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A simple trick that will double your productivity (and income!)

by AdwordsMogul
61 replies
IF you feel overwhelmed with work and IM activities there is a simple thing you can do that will guarantee an increase in productivity, and with it your income.

It will allow you to actually focus on the things that really bring you money.

Now, it's not fancy but it works - I have personally used it and experienced the results.

Here is what you do: don't check your email for the first 4 hours of your working time.

Just let it be.

You will automatically be more focused and have more energy.

Now you'll be tempted to just have a peek or maybe for one minute - don't do it. It will end up wasting another 30 minutes of your time.

And you'll think there is something important you need to take care of, or there is an emergency. Well, if you break the rule you will see that there isn't one and you'd just have wasted your precious time.

Try it for at least a week (a month is much better) and you'll see a HUUUUUUUUGE difference in your results.

All the best!
#double #income #productivity #simple #trick
  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    Great tip. I will use this in the daily grind.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bryan Zimmerman
      I'll add to that as what you just said is something I do every day.

      Write down everything you want to do tomorrow into a check list the night before. Put it on your keyboard so the moment you sit down, you know exactly what you want to accomplish that day. Check them off as their done.

      Last thing on your list can be email, facebook, twitter, what ever. But you don't deviate from that list until it's done. You'd be amazed at what kind of a product machine you become doing that.
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      • Profile picture of the author mikehuff
        Originally Posted by Bryan Zimmerman View Post

        I'll add to that as what you just said is something I do every day.

        Write down everything you want to do tomorrow into a check list the night before. Put it on your keyboard so the moment you sit down, you know exactly what you want to accomplish that day. Check them off as their done.

        Last thing on your list can be email, facebook, twitter, what ever. But you don't deviate from that list until it's done. You'd be amazed at what kind of a product machine you become doing that.
        SUPER effective. I did that for awhile and gradually got out of the routine of doing so...my productivity plummeted. Now I know how powerful it is. As long as I do the hardest thing on the list first, the rest is a breeze.
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    • Profile picture of the author jwmann2
      I do check my email 5+ times per day. My commission junction accounts too to see the money I have made. I'll check to put in some hours on my backlinking and content from now on. Good suggestion. Some days I put so much work into my domain I wonder if I got anything done. Little by little though, rewards come.
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  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    Hi

    Good tip.

    That should be all correspondence (IM/Skype/facebook) and hanging out in forums too.

    I think there is 'productivity' software that will silence all those things for set periods of time so you don't get distracted by Skype pop-ups, etc.

    Mahlon
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  • Profile picture of the author Drew Cleveland
    Nice info, thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author Social App Zone
    Do the hard grind before the interpersonal grind .. different mindsets
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  • Profile picture of the author My220x
    Yeah, I used to be really addicted to checking my e-mail where I was checking it like every five minutes but now I'm much better and don't check it as often.
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  • Profile picture of the author Big Al
    Yeah, I used to be really addicted to checking my e-mail where I was checking it like every five minutes but now I'm much better and don't check it as often.
    It helps when I only let myself access my email two or three times per day and no more. It's like logging into your Clickbank account every 30 minutes to see if you've made your first sale yet...
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  • Profile picture of the author hehejo
    Good tip. Add facebook, forums etc to that too...So easy to get sidetracked.
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    • Profile picture of the author asiancasanova
      Yeah, a good strategy I do from time to time, unless I expect very important e-mail is to make your e-mail the LAST thing you check in your day as opposed to the first thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author ReplenishSEO
    Going to try this tomrrow,

    I do get sidetracked very easily.

    Email, facebook, private messages, phone calls,

    Need to increase my productivity !
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  • Profile picture of the author Venturetothetop
    Im not one who can close my email - closing it is a big step but there is a medium step.

    I set my email to only check for new messages every hour (I have a desktop based import service). That way I still do not feel like I am deprived of emails but only care to check on them once per hour at most.

    You will be surpassed at just how many emails come within the same time frame - meaning most of the day you never get disturbed.

    It worked wonders for me and it's a half way house between your idea - because some emails are just to damn important.
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    • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
      Originally Posted by Venturetothetop View Post

      ...because some emails are just to damn important.
      I hear you... although I've got a new definition of important.

      Important is not relative to how much I care about something. It's more about how close it is to me getting money.

      One thing I have learnt is that to "rise" to the top you have to learn how to live by ignoring things and people "above" you.

      Of course, we all deviate from our rules at some point but here is the bottom line: if I'm not gonna get paid, most likely it can wait.
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  • Profile picture of the author brunom
    Many people are still doing that mistake, as well as checking your CPA, Adsense, Amazon, Clickbank, CJ, etc accounts every 30 minutes to check sales (well, not Amazon since it only updates once a day).

    Try doing it once a day, at the end of the day, when your productivity should be lower.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michelle Stevens
    Yep I'm guilty of all of the above. I'm very undisciplined and am constantly letting myself get distracted.
    I could probably get more done in a couple of hours than I do all day if I stopped checking email and turned my phone off!!
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  • Profile picture of the author madhushan
    I have never thought about this before... But, now that you mention it, I feel that checking emails indeed, does cost me a lot of time. Thanks for the tip Jean.
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  • Profile picture of the author romanos8
    Banned
    really good tip and nice info this might really help someone out thanks for posting it
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    • Profile picture of the author ronr
      I agree and don't forgot not to check those addicting and very distracting skype group chats also.
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  • Profile picture of the author Des Lau
    Great tip, I'd have to somehow not reach for all portable devices when I first wake up!! Thats my biggest downfall.
    ...and Skype, that is one productivity killer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Cole
    I also agree with Des Lau on the issue of skype.

    What I have done there is to remove skype from the programs running on start up. This way whenever I fire up the PC to work for the day, I am not automatically logged into skype.

    Once I have my work done, I then log into skype.
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    • Profile picture of the author Noonaa
      Hi

      I find if I don't open them up as a tab on my computer then I am less tempted.........once I start reading that's it nothing ever gets done. Social media is great but can be a huge distraction. I do the list thing so I know what I'm going to do before I sit down and I reward myself after a certain amount of time.
      Nicky
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  • Profile picture of the author timb98133
    I’ve heard of this tip before… it’s so hard resisting the temptation. Especially when many of my emails are customer service related!
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  • Profile picture of the author ttdub
    That is something I should do, but all my email comes on my phone with a reminder. I usually have 5 or more each reminder, so it's a lot harder said than done, but I do agree with what you're saying.
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    • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
      Originally Posted by ttdub View Post

      That is something I should do, but all my email comes on my phone with a reminder. I usually have 5 or more each reminder, so it's a lot harder said than done, but I do agree with what you're saying.
      Chances are, if you search carefully you'll find a way to turn that off...
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    Originally Posted by AdwordsMogul View Post

    IF you feel overwhelmed with work and IM activities there is a simple thing you can do that will guarantee an increase in productivity, and with it your income.

    It will allow you to actually focus on the things that really bring you money.

    Now, it's not fancy but it works - I have personally used it and experienced the results.

    Here is what you do: don't check your email for the first 4 hours of your working time.

    Just let it be.

    You will automatically be more focused and have more energy.

    Now you'll be tempted to just have a peek or maybe for one minute - don't do it. It will end up wasting another 30 minutes of your time.

    And you'll think there is something important you need to take care of, or there is an emergency. Well, if you break the rule you will see that there isn't one and you'd just have wasted your precious time.

    Try it for at least a week (a month is much better) and you'll see a HUUUUUUUUGE difference in your results.

    All the best!
    Amen to this. When I stopped checking e-mail in the mornings several years ago I got a lot more done. I can vouch for this. Though today I have a full time person that goes through my e-mails and support tickets.

    I would also like to add that I stopped logging into my Skype during the day. That significantly reduced the number of daily distractions. I only log into my Skype for appointments or when I'm hosting a web chat. I also have two different log ins ; one for business and one for personal. I have found that keeping those things separate on Skype has also helped me stay focused.

    RoD
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  • Profile picture of the author newbizideas312
    Good trick. Ever notice things happen when you let them go??
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  • Profile picture of the author Adrianhenry
    Definitely a good tip, I find that I lose so much time checking emails so when i made an effort to not check them for a period of time my productivity went through the roof.
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  • Profile picture of the author Earn.cx
    Thanks for the tip. I check my emails at the end of the night. I mostly don't get a lot of emails so it's good.
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  • Profile picture of the author eman1
    Great post! Good tips.
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  • Profile picture of the author KeithSneed
    Great tip, very basic but definitely achievable. I'll make sure I do this tomorrow and see how it helps my productivity.
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  • Profile picture of the author faisalmaximus
    That saves HUUUUUGE Time...
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill Hugall
    Originally Posted by AdwordsMogul View Post

    IF you feel overwhelmed with work and IM activities there is a simple thing you can do that will guarantee an increase in productivity, and with it your income.

    It will allow you to actually focus on the things that really bring you money.

    Now, it's not fancy but it works - I have personally used it and experienced the results.

    Here is what you do: don't check your email for the first 4 hours of your working time.

    Just let it be.

    You will automatically be more focused and have more energy.





    Now you'll be tempted to just have a peek or maybe for one minute - don't do it. It will end up wasting another 30 minutes of your time.

    And you'll think there is something important you need to take care of, or there is an emergency. Well, if you break the rule you will see that there isn't one and you'd just have wasted your precious time.

    Try it for at least a week (a month is much better) and you'll see a HUUUUUUUUGE difference in your results.

    All the best!


    Great advice!!!!! I have just started doing that lately and My work has actually been on the rise. Traffic is at an all time high.... lol

    Thanks for the reminder to keep at it though. I am sure I will forget from time to time :rolleyes:

    Always good posts.
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  • Profile picture of the author mindfulness
    Thanks for sharing
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  • Profile picture of the author Stripe
    This was not possible a few years ago. But now with modern technology improving our lives, my computer does not shout "YOU'VE GOT MAIL" anymore...

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  • Profile picture of the author maxpine11
    Really, a good approach I do every once in awhile, except if i expect very important e-mail would be to create the e-mail one more thing people register your mood compared to the vital thing. Some people are still performing which mistake, as well as verifying the CPA, Adsense, Amazon, Clickbank, CJ, etc reports every 30 minutes to confirm gross sales.
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    • Profile picture of the author olar21
      Great advice, I started checking my emails and other messages in the evenings a few months ago. I started doing this after I noticed that I was wasting a lot of time on messages and not being productive at all.
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  • Profile picture of the author RyanLeonard
    Ahhh.. I remember Eben Pagan speaking on this, and I was like "I've got to do this!" and I never did... In fact, I'm so bad that when I was scanning through the posts in this thread, I saw that I had a new email so I went and checked it without even thinking! JVZoo, AmazonKDP and gmail are killing my productivity.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Nguyen
    Write yourself a to do list everyday and assign a time to it to complete the task. Count down timer works great. This may help:
    https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...aodhnlhkolngif
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  • Profile picture of the author BulletheadX
    I wonder if there's an age thing at play here. I can't roll out of bed and start working immediately anymore.

    I usually need some time to spin up to speed these days, so I check my email, rss, Facebook, WF and all that crap while I'm waking up, drinking my two cups of coffee and eating my breakfast. I wouldn't be doing anything else productive during that time anyway, so if I do all that at once I can buckle down to something else when I'm done and don't feel the need to check that stuff until I take a break later on.

    As for Skype, I've had it for years but don't use it. Last time I got on it was a couple of years ago so I could tear into some guy at an East Indian customer non-support center over a check that was 90 days overdue.

    What do y'all use it for that you're on it so much?
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    • Profile picture of the author Hamida Harland
      This is a trick that really works well. I often get quite a few emails overnight (being based in the UK) and I could wake up to an hour or more of email correspondence. It does tend to distract me from what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't check my emails until lunch time normally, and then later on in the day again.
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  • Profile picture of the author valrod
    Great Tip. You are absolutely right.

    Thanks for the info.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Pearson
    Originally Posted by AdwordsMogul View Post

    IF you feel overwhelmed with work and IM activities there is a simple thing you can do that will guarantee an increase in productivity, and with it your income.

    It will allow you to actually focus on the things that really bring you money.

    Now, it's not fancy but it works - I have personally used it and experienced the results.

    Here is what you do: don't check your email for the first 4 hours of your working time.

    Just let it be.

    You will automatically be more focused and have more energy.

    Now you'll be tempted to just have a peek or maybe for one minute - don't do it. It will end up wasting another 30 minutes of your time.

    And you'll think there is something important you need to take care of, or there is an emergency. Well, if you break the rule you will see that there isn't one and you'd just have wasted your precious time.

    Try it for at least a week (a month is much better) and you'll see a HUUUUUUUUGE difference in your results.

    All the best!
    Great tip, I have a pop-up that tells me when I have a new email. I have decided to turn it off today and see if it help in my productivity. Even though I feel I am pretty productive now.

    Unfortunately this will not work with every business model and everyone. Some people need to check there email constantly for support reasons and other things.
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    • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
      Originally Posted by eMarketing Mistakes View Post


      ...
      Unfortunately this will not work with every business model and everyone. Some people need to check there email constantly for support reasons and other things.
      Well, they don't. It's always best to have blocks of time for everything. So support time can be blocked - even if it's every couple of hours.
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  • Profile picture of the author SchenkerF
    Very good inputs!
    The 4 rules i apply:
    1. Only have your eMail, Messaging, Social Media Sites open, when you actively work on them (maybe twice a day for 20 minutes).
    2. Create a schedule at the end of each day for the next day. (Add eMails, ..., to the list).
    3. Plan breaks and use them! The advantage of a smoker I have the best ideas during small breakes.
    4. Change work environment according to the tasks. Some tasks i do best if i work in public, others i do best at home, ...
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    • Profile picture of the author janet beal
      How about combining the two best ideas? Make a to-do list the night before and post it so you see it first thing in the morning. Put "check email" a couple of items down the list--right after the urgent to-do stuff. It also helps if you squelch your curiosity. If it's a sales offer, they'll send you another one. If somebody says "it's funny," it's end of the day. Triage your email into main-course, dessert and garbage--and throw the garbage out before you get distracted.
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  • Profile picture of the author doomzday
    Seriously, this works really well. I used to waste a lot of time checking my email and looking out for developments and nothing would happen. Now that I ignore it for some time, I get better results.
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  • Profile picture of the author Master Dayton
    This is amazingly true! It's funny how one small change like ignoring e-mail at the beginning of the day can end up making such a huge difference!
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  • Profile picture of the author SamAlnawar
    Great info.. I've tried it!! Thank you!
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  • Profile picture of the author ijohnson
    Great productivity tip! I have been limiting the number of times and the amount of time I spend on my email boxes and have definitely seen a spike in my level of productivity and focus!

    Iris
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  • Profile picture of the author UMS
    Great tip. Really useful. I'm glad I spent the last 5 hours reading the WF to boost my productivity.
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  • Profile picture of the author idoitbigtime
    must Used for Liftime ! Agree with this SOOOO much
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  • Profile picture of the author williamk
    Banned
    Indeed what you say is correct. I have this bad habbit of checking my mails every 2 hours to see if any new news come in.
    It does help a lot to concentrate on other important projects rathar than emails.
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  • Profile picture of the author enavagate
    I love all these ideas my suggestion is to include who you need to contact via email or on the phone on your to do list to help you stay focused when you do get to checking email and voice mails. Take care of communicating your own stuff first then find out what other people want from you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Oliver Williams
    I've actually been making a habit of this lately it is so simple and so true often one distraction can lead to another and they can always wait.
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  • Profile picture of the author williamk
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    Indeed what you say is correct. I have this bad habbit of checking my mails every 2 hours to see if any new news come in.
    It does help a lot to concentrate on other important projects rathar than emails.
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  • Profile picture of the author oliverkan
    For me I'd need to add: don't check the forums, traffic stats and earning stats. I could see that working well.
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  • Profile picture of the author MarkBradley
    Thanks for the great tip! I used that for about 6 months and then broke the habit. Going to get back to it tomorrow morning.

    For a super start of the day Do an income producing activity 1st thing in the morning.
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  • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
    Set up an email account for serious business. Leave that open in a tab. You absolutely must have access to that email all day long (you should even be checking it at the grocery store on your phone). I don't know why anyone would suggest otherwise.

    The rest of your email communication goes to your "unimportant business" address and a third "go ahead and spam me" email account. Those two you could check once a week and it wouldn't matter much.

    - Serious business = affiliate programs, domains, hosting, clients... (I actually have the important stuff broken down into more accounts, but can read it all in the same list or per account)
    - Unimportant business = colleagues, sellers...
    - spammy = mailing lists, forums...
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  • Profile picture of the author silentsal
    Thanks for the great tip!

    I've realised recently that I need to do something DRASTIC to improve my productivity. Email is sucking all my time and my will to live is following...

    I have seriously got very little done in the last couple of days and a big backlog of email has been largely to blame.

    I just keep checking it, I can't help myself. I know it's bad for me yet still I do it. It's like an addiction.

    Email needs to stop being such a big part of my life and it needs to stop NOW!

    Maybe I should take up smoking instead... Lol! :p

    Sally
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