1/ Develop an Amazing A.M. Pre-Work Routine

I love the morning. I have a strong a.m. personal routine before work. Getting this out of the way allows me to focus on work, feeling invigorated and mentally clear. Morning is the most important and sacred time of the day. The way you begin the first hours of your day sets the tone for the rest of the day. The energy in the morning is fantastic. Use it correctly, and you will see how quickly you can double your productivity. If you don’t have a strong a.m. routine, a great way to build one is to join a challenge, such as the “Miracle Morning™ 30-‐Day Life Transformation Challenge”. I am not an affiliate, but I love it because it motivates people to develop positive morning habits.

2/ Radically Disrupt Traditional Work Schedules for Higher Productivity

Ironically, many people let others pull them in different directions throughout the day. Answer a phone call, a text, an email, run an errand, or respond to requests left and right. No wonder one would be exhausted. Multitasking and hopping from one task to another is no way to operate efficiently. Take back control over your schedule! Here are a few ways for you to do that:

1. I’m a fan of the four-day workweek. Working fewer hours helps one set priorities quickly and say ‘no’ to time-wasting or non-essential activities.
2. I rarely read nor answer any email in the morning. Instead, I scan my Inbox before beginning my a.m. work and only open urgent emails. If it is quick, I will reply. If it requires a lengthy answer or more questions, I wait. I deal with all emails in the afternoons. I also follow strict email etiquette. Throughout the morning, I don’t check my Inbox at all. I’m also on a mission to reduce email to the maximum since they often kill productivity.
3. I reduce any meetings, especially in the mornings. If I do meetings, they will happen on only three days of the week, preferably in the afternoons, and be as short as possible with a clear plan and goals. Meetings are another time suck that needs to be eliminated or shortened whenever possible.
4. My phone is turned on airplane mode most of the day. The phone is a significant productivity killer as well as addictive.
5. Distractions kill productivity, so let colleagues, friends, and family members know which hours you are likely unreachable, and ask them to try to reach out via phone or chat during those times only if it is urgent. Hold them accountable for keeping their word. Most things can wait.

Take charge of your schedule entirely, and you will get so much more done.

3/ Design Your Daily Routines Around Your Energy

Throughout the day, your energy is constantly shifting. Your body naturally works in sync with the daylight, so in the morning hours, you should begin your day well-rested and full of creative energy. It is normal to feel a couple of energy dips throughout the day. Some people even feel sleepy after lunch. The afternoon is a time when your creative juices won’t flow as easily. There is a clear window at night where you will fall asleep almost instantly, but if you miss it, you will experience a new rush of energy that can keep you up until very late. Some people use that for another burst of work, but I prefer to sleep to preserve my energy for the early morning.

My day is organized around my energy levels as follows:

• Morning hours for creative work (in my case, that means writing, solo podcasting, and course creation)
• One short break mid-morning where I make green tea and sit outside for fifteen minutes to get some sun, if possible
• One long break for lunch (although I prefer to eat only a light lunch to avoid fatigue and then spend about forty minutes walking for health)
• Another short break mid-afternoon with the same idea except I would eat some fruit or an energy ball if I made them and another green tea
• Afternoon hours for administrative and non-creative work (in my case, that means cleaning out my email inbox, invoicing, contracts, sorting through files, research, dealing with technical updates, and meetings)
• My evening routine is primarily personal, although I have opened up a couple of meeting slots for live streams, video, or even meetings in the past year due to working with people in different time zones.
• I go to sleep by default early, except if I’m reading something inspiring, I may exceptionally stay up to finish. I love the night hours, but I force myself to sleep to maintain a productive morning.

4/ Divide Your Weekly Tasks into Daily Routine Themes

Imagine your week is one extensive To-Do list. Every Sunday, I categorize my tasks for the upcoming week into the following four categories:

Next, I go through my lists and map the tasks into my calendar to build routines.

Examples:

Relationships: Every Wednesday, I do activities with my toddler since she doesn’t have school. Every Sunday, I call my son, who is in college, and my two teens, who are with their dad this year, for a video chat.

Health/Self Development: Every day, I plan one hour for my a.m. routine, one hour for physical movement, three hours for meals and snacks, including preparation, eight hours for sleep, forty-five minutes for two short work breaks, one hour for reading and listening to podcasts that inspire and motivate me, and at least one day per week when I watch a comedy to laugh. Physical and mental health is my top priority!

Work: I organize my work activities by theme (Examples: Podcast Day, Book Day, Meeting Day, Finance Day, Networking Day, Course Day) and type of activity (monthly activities, weekly routine activities, and special events). I also batch-produce content to save time and have better quality results.

Organizing your days by tasks and themes will quickly take the stress out of work and allow you to do a better job. It also is the secret to balance.

5/ Set Up Ideal Conditions for Achievement

1. I align my monthly goals with my weekly goals and translate them into daily action. And all of this is governed by and designed around my annual goals. At the end of every month, review your SMART goals for the month ahead and set up your action plans to translate tasks into time blocks that get scheduled into your weekly calendar. This way, you start your day with more clarity about what you need to do.
2. Set up work habits for deep focus (Train my mind, set up my space, prepare well, no multitasking)
3. Mindset (Get it done, no perfectionism, get help if needed, positive self-talk, and reduce time-wasting)
4. Plan your week out in advance with time management and productivity in mind. I like to work on next week’s schedule between Friday morning and Sunday evening, so I am well-prepared for what I need to achieve.
5. Write down up to 3 things maximum you must do every morning
6. Daily meditation for mental clarity
7. Apply the 3 D’s ( Do, Delegate, or Delete)
8. I have more habits I teach in my course, I Will Teach You to Become Mega-Productive.

Your Perfect Day Requires a GPS

Have you ever driven to a new place and realized there is no signal and your GPS won’t work, so you get lost? It makes you aware of how valuable the GPS is in the first place. After all, you end up driving around, losing precious minutes, and getting frustrated without it. Your destination is your goal, and your strategy is your GPS. Yet surprisingly, many people don’t plan sufficiently. Instead, they “wing it.” It is undoubtedly no surprise then to see chaos ensue.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Get Clear on What You Want to Achieve In Your Life

Time waits for no one, and an entire lifetime can fly by without a plan.

In general, your overall goal should be to get super organized, focused, and results-oriented so you can achieve your goals and have a happier life.

Easy, right?

Unfortunately, not so much. Instead, we often lack clarity in life except in hindsight. We waste a lot of time.

Keep your eye on the prize!

One thing is sure: if you don’t have clarity and strategy, you won’t go far.

What is it you are trying to achieve? Say it aloud. Please write it down. Set a deadline. Break that goal into daily action. If you are unclear about your goals, I have more resources you may enjoy.