Things Productive People Do Differently

I recently interviewed over 200 ultra-productive people including seven billionaires, 13 Olympians, 20 straight-A students and over 200 successful entrepreneurs. I asked a simple, open-ended question, “What is your number one secret to productivity?” After analyzing all of their responses, I coded their answers into 15 unique ideas.

15 Surprising Things Productive People Do Differently

Kevin Kruse

#1 Focus on minutes

There are 1,440 minutes in every day. Invest every one of them intentionally

#2 Set daily priorities

Identify your Most Important Task (MIT) and work on it for two hours each morning

#3 Use a schedule

Throw away the to-do list and instead schedule everything on your calendar

#4 Safeguard your future self

Your future-self cannot be trusted. What can you do now to make sure your future-self does the right thing?

#5 Make it home for dinner

There will always be more that can be done. Time-block your priorities and end the day guilt-free

#6 Use a notebook

Capture everything in your notebook so your mind can stay carefree. Move to-do to the calendar.

#7 Limit email / social media

Don’t let email or social media interrupt your flow; schedule times to read and respond 3x daily.

#8 Avoid meetings at all costs

Don’t hold meetings. If you have to, keep the short and make everyone stand up.

#9 Say NO to almost everything

Every ‘yes” is actually a “no” to something else. Say no to everything outside of your goal areas.

#10 Follow the 80/20 rule

80% of outcomes come from only 20% of activity. Identify the 20% and ignore the rest.

#11 Delegate or outsource almost everything

Identify your unique ability, utilize it, and outsource everything else.

#12 Week day themes

Create a set day of the week to focus on major areas.  Batch tasks during that day.

#13 Touch things only once

If something will take less than 10 minutes to complete, do it immediately

#14 Consistent Morning Rituals

Wake up early and give yourself 60-minutes for mental, physical and spiritual growth

#15 Ignore time and focus on energy

Maximize your energy to maximize your productivity. Focus on sleep, diet, exercise and short breaks throughout the day

Full Source: Forbes