What are your best productivity tips and habits?
Audrey Rampon
37 replies
I'm writing an article on how a solid daily routine helps get more productive and brings more focus to what really matters. I know what works best for me (my daily yoga and meditation, tea breaks on my balcony since I work from home, block focus time in my calendar for the important tasks to complete, put my phone on mute during certain tasks, etc), but I'd love to get more perspective and ideas from other busy people.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
***Edit*** Thanks peeps for sharing your ideas! For those interested, here's the article I wrote: https://bit.ly/3gsvTQx
Replies
Miriam Dorsett@miriamdorsett
Entre
Here are my tips on scheduling productivity for solo founders: https://mdorsettnow.medium.com/s...
Would love to hear your thoughts on whether you like any, and look forward to reading your article!
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KosmoTime
Night Eye
Here is my list for productivity:
1. Get up early as possible
2. Get enough sleep - the brain need to recharge
3. Exercise daily
4. Schedule time for every task and the double it
5. Schedule time for fun - it sounds bizarre, but in this era it really helps
6. No external distraction - phone mute, music off
7. Set notepad and write the task to it after completion - scratch - it must be physical - very important
Minimize your decision making, so when you wake up each day you know exactly what to do, and anything outside of that is a bonus :)
Prehireforms
set my daily x5 things to complete check list every day before I sleep.
Prehireforms
Do journalling too. I use CustomJournal App
Troopr
use tools, be aware of technology..don't jut stuck to old comfortable way of working, you will end up improving the productivity in one way. I like the things other people mentioned so far too :)
My best productivity tip is to have deadlines to projects. A basic habit like a fixed start and finish time for work has worked well. Loving and believing in what you do is the best productivity tip of all. If you don't like/believe what you are doing, then there is no motivation to work on it. Lastly, because I'm a startup founder, it helps to talk to others about my work, it inspires ideas and motivates.
Don't go to sleep too late, don't work for 2 hours before going to sleep, if possible, get a nap during the day at a fixed time (if you're not 20y old). And, of course, Pomodoro FTW. Changed my productiovity a lot.
KosmoTime
Thanks @artem_smirnov1, actually you're not the first one to mention pomodoro on this thread, I don't use the technique myself but I'll give it a try.
All amazing replies to this post, I'll add the one that has worked for me all through grad school - making a schedule (not a todo-list) and keeping a journal of the progress I make each day. It helps me quantify my 'productivity' to some extent.
For e.g, if I tasked myself to implement a new feature to an application and couldn't do it at the end of the day, I'd feel a little embarrassed. However, if I tasked myself to work on it for 2 hours, and pull it off - I'll feel a bit more accomplished. Plus, then I can note down whatever progress I've made and be ready the next day to move forward. Good luck :)
KosmoTime
Thanks @thatshubham for the great addition! I totally agree with schedule vs. to-do list. That's actually on this principle that we have built our product. And I also agree that breaking down one difficult task into smaller, more manageable ones, helps find satisfaction at the end of the day. Thanks for your comment!
You're most welcome @audrey_rampon! That pointer about breaking down goals into micro-tasks is an absolute gem as well.
ps: If you're into reading, may I suggest "Finish" by Jon Acuff - the book shows us not only how to finish (something we picked up) but how to do it well.
KosmoTime
@thatshubham Excellent, thanks for the book recommendation! Out of curiosity, I just watched one of his Youtube videos, and I can definitely relate to that: "strict goals aren't fun/sustainable and they don't last"
MyFocusSpace
I am fan of Scott H. Young - I like this article of his - https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog... - Rule #1 – Your system needs to fit your work (not the other way around); Rule #2 – The system should counterbalance your worst tendencies; Rule #3 – The system needs a way of dealing with exceptions; Rule #4 – A good productivity system shouldn’t “feel” productive; Rule #5 – If your work changes, your system should too; Rule #6 – Always measure against your baseline (not somebody else’s); Rule #7 – A system cannot give your work meaning or motivation.
Work from Home Productivity: Factors that Affect It and How to Manage Them
https://lessandra.com.ph/blog/20...
My company wrote a similar blog article! Feel free to grab anything that inspires you— https://hardly-work.com/how-to-o...
Vmaker for Windows
Mental Models
I work in time blocks on 25 minutes.
For this, I use a Pomodoro app to help me manage intervals and focus time.
KosmoTime
@killshiva I also like the time block strategy. Which app do you use?
Mental Models
@audrey_rampon Right now, I'm using Google Calendar. I used to work with Notion before but Google Calendar notifications made it easier.
I make a monthly table of to-dos and then break it down to week. Everyday in the morning I make a task-list and try to tick of as many as I can. However I try to complete everything planned for the week by cheating a little. I don't keep to many things for Fridays as I know that invariably there will be a spill-over from rest of the days. I have a 9month baby and a 4 year old, who are at home due to lockdowns, can't punish myself too much for not being a workaholic.
Setting specific goals and rewarding myself with break times whenever I get a task done
Work for 25 mins, rest for 5.
Make a place for work and tell no one to disturb you while you are working.
Concentrate on doing one thing at a time.
Building on your hobbies as habits! Something we're doing at habbit.co.in
I find very helpful to have a morning routine doing things that you enjoy before getting into work. Having a schedule is also important, without one it usually takes much time to complete your pending tasks.