Do you ever wonder how you can be more productive? Well I sure do, because life can get busy and I always seem to be adding things to my workload without any thought of slowing down. While I have brought this on myself (and I do love being busy), there are many solutions to making your time more efficient to get more things done, prioritize more effectively, and focus on what’s important to reach your end goals.

Here are 6 tips to increase your productivity. 

1. Morning Routine

Ask any super successful person you know, and odds are they have a morning routine that never wavers. Whether it be a daily meditation, journaling, workout, or taking time to enjoy their coffee, those who take advantage of the morning are the most successful. In fact, in a study of over 200 self-made millionaires, almost 50% of them got up 3 hours before their day actually started. Oh, and another thing? They never hit snooze— they wake up the first time their alarm goes off. This sounds revolutionary, doesn’t it? Start your day off on the right food by creating a ritual for yourself, and you will reap all the rewards for your increased productivity the rest of the day.

2. Don’t Multitask

This may go against everything you thought about being productive, but in reality multitasking is a farce. This is because you can’t effectively type an email, scroll Facebook, talk on the phone, and eat a bagel all at the same time. Focus on one thing at a time and minimize other distractions. This is especially true for technological distractions… it’s virtually impossible to effectively focus on your work with your smartphone sitting beside you constantly buzzing. If you’re focused on a task, remove all other distractions, including your phone. Otherwise, you will be unable to truly focus on the task at hand.

3. Get It Done in the AM

Studies show that we are most effective in the first half of the day. So, tackle the most important and gruelling tasks before lunch and save the easier, less brain-crunching things such as conference calls for the afternoon. By scheduling your day around when you know you are most productive, you will (duh!) be more productive!

4. Sleep!!

This may seem obvious, but most of us are severely lacking in this department. I get it — with kids, work, and busy schedules, it can seem impossible to get in our much-needed zzz’s. But it’s super important, and you can’t expect your brain to function at a productive level if it hasn’t had enough rest. 89% percent of self-made millionaires sleep 7-8 hours or more each night! Make this a priority to improve how effective you are during the day. 

5. Surround Yourself with Like-Minded Others

Did your mom ever tell you that quote, “Show me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are”? Well, this applies to your productivity as well. You are only as successful as the people you associate yourself with, which is why it’s so important that you are choosy with your tribe. You will be unquestionably affected if you spend your time with highly-successful people who are positive and are a good influence. 

6. Follow the 80/20 Rule

You’re probably never heard of this before. But basically, the 80/20 rule states that 80% of your  results come from 20% of your actions. Still confused? Think of it this way: out of all the clothes you own, you most likely spend 80% of your time in 20% of what you own. This rule is a universal method about the truth of inputs and outputs. Now you may be wondering how this rule can help you be more productive. Well, this rule can help you figure out what is most important in order to maximize your time. This means that you have to figure out what 20% of your work produces 80% of your outcome. Once you figure out that 20%, you will be more focused and spend less time on the tasks that don’t produce large outcomes. 

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