5 Simple Daily Tasks That Will Improve Your Productivity Do these five things every day and get more done.
By Jonathan Long •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When you are able to master productivity, you become extremely focused, and it's much easier to remain in the zone, which can make even the most difficult tasks manageable.
Enhancing your productivity is simple if you are willing to prepare -- the little extra time and effort can go a long way. If you want to improve your productivity I suggest you find time to fit these very simple tasks into your daily schedule.
Related: How to Manage Time With 10 Tips That Work
1. Develop a routine and stick to it.
I have a routine that I have been following for some time now, and it involves getting up at 5 a.m. every day to start my day. It enables me to get my workout in and gives me a two-hour window of time that is distraction-free to hammer out tasks. When 9 a.m. rolls around, I am way ahead of the game.
I didn't just magically create this routine in my head one day. It was the result of trying several different things and then finding out what worked the best for me. It took some time to get used to it, but now my routine has carried over to the weekends as well. It takes dedication and discipline, but I can promise you that identifying your own winning routine will result in a large productivity boost.
2. Set three times for operation 'inbox zero.'
If you attempt to respond to every single email that hits your inbox in real-time, then you would get absolutely nothing accomplished during the day. Something that has worked for me, is dedicating three times throughout the day, to attack my inbox with the goal of achieving "inbox zero" every time.
Sometimes you will have urgent email that needs to be addressed outside of your designated times, which is understandable. "It's important that you know what emails can wait and what ones require your immediate attention. Once you master this you will be more productive when it comes to inbox management," says Russell Nicolet, personal injury attorney and founder of Nicolet Law.
Related: 10 Simple Things Successful People Do Every Morning (Infographic)
3. Create a large, visual to-do list.
You have undoubtedly heard that creating a to-do list is key -- but in order for it to be effective, it needs to stare you right in the face all day. Rather than writing on sticky notes or little pads of paper, hang the largest whiteboard you can fit on your office wall and keep it updated daily.
Personally, I find that always having my to-do list directly in my line of sight keeps me focused on the tasks I need to knock out. I color-code my to-do list tasks based on what category they fall under, and find great satisfaction in erasing them one-by-one daily as I knock them out.
4. Prep your workstation for the next day.
It's very hard to be productive in a messy work environment. If you aren't organized, you simply waste time trying to find things as you navigate through the mess. During the day, things are misplaced and your desk can turn into a disaster zone. If you ignore it, it will just get worse. I spend five minutes at the end of the day to clean up and ensure that I start the next day with a perfectly prepped desk and work area.
"A cluttered work area is distracting and it takes away from what you should be doing -- working. A clean area allows you to stay focused on what needs to get done. Moving stuff around to make room or adding to them mess is a productivity killer," says Andrew Lanoie, CEO and founder of Four Peaks Capital Partners.
The same applies to your virtual work area -- rather than having files and documents scattered all over, organize everything within a single Dropbox account.
Related: Get it Done: 35 Habits of the Most Productive People (Infographic)
5. Eat six smaller meals daily.
I got pretty serious about my health and fitness a few years ago. Working out daily gives me the energy to power through each day, even when I get minimal sleep. Along my fitness journey I really started to play around with my diet, and quickly learned that abandoning the traditional three meals a day routine in favor of six smaller ones was more beneficial.
I never have a drop in my energy level, and I know for a fact this has helped raise my productivity to a new level. "Eating several smaller protein-packed meals throughout the day keeps your body fueled with energy and it also helps kick-start your metabolism," explains Andrew Ryan, founder of The Protein Pizza.
