Hacks help us perform tasks smarter and with greater efficiency. We've chosen five hacks to help you become your most productive self.
Tell your smartphone to dummy up
There's nothing like a buzzing, beeping, or musical notification to pull you out of your zone. Noncritical notifications have their place, but not in your focus space. Turn them off.
Stop multitasking
Science shows our brains don't multitask. We simply switch from one task to another - usually without completing any to a greater or lesser extent. Choose a task, focus on it, and be done.
Take calendar control
To see how much you can accomplish in one day, take to-do's, email reading and responding, and myriad tasks, and schedule them on your calendar. It will help you set realistic workday goals.
Give me a break!
Our minds aren't geared for hours of nonstop connection. Some people us the Pomodoro Technique - 25 minutes of concentrated work, then a five-minute break. Don't underestimate the power of a break.
Manage meetings
Try scheduling an hour meeting for only 45-minutes. Better yet, keep most meetings at 30-minutes. People will be more focused, and hopefully, the one-hour-plus meeting will become a thing of the past.
Next steps
- If you manage a team, share this list with them to help them stay focused.
- Commit to yourself, or with others, to put these hacks into practice.
- Talk with others to see how they work - or how they can be improved.