Stop Wasting Time: 7 Ways to Increase Your Productivity

My work ethic was influenced by the belief that if you could not accomplish more than one task at a time you were considered unproductive. Before the rise of the Internet, social media, and artificial intelligence multi-tasking made sense to me and millions of other business people.

Today I believe multi-tasking is one of the most unproductive strategies used to increase productivity. In fact, studies have proven that multi-tasking negatively effects productivity because of the time is takes the brain to refocus.

In our network of online marketers it is critical that we get to market fast. To do so, we must focus on the completion of one task at a time and limit distractions in order to not waste the precious commodity of time. To increase our productivity and not waste time, we must remember that every thought and action counts.

Here are a few tips that have been beneficial me:

1. Plan your day. Start your day with a list of scheduled activiites and tasks that must be completed to move you closer to your goal and to prevent unexpected activities to creep into your day.
2. Work in 90-minute blocks. Let's admit it, our attention spans are getting shorter and shortser! 90-minute blocks will allow you to mentally focus on one task at a time and not feel overwhelmed. I encourage you to take a 10-15 minute mental break between each block.
3. Unplug. We live in world where we are constantly 'on'. Stay off of social media. Don't check your email. Silence your phone.
4. Plan a time to check emails and social media. Emails and social media can become a black hole...consuming all of your time. These tools are great and must be used in this line of work; yet I suggest scheduling a specific time of day and a specified alotment of time you will spend checking emails and/or social media. Don't get sucked into the black hole.
5. Limit non-goal related conversations. - I love my family and friends. If I answered my phone every time one of them calls to tell about a television show, the day their child had at school, how their boss gets on their nerves, the latest headline, crack jokes, etc. I would not get anything done. The telephone or persons stopping by your office for a 'quick conversation' can absorbed your time. PLAN.....
6. Manage your internal conversations. Learn to turn your mind off. Remember to breathe. Deep breaths can help you regain focus when your mind begins to wonder.
7. Say No. Remember 'No' is a complete sentence. It is ok to say, "no" and not feel guilty. Say 'No' and explain that you must stay on task.

If you have any other suggestions, please post them in the comment section. We want to grow together.