Business owners who get a lot accomplished every day aren’t superhuman; they’ve just mastered some powerful productivity habits, and today we’re going to talk about 5 of them, and next week I’ll share 4 more of them with you.
#1 De-clutter Your Desk Daily
Some say that creativity arises from chaos, but according to the NeuroLeadership Institute, a litter-strewn office is not helping you get stuff done. And even if you don’t notice the disorder, it hurts your ability to focus.
According to a recent study in the Harvard Business Review, a clean desk helps you stick with a task more than one and half times longer!
#2 Carve Out 20%
No matter how crazy your days get, you need to carve out and ruthlessly protect 90 minutes-20% of an 8-hour workday- for your important revenue-generation activities (tasks that get you new client bookings with dream clients.)
It’s really easy to get caught up in the endless minutia of the day and put off the important tasks that bring in the cash. One-way to ensure you get 90-minutes of revenue-generating tasks done is to do them first thing in the morning before the day gets away from you.
#3 Work Less
I bet you didn’t see this one coming! Think you can get more done by working through the night or starting really early? According to a 2014 study by Stanford*, output was proportionate to time worked-up to 49 hours. Beyond 49 hours, it rose at a decreasing rate, and those who worked 70 hours got the same amount done as those that worked 56 hours!
#4. Get 7-8 Hours Of Sleep Each Night
If you’re thinking to yourself “that would be amazing but there’s no way I can do that”, then I encourage you to watch Marie Forleo’s interview with Arianna Huffington while you eat lunch this week, and grab a copy of Arianna’s book. It’s an eye-opener!
Getting adequate sleep will supercharge your productivity by making you a better problem-solver, helps your brain process information faster, keeps you sharp and focused, and it can counteract impulsive behavior (keep you grabbing an unhealthy afternoon snack).
If you can’t clock 7-8 hours at night, then take a short power nap during the day. Even just 20 minutes can work magic on your productivity.
Interestingly, research shows that getting too much sleep is as bad as too little*. Under-sleepers and over-sleepers were both more likely to take extra sick days.
#5 Get Some Sun!
According to research, people who sit near a window and work have mental function and memory recall that is 10% to 25% better than those who don’t!*
If working near a window is not an option, get outside for a walk during the day.
Bonus – Vitamin D, which our bodies produce with help from the sun, has been shown to help boost your immune system! Even more reason to get outside and soak up some sunshine.
In the comments below, tell me, which of these 5 productivity boosters are you going to try this week? Were any of them surprising to you?
Love & Success,
Heidi and Your Marketing Team
P.S. When it comes to habit #2 – carving out 20% of your day for client-getting activities, if you’re not sure what to do to get new DREAM clients, download this special report on 14 Ways To Get New Dream Clients (it’s yours free!)
REFERENCES:
*According to the Stanford Study that was conducted by professor John Pencavel.
*According to the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. They studied the work habits of 3,760 people over seven years.
*According to research done by the California Energy Commission.
Yes number 3 surprised me a lot but will try it and see.
All of these are do valuable but yeah #3 I’d never heard before. Thanks a lot.
#3 was surprising but #1 is definitely a challenge for me. My organizational skills need a massive overhaul!
You can definitely do it!!