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Eggs

There is no secret to productivity, but here are a few ways to be a little less unproductive.

Productivity Tips

Write It Down

No fancy software, no Web 2.0 gizmo, no complex GTD system — if you need to get something done today take out a piece of paper and write it down. It’s a lot easier to deal with a day filled with responsibilities when you can hold the entire thing in your hands.

Be Specific

Give yourself things that you can cross off your fancy new list. Lets say your task is to run errands. It’s always better to break that down into more palatable morsels.

  • Go to the bank.
  • Buy groceries.
  • Walk bosses dog.

Get It Out Of The Way

Use your energy well.

Whatever time of the day that you feel the most productive, that’s when you should schedule your most annoying tasks. If you really don’t want to write that mail script and you’re a night person, put it off until 2 AM when you work best.

On the flip side, save your less intensive tasks for the mid-afternoon when your energy is waning. Most of our procrastination comes from trying to get frustrating tasks done when we don’t have the energy to do them. The result is often that we don’t do anything.

Just Do It

The best thing you can do to a To-Do list is to complete it.

Avoid inventing distractions to get yourself out of doing what you need to do. Every trip to the water cooler is just one more minute you have to spend at work, finishing what you spent the entire rest of the day putting off. The nice thing about productivity is that you often end up with more time to do things you are actually interested in.

Take A Break

When you just can’t do anymore work, take a break.

It’s better to take a real break, than to wallow in your inefficiency. Don’t think about any of your obligations for twenty minutes. When you get back to your list, it may not look quite as heavy.

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