Get More Done Easily

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Here’s how to become twice as productive everyday.

Being aware of exactly what you do every day can double your productivity. If you take control of your tasks, you will be able to pinpoint the time wasters and do something about it. Here are the tasks that you should avoid to get more done in a day.

Unknown phone calls

There is a lot of spam not only in your inbox but in your everyday reality as well. There are people who call your mobile or landline and pitch different products to you that you don’t have a need for. If you are not working in customer service, it is better to ignore unknown phone calls. If it’s really important, they will either send you a text message or email you and say who they are and what their agenda is. These unknown phone calls very rarely result to meaningful conversations.

Turn off your voicemail

Voicemail messages are a complete waste of time. It consumes your precious minutes just listening to the machine and the message. If you have to replay, that’s even more time consuming. Just state in your outgoing message that you don’t use voicemail and give them your email address instead. You will be able to absorb emails better than listening to a bunch of messages when you get home very tired from work.

Don’t attend meetings that don’t have a clear agenda

Have you ever sat down to a meeting and left feeling like you don’t know what just happened? After that, you end up frustrated because you wasted so much time and finished nothing. If you are the boss, be sure that you have a clear set of topics to talk about before calling for a meeting.

Don’t let your meetings take a detour

Now that you have a clear agenda, don’t let your conversations branch out into something else. Stick to your list and finish the meeting as early as possible.

Sort email

Sort, group or star your emails so that you know which ones to prioritize first. You can also answer in groups rather than by piece.

Disconnect

If you have to focus on an especially important task, be sure to disconnect until you finish it. Turning off your phone and computer for a couple of hours a day will help you finish your work faster. Some quiet time alone is beneficial to everyone.

Avoid office gossip

That short chat at the water cooler is okay but if you find yourself constantly entertaining the office gossip every day for at least 30 minutes, you better stop now. This is such a waste of time and will do you no good.

Take a 5-minute break

Stand up and walk around or get yourself a cup of coffee and relax for 5-10 minutes. Use a timer if you are worried about time. You need to stretch out those tired muscles and rest your weary mind every once in a while.

Decide quickly

Unless you need some good research to back up your decision, don’t let your decisions linger and when you finally decide, don’t second guess if you have made the right decision. Be confident in yourself that you made a good decision. You can work on it later if it’s a bad call.

Eat well and sleep well

Finally, you need to refuel your body with energy and sleep. Be sure to eat a healthy diet and sleep for at least 7 hours a day so that your mind and body are always nimble.

This article was brought to you by business blogger and entrepreneur Mike Chelsea. If you like my article, please visit my contract packing site for more productivity ideas.