15 principles to maximize your daily productivity
How do you get more done in a shorter span of time? Here are 15 principles to transform your days, and those of your teams.
How can you be more productive day to day in a performance-driven society, where globalization has transformed the way we work? How do you get more done, in a shorter span of time?
There is an enormous difference between being busy and being genuinely productive. In fact, the goal is not to work more, but to work smarter. There is no magic technique for being more productive, only principles that we can gradually fold into our daily lives, into our own reality.
This article is meant just as much for you, HR leaders, as for your managers and your teams. You will find concrete ways to raise your productivity to its maximum. And the 14th principle just might surprise you! But right from the start, forget your never-ending to-do list, which only ends up discouraging you. For the next 3 minutes, turn off all your notifications. You are about to have a good time… a productive one!
Taking care of yourself and your environment
- Take care of yourself. There is no productivity without a high level of energy. The first minutes of your day should be entirely devoted to you. Set up a morning routine to propel your energy to its peak: a workout, mindfulness meditation, reading, gratitude, or any other source of well-being for your body and your mind. Read our article on the essential keys to well-being to go further in taking charge of your overall wellness.
- A good night's sleep. This point is directly tied to the first and is of the utmost importance, yet all too often neglected. Pair your morning routine with healthy eating and a good night of 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Because getting enough sleep lets us improve our cognitive function. The lack of sleep, on the other hand, affects our cognitive functioning: attention, reasoning, decision-making, learning and memory. A midday slump? Take a nap of 20 minutes, maximum, to recharge your batteries. Beyond that, you could be subject to sleep inertia, or sleep drunkenness.
- An ideal environment. Opt ideally for a closed office, so you can concentrate properly. If that is not possible, use headphones to avoid being distracted by your colleagues' conversations. Declutter your desk and keep it clean: it will help you keep a clear mind. Rely, as much as possible, on a source of natural light; otherwise, use a light-therapy lamp. Use two monitors (or even three), a very comfortable chair, and some plants to make your workspace warmer… In short, your office should become your productive haven. Can't stand your home office anymore? Work a few afternoons on your terrace or at the corner café: a change of scenery is often beneficial.
Choosing where to put the effort
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The Pareto principle
Most of your decisions should be made according to the 80/20 principle. This law, from the economist Vilfredo Pareto, states that 80% of effects are the product of 20% of causes. In other words, 20% of our effort produces 80% of our results. This principle lets you prioritize the tasks with the highest added value for advancing your projects.
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Broken-down goals
The biggest tasks are often time-consuming and lead us to procrastinate. You know that phrase from Desmond Tutu, "There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time"? To accomplish your big projects, break them down into smaller goals, into pieces that are easier to manage. Set yourself SMART goals and turn them into simple steps to carry out.
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The 90-90-1 rule
Apply this method from Robin Sharma, a leadership expert. For 90 days, devote the first 90 minutes of your workday to a single important project: the one closest to your heart or the most important for your work.
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The hardest tasks first
Once you have identified your highest-value tasks and the one that is truly a priority, now spot the one you dread the most and start with it. This is what we call "eating the frog," which we owe to Mark Twain: a frog stands for a harder task. The key is to accomplish these tasks early in the day, when our energy is at its peak. This approach triggers a domino effect for the rest of your day.
"There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time." Desmond Tutu
Defending your focus
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A step ahead
To make the most of your mornings, make your decisions the night before. At the end of each day, take 10 minutes to plan the next day: pick up the tasks you identified and prioritize 3 to 5 of them, at most. You can even choose your clothes the night before: do as Barack Obama, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg did, and always wear the same kind of clothing, in several copies. You will save several minutes each morning. You can also prepare your lunches, or all your meals for the week: that is an enormous amount of time saved.
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Avoid distractions
To stay focused, turn off all unnecessary notifications, on your PC as much as on your cell phone. Did you know that we are interrupted roughly every 12 minutes during a workday, and that it takes us on average 3 to 5 minutes to regain our momentum after each interruption? This is the negative impact of involuntary breaks, according to Carlson's law (Sune Carlson). Do the math: it adds up to an average of between 1.5 and 2 hours a day. And that is without counting online messaging (Teams, Slack, Messenger…), phone calls and the many emails we receive each day.
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Batch processing
Batch processing consists of grouping and carrying out similar tasks within the same period of time. For your emails, for example, do as Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, and choose two slots a day to answer them: ideally in the late morning and at the end of the day. You can also block off certain days of your week for meetings, research or writing. This technique will boost your productivity and your creativity, while cutting down on wasted time.
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Deep work
Studies show that multitasking is unfortunately a myth: we do not do several things at once, we merely switch from one task to another. Opt instead for "deep work": focusing on a single task while avoiding any interruption. You then fall into a state of maximum concentration, which we also call the state of "flow." As an example, I used this approach to write this article for you. You can very well combine batch processing and deep work.
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Inspiring music
To reach that state of maximum concentration and enter the flow, nothing beats music. To increase your focus and your productivity, it is recommended to listen to music without lyrics: classical music, instrumental, or nature sounds. There are tons of playlists for this on YouTube and Spotify. In my research, I came across the company Brain.fm, which creates music backed by science: by its own account, it offers the most advanced background music in the world for boosting focus. Worth discovering!
Keeping the pace and engaging your teams
- Take breaks. Give yourself regular breaks to multiply your energy level and thus be more productive. Breaks also help stimulate and free your creative mind: the best ideas are often far from our computer screen. In connection with deep work, we strongly suggest the Pomodoro technique, which advocates working on a single task for 25 continuous minutes, then giving yourself a 10- to 15-minute break. To learn more, read our article on how to boost creativity while working from home.
- The 5-second rule. This rule was created by Mel Robbins, an American lawyer whose book The 5 Second Rule became a must-read. A very simple rule: count down in your head, 5-4-3-2-1, and act physically and immediately at the end of that countdown, before your mind creates a reason not to act. It is a technique for beating our subconscious mind. It can be applied in many professional situations: before an important presentation, a conference, a negotiation, or even before going for a run or a workout. Try it: it is so effective!
- Recognition. Retaining employees and creating a high-performing work environment requires far more than a high salary and benefits. You have to engage employees in order to create a real sense of belonging, which happens, among other things, through trust, honesty and recognition. The research is clear on this: an engaged employee is at least 20% more productive! Enough to reach all your goals.
Engaging your teams to propel their productivity
Would you like to know how to engage your teams? Amélio is here to help! We offer the most complete platform to enrich the employee experience in your organization.
Uncover what frustrates employees, provide automated coaching to every manager, share everyone's wins, and involve the whole organization in your next innovations. All of it in a simple, easy and highly effective way!
Suggested books
- The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less, by Richard Koch.
- Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, by Brian Tracy.
- The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Timothy Ferriss.
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport.
Take action, one bite at a time
Do as hundreds of organizations do, and make employee engagement the cornerstone for propelling your productivity to its maximum.
Discover Amélio See in just a few minutes how Amélio enriches your teams' experience.