I’m a sucker for articles on productivity. That’s probably why a lot of them end up in my Inbox!
One such article that I read recently came from LinkedIn and was written by a man named Kevin Kruse. He interviewed over 200 ultra-successful people, beginning with the question: “What is your number one secret to productivity?” And then he compiled their answers.
I couldn’t relate all of his advice to my life and business, but a lot I could. Some of these already come easy for me, some not so much. So, here are the ones that grabbed my attention. Let me know below what resonates with you.
Ridiculously Successful People Do The Following Every Day:
They practice a consistent morning routine. Successful people start the day with “me”. They start the day with activities that nurture and nourish them first. Morning routines included all or some of water first, meditation or prayer, exercise, healthy breakfast, inspirational reading or journaling. And then, and only then, does their workday begin. I’ve got this one down for sure!
They start the day with the most important task. Ultra-productive people identify the one task that will take them closer to their goal than anything else – and then they spend a couple of uninterrupted morning hours focused solely on that activity. This habit is something I really need to work on.
They don’t use to-do lists. Highly productive people work from their calendars, not a to-do list. I’m going to try this one. I have a good system right now, but this is worth a try.
They value more than just their work. Successful people give equal time to all things they value, not just their careers. That could be family, exercise, meditation, etc. Different for all of us, but equally important as work, for sure. They carve out time for what counts and schedule it – where else, but in their calendar!
They process emails only a few times a day. Ultra-productive people don’t check emails all day, or respond to social media alerts, texts and whatever other annoying sounds are competing for their attention. Instead, like everything else, they schedule time to process their emails quickly and efficiently. For some, that’s once a day; for others, it’s morning, noon, and night.
I found the only way for me to do this is to turn email function to manual and turn off all sound notifications. Otherwise, I can’t say no.
They delegate almost everything. Ultra-productive people don’t ask how they can complete a task. Instead, they ask, “How can this task get done?”
I am blessed with a great team to work with and try to hand off as much as I can to these masters of what they do. I also have a sign displayed prominently over my desk that says: Do (Important!) – Delegate – Decide (Plan When To Do) – Dump (Not Important). Those are the four choices.
They touch things only once. I’m not good with this one – and I’ve heard this one many times. Productive people try to “touch it once.” If it takes less than five or ten minutes, they deal with it right then and there. Comes back to “Do – Delegate – Decide – Dump”.
They say “no” to almost everything. Billionaire Warren Buffet reportedly said, “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”
I’ve gotten pretty good with this one. Just this week, I said no to an offer to write a monthly article for a year for a magazine with a circulation of 35,000 readers, and said no to presenting at a reflexology conference on the other side of the world. Why? Because neither got me closer to my goals. Neither brought forth an unrestrained yes; both caused a lot of hemming and hawing.
Energy is everything. Productive people don’t skip meals, sleep, or breaks in the pursuit of getting more accomplished. They have realized that food fuels, sleep recovers and breaks re-charge. With increased energy ultimately comes greater focus and productivity. To that, and to end, I would add receiving regular reflexology and massage!
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