together so you don\u2019t waste time switching gears. The more you plan, the easier it will be stay on track. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian Tracy, an expert in sales and renowned motivational speaker, says that every minute spent planning can save you 10 minutes in execution. Learn how to plan your day ahead so you can stop going through crisis after crisis and instead focus on your best work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep hydrated and well-fed<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being hungry or thirsty is a productivity killer<\/span><\/a>. Proper nutrition will ensure optimal results. Professional athletes eat smart and you should too. Junk food will lead to junk performance. Snack smart and often. Use the physiology of your body to your advantage and learn how to manage your “energy bank”. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathe deeply to help you focus, workout to boost your energy<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a quick exercise you can do to feel more present and be more focused:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Close your eyes<\/li>
  2. Smile<\/li>
  3. Breathe deeply and exhale slowly.<\/li>
  4. Repeat this 4-5 times.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If you do this 45 second exercise, you will notice that your mind will be immediately much clearer. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you have more time, practice meditation. Find an energy-releasing activity where you can unwind and distract your mind. This could be lifting, biking, hiking or doing yoga. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wake up before everyone else<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Not only this will give you some quiet time to think better but it will also make you feel like you\u2019re getting ahead of your competition and boost your internal energy<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    External productivity<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Design your workspace to be productive <\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If your desk contains video games or clutter, it is likely that you won\u2019t be able to focus as much. Try to remove as many obstacles as you can between you and the task at hand. If you go on Facebook too much, try <\/span>StayFocusd<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Eliminate toxic people and time-wasters out of your life<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If someone is draining your energy or distracting you, they need to go.<\/strong> Learn to say NO more often and stop agreeing to doing everything with everyone. Also, if you have any bad habits such as justifying an 8-hour movie-watching binge as leisure time, those also need to go. Be very honest with yourself and evaluate if a person or an activity is truly being beneficial to you or not. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"be<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Performance, it\u2019s go time<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Start<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    You can\u2019t finish if you don\u2019t start. Stop wasting time and just get to it. If you need to sell, <\/span>just go out and do it<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Make a decision (quick)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A lot of people have decision paralysis. They always seem to need \u201cmore time to think about it\u201d or simply \u201cneed more information\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In most cases you already have a decision formed or already have enough information to make a decision, so just decide and move on.<\/strong> Lingering on a problem for too long ends up cluttering your thoughts. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Learn how to do daily activities the most efficient way (to free up your time)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    It surprises me how we sometimes learn the wrong ways to do things since young and we never change them: tying our shoes, chopping onions, folding clothes, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As it turns out, you\u2019re probably doing most of these activities in an inefficient way. While relearning might take some time, in the end the time saved or higher output produced due to learning a better way is well worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use (software or hardware) tools to do your job quicker<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Why work when there\u2019s already a pre-made tool that can automate what you do?<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    You should always look out for <\/span>tools that can free up your time<\/span><\/a> and allow you to shift your focus towards even higher return tasks. If you can create an email campaign to email all your leads, why would you ever want to do this manually?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A few of my favorites include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n