OPTIMIZING TIME: Top Tips for Working Smarter (Part 4/4)

First - We need to get the notion out of our heads that working more hours automatically means more things get done.

It’s just not true.

Some hours move the needle, and some hours are just playing ping pong.

Once we accept that, the second thing we need to do is understand the difference between productive hours and unproductive hours.

Where were we sitting? What time of day was it? What conditions were we under? Who were we working with? What were we working on?

Once we uncover the conditions of productivity, we’ll be equipped to repeat the process.

Second - We need to eliminate the distractions in order to achieve true productivity—even work-based distractions!

Responding to every Slack message and keeping your inbox at zero may show people you’re “on top of things” but it’s not conducive to real work.

Finally, we need to get real about high-impact tasks.

What will make an impact on these projects today?

Identify three of those things, and write them down.

Be honest about how long they will take, and then schedule your-low impact work around them.

Mindhoney exists to help you make your hours even more productive through cognitive optimization.

Our only goal is to see you achieve yours.

Links to all Optimizing Time articles:  Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4