“How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?” — Homer J. Simpson

Our modern, hyper-connected world can sometimes be a real efficiency killer. We all have problems with time management. Some of us stay up until 2am trying to get our 24-hour cable tv money’s worth. That same group stumbles out of bed at 10am. Others can’t seem to get something started until a deadline is looming.

Whatever the case — if you’re serious about being a highly productive business owner or a more efficient employee hoping for a raise, you need to do something to increase your productivity.

Let’s get you started. I’ve scoured the blogosphere and listed below the 8 tips and articles I have found most helpful:

1. Stop Procrastination - “Put a star next to the essential projects and tasks. Only choose a few. Now look at all the rest, and see if you can eliminate them, delegate them, or put them off for awhile. Clear the deck for the essential stuff, so you’ll actually have time to do them.”
2. Become an Early Riser - “Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I’d almost always sleep in late. I usually didn’t start hitting my stride each day until late afternoon.”
3. Turn Off The TV - “The average American watches more than 4 hours of television every day. Over a 65-year life, that’s 9 years glued to the tube. Turn off the TV and you are sure to get more out of life.”
4. Always Take Notes - I am constantly writing notes. Whether it be for my blog, work, meeting, new ideas, or just basic notes, I am always jotting something down. So I started thinking about all the services I’ve used for taking notes and thought it would be a good idea to share them with you and while I’m at it, to make a list of any others that I find.
5. Learn How To Tackle Your Most Dreaded Tasks - “Do it first thing in the morning. If you’re dreading doing something, you’re going to be able to think of more creative excuses as the day goes along. One of my Twelve Commandments is “Do it now.” No delay is the best way.”
6. Learn to say “No” - We can’t do everything and therefore we must learn when to say no in order to save our sanity.
7. Trick Yourself Into Action - This might have been a one-time trick that worked for me this morning, but I think there IS something to using the body to kick-start the mind into doing things, especially when it’s lazy.
8. Micronap Your Way To The Top - I have been practicing micronapping for a while now but didn’t really think it was unusual until a colleague mentioned it to me. I work a lot between all the jobs and voluntary work I have and get about 5 hours sleep. I am tired a lot so often take a micronap to refresh me.

Am I missing anything? Discuss this entry