Hacks For a More Productive 2018

Unlock your full potential today by using some of these productivity tricks. Put these hacks to good use so you can write more, learn more, and do more to succeed.

1. Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique was developed in the 1980s and uses a timer to break up your workday into 25-minute intervals (called Pomodoros), followed by a short break. After four Pomodoros you then take a longer break. There are apps, websites and even browser extensions that can help you track the process. This might not work for everyone, and creatives especially could struggle with the constant breaks in the creative process, but it could be worth a try to find a technique that works for you.

2. The two-minute rule

The two-minute rule is based on the mindset that if something takes two minutes or less to complete you should do it right away. This helps alleviate procrastination on small tasks and helps to prevent things from stacking up to become more of a chore.

3. Task batching

Rather than falling prey to multitasking, you can use task batching to focus your energy on specific tasks. This means allotting time for each type of work you have. For example, setting aside 15-minute increments for email, an hour for writing, 30 minutes for social media, whatever will work for you and your workday.

4.Two pizza rule

Jeff Bezos is credited with this next idea, the two pizza rule. This is a guideline that helps set limits on the number of attendees allowed in a meeting, with the idea that the number of attendees should not exceed the number of people that could eat two pizzas. This keeps the meeting focused on the task at hand.

5. Utilize your calendar

Your calendar can be the best tool for making the most of a day, simply because you can visualize everything that has to get done. You can use a calendar to schedule task batching, or simply plan and set aside days that will be meeting free and focused on doing the work you have to do uninterrupted.

6.Turn off alerts

It may not be possible to turn your phone completely off during the times you need to focus, but you can cut down on distractions by silencing it, or by completely disabling notifications. By doing this you are silencing outside “noise” so you can make finishing what you are working on your main priority.

7. Use tools to streamline your work

Hootsuite, Mailchimp, Trello, Buffer, the list goes on and on. There are tons of free and paid tools available online that can help streamline your workflow, focusing on everything from project management to digital marketing and social media.

8.Don’t drown in the shallow end

It’s easy to get bogged down stressing out about all the small things you have to do, and this can cause you to be distracted from the big meaningful items on your to-do list. Setting your priorities can make the small tasks seem less daunting, and therefore less stressful.

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Reclaim Your Time

Many organizations are now putting an emphasis on work-life balance. But sometimes that balance isn’t easily found, and your time becomes difficult to manage. You may find yourself missing out on doing the things that truly matter to you, sacrificing exercise, family, goals you have set for yourself or other activities you wish you had time for. In 2017 Maxine Waters made reclaiming her timethe main focus of her life. This is how you can do the same, and focus on the things you want to do.

Assess your calendar

Look at your calendar and the things you have planned for the future. Decide what things are important to you, and re-prioritize those that aren’t. Breaking plans you are not enthused by isn’t the worst thing in the world, and can make you feel more in control of your schedule. While looking through, be sure to schedule time for yourself, sometimes it’s as easy as giving your free time a name and assigned date and/or time.

Disconnect

Find time to remove yourself from the constant distractions on the internet or on your phone. Eliminate as many of these unnecessary distractions as possible, whether that means turning notifications off on your phone or computer, turning off your internet connection, or downloading an app or browser extension that blocks certain functions and capabilities so you can focus on what you have to do.

Rethink routines

If you are stuck in your routine take a break to make a change. Wake up earlier to eat a healthy breakfast or go to the gym before work, take a new route to work, or instead of running errands every day, commit one day to getting everything done to save time, gas and money.

Say no

Save the limited amounts of time you have for the things that you are excited about. Saying no is hard for many people, but can save you the stress of feeling overextended and disinterested in the plans you make.

Eat the frog

This piece of advice has been floating around for a while now, but for good reason. Procrastination is an easy trap to fall into, but an easy way to increase your productivity and feel more accomplished is to “eat the frog” or to complete the most dreaded part of your day right away, rather than just leaving it and letting it become more of a mental block in your day.

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Books to Read in 2018

As the new year begins and New Year’s resolutions are made, one that many people bring up each year is that of wanting to read more books in the year to come. These are some top picks for books about business, technology, personal growth, leadership and more.

Business

Rise and Grind  by Daymond John

The Shark Tank panelist and entrepreneur uses his own life experiences to tell readers how to succeed in their lives with inspiration to use persistence, grit, and spectacular work ethic.

Crushing It  by Gary Vaynerchuk

VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk is known for his no downtime approach to life and business, as well as for building a brand that is solid and highly successful. Vaynerchuk outlines what you need to know to do the same for your brand.

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle and Will Damron

Learn how successful groups are built and strengthened, with Coyle’s in-depth look into how group culture can be cultivated.

Technology

The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone  by Brian Merchant

The introduction of the iPhone changed the course of history, for technology, social trends and more. This national bestseller takes readers through the history of the development and release of the influential Apple device.

Surviving the Tech Storm: Strategy in Times of Technological Uncertainty by Nicklas Bergman

The technological changes that we have gone through have entered us into a new era that is filled with questions and challenges. Bergman offers insight into how to make decisions and find insights into an uncertain world.

What To Do When Machines Do Everything: How to Get Ahead in a World of AI, Algorithms, Bots and Big Data by Malcolm Frank, Paul Roehrig, and Ben Pring

The digital economy is changing the future of work and how business is done. The authors provide a roadmap to take steps to move ahead in a world that is moving more quickly than we can.

Leadership

Brave Leadership: Unleash Your Most Confident, Powerful and Authentic Self to Get the Results You Need by Kimberly Davis

Learn how to get results and become the leader you want to be in this guide for all leadership journeys. Davis dives into the essential tools and tips that anyone can use to reach their full potential and help feel more confident, satisfied and purposeful.  

The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People into World Class Leaders  by Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell

Botelho and Powell’s in-depth look at CEOs and executives uncovers what makes these leaders successful. Though this book may be more research intensive, the messages that it delivers with the conclusions can help you rise to the top as well.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey

Former FBI director James Comey reveals never before told stories of his time in the government sharing insights into what makes an effective leader.

Money

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

First released in 1996, this exposé about wealthy Americans has now been updated for the context of the current state of the world. Learn how the truly wealthy demographic behaves and how you can modify your life and spending habits to fit within this exclusive group.

Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women, and Money by Kevin O’Leary

Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary presents a new take on finance in a witty and funny way that presents advice to someone at any stage in their life. It’s not too late to take control of your finance, and O’Leary presents this in a well rounded and personable way.

The Total Money Makeover  by Dave Ramsey

Taking a fitness type stab at revamping personal finance, Ramsey presents a plan that can help you pay off debts, build a strong financial safety net and create a budget without sacrificing your personal relationships.

Personal Growth

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness -Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler

Nudge opens the eyes of the reader up to the fact that nothing we have to decide on is presented in a neutral way. By acknowledging bias, and understanding how the human brain perceives choice you can influence others to make decisions that are better for everyone in your life.

Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt

Hyatt dives into how you can achieve your goals instead of letting them get pushed back only to regret ignoring them. Whether your goals are centered around relationships, financial, or educational, this book can help you to reset your life and achieve the goals you set.

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg

After her husband’s sudden death, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg fell into a vast depression. But with hard work, she was able to build resilience and find her way towards recovery. Option B houses Sandberg’s journal excerpts, research and other contributors’ personal stories that showcase peak levels of perseverance. Learn how to develop compassion, appreciation, and resilience as well as the ability help others find the same qualities within themselves.

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7 Tips For Time Management

Time management: The ability to use one’s time effectively or productively, especially at work.
We might all know what time management means by definition, but still can’t seem to implement it in our day to day lives. These seven tips give you concrete advice on how to manage your time like a pro!

Declutter
Make a plan. Start small. Take breaks. Decluttering doesn’t have to be done all at once. Feel free to take your time and work your way up. Take it a desk drawer, or shoebox at a time.

Stay Organized
This is a two-pronged approach. Getting organized and then staying organized. Always easier said than done, but it can be done. Recognize that it’s an ongoing continuum and keep at it.

Prioritize
List out all tasks and obligations and rank them. Be it by time restrictions, career demands, or personal goals, knowing what and when things need to be done is key. Create a calendar and work your way through tasks in order of priority.

Plan
Plan. Plan. Stick with the plan. Having a plan doesn’t mean you have to stick to it on every detail. Having a plan gives you the ability to break down your time in segments, allowing you to track the things that are done, in progress and yet to be completed. It gives you to opportunity properly prepare for things down the pipeline and gives the small victory of being able to check things off as they are completed.

Be Effective
Life and work aren’t a race. Being the most efficient is overrated, strive for being the most effective. It’s not about how many singular tasks get finished, although that is important, it’s about how much progress has been made to meet goals you’ve set for yourself. Quality over quantity, but quantity is still important.

Stop Procrastinating
We have all fallen victim to putting things off, especially those things we deem difficult or time-consuming. Avoid this trap at all costs. Start tasks as soon as you need to. Consult your plan, make sure to stick with it, taking breaks if you need to. Just start!

Finish The Job
Starting and never finishing tasks is a killer of great time management. Unfinished tasks can quickly pile up, and sometimes even impede the process of other tasks and projects. All started tasks need to be completed unless canceled altogether.

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