You're Not As Nearly As Productive As You Could Be.

Hey Guys,

I figured I'd offer a little advice here, I need to start contributing more.

Anyway, I used to be terrible with procrastination. As we all know the key to success is just taking action, just doing something. Standing still will get you nowhere.

I've managed to increase my productivity by probably 500% over the last few months using a few simple tips that I'd like to share here.

Some of it is pretty basic, but I'm hoping I can teach everyone a trick or two they didn't know before.

Set A Schedule: Have a set work period for x amount of hours per day. Anything that isn't work, reading blogs, checking email more than necessary, browsing forums, doesn't belong during the work day.

Set 3-4 Critical Tasks Per Day: You shouldn't have more than 3-4 critical tasks per day. Critical means directly impacting your bottom line. Focus on them one at a time and don't stop until you finish.

Avoid Pseudo-Work: This goes back to non-critical blog reading, forum reading, and anything else that people consider work but doesn't directly make them money.

Download Leechblock: If you use Firefox, get Leechblock. Block out all of the time wasting sites during your work day. It's helped me tremendously.

Download RescueTime: RescueTime is free, and it's awesome. It shows you exactly where you spend your time on the computer. You may be shocked at how much time you waste, I know I was.

If You Write: Check out Q 10. It's a word processing program, but it's great for productivity. Takes over the whole screen, you can time yourself, live word counts, set goals, pretty sweet.

Learn To Outsource: If you're good at what you do, you should be concentrating on that aspect of your business. I outsource graphics, directory submissions, and plenty of other stuff I don't want to mess with. I know people who outsource entire products and just focus on the marketing, just make sure you find a good writer to outsource to.

Know What Your Time Is Worth I keep a spreadsheet outlining exactly what I did today, how long it took me, and how much money I estimate it made me. This helps to know where I really make my money.

Keep A Sticky Note On Your Monitor: I have a sticky note on my monitor that says "Are you working? Or just fooling yourself into thinking your working?" Remember, it's easy to do "work" that doesn't make you any money.

Stay Off Of AIM: Unless it's critical to your line of work, stay invisible on instant messengers or sign off completely. You can waste entire days chatting it up on AIM.

A few other tips. Have a set sleeping schedule. I work best in the mornings. Check email as little as possible, I try to keep it to once or twice a day. Focus on one task at a time until it's complete. Don't multitask, it kills productivity. Know what's making you money. Know what your time is worth.

Always keep the 80/20 rule in mind. It applies to everything.

I'd love to hear anymore tips you guys may have on managing your time and staying productive.

Thanks,

Scott