The Best Four Productivity Techniques
Over the years I have found some great productivity techniques and productivity methods that have helped me increase my productivity and get things done.
In this post, I’m sharing my top 4 productivity techniques that might work for you too.
These are some of the top productivity techniques I use to increase productivity as a busy mom and business owner.
I would not consider myself a productivity expert, but over the years I have found some great productivity techniques and methods that have helped me and my clients increase productivity and get things done.
I often get asked, “How do you balance meetings, email, team chat, and "busy work" with focused time for the things you truly care about?”
My answer 100% of the time is the following four methods.
Method No. 1: The Time Blocking Method
Time blocking is for you if you find yourself…
✔️ Juggling many different projects or responsibilities (Jack Dorsey used day theming to run two major companies at the same time).
✔️ Spending too much time in “reactive mode,” responding to emails and messages.
✔️ Finding your day chopped up by meetings.
✔️ Battling constant interruptions throughout the day.
✔️ Struggling to find the time and mental space for big-picture thinking.
This secret productivity method is used by experts like Bill Gates and Elon Musk. And kind of like Motion (an automation and AI intelligence that plans your day, schedules meetings, and builds the perfect to-do list).
Time blocking, as the word suggests, asks you to divide your day into small blocks where you assign a specific task or a bunch of similar tasks to get done in the time block.
Method No. 2: The 2-minute Rule by David Allen
The 2-minute rule is easy and simple. In the words of David Allen, the famous productivity expert in his book, ‘Getting Things Done’ writes, ‘If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now’.
This rule not only helps you to stop procrastinating but is also awesome in building and sticking to new habits. Typically any habit that you start or any task you’re most likely procrastinating on can be broken down into a 2-minute task. For example, if you need to write one blog post, then ‘sitting down at your desk and opening your laptop’ takes you less than 2 minutes of your time. If you’re procrastinating going for a walk, then tying your shoelace takes you less than 2 minutes.
Whatever it is, break the tasks into 2 minutes and you’ll show up to get things done. This productivity method will surely help you to stop procrastinating because it makes it so easy for you to show up!
Method No. 3: The ‘Don’t break the chain’ method by Seinfield
This is yet again a simple yet powerful productivity technique given by one of the most successful comedians of all time (Are you a Seinfeld fan?)
In an interview on Lifehacker when he was asked if he had any tips for a young comic, he said- ‘write jokes every single day’. Period!
For this to work, you need to get a big wall calendar to hang where it is prominent. Or, as I do, printed out and pinned to my wallboard.
Next, you need to get a big red marker (or pink highlighter) and for every single day that you write- put an X over that day.
After a few days, you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.
In a nutshell, for this productivity technique to work, you need to find the one commitment you need to make every single day for your craft and simply, don’t break the chain! For me, it’s getting 30 minutes of movement during my workday.
Oh, and I created a Don’t Break the Chain calendar so you can begin implementing this method right away.
How to Use the Monthly Calendar Template:
Download the PDF.
Print the PDF.
Write the month at the top of the PDF.
Number the calendar with the correct dates.
With a different colored pen, mark each day with an “X” when you accomplish your daily goal. If you are using the Don’t Break the Chain method for multiple daily goals, print multiple calendars and label them with the goal.
Method No. 4: Wake up early and ‘Eat the Frog’
‘Eat The Frog’ comes from a famous productivity expert from his book ‘Eat the Frog’.
Eat The Frog is perfect for anyone who:
✔️ Struggles with procrastination.
✔️ Gets a lot done but isn’t making progress on the important stuff.
✔️ Has a hard time sticking to a productivity system.
✔️ Has trouble deciding what to work on at any given time.
✔️ Feels overwhelmed by their to-do list.
But how do you eat the frog? I’ll tell you…
When you eat the frog first thing in the morning you will always be productive no matter what! Let me explain more.
Before you get a chance to say no and procrastinate all through the day, you have already done your task and you can go on your day smoothly!
Whatever your frog for the day happens to be, do it first thing when you sit down to work. If at all possible, don’t schedule meetings. Don’t catch up on Twitter. Don’t check your email. Don’t even think about thinking about all the other less important things you’ll have to do later in the day. Focus all of your mental energy on your frog and only your frog.
So these are some of my top productivity techniques you can use to increase your productivity. I hope you found them useful as much as I did when I found out about them.
Happy productivity!
PS: Pin for later 🙂
