More Than Our Story

Boosting Your Productivity

Table of Contents

Making The Most Of Your Time

We all have the same amount of time in the day, so how can some of us accomplish so much more? The answer is simple: productive people manage their time well and focus their efforts on the tasks that yield the most return. Whether you’re a student juggling your coursework, a professional managing deadlines, or an entrepreneur wearing multiple hats, taking control over your time can drastically improve your productivity, reduce your stress, and give you back some breathing space.

Let’s take a look at some time management strategies that can help you take control of your day and boost your productivity.

Prioritize Your Tasks

As soon as you receive a task, designate it as requiring immediate action, or to be scheduled, delegated, or eliminated. 

Popularized by Stephen Covey, the Eisenhower Matrix allows users to identify which tasks require immediate action, which should be scheduled, delegated, or eliminated.

  • Urgent and Important: Do immediately.
  • Important but Not Urgent: Schedule to prevent last-minute stress.
  • Urgent but Not Important: Delegate if possible.
  • Neither Urgent nor Important: Reduce or eliminate.

By consistently and repetitively reviewing your priorities, you’ll focus on high-impact work instead of getting lost in the weeds.

Use Time-Blocking

Assign specific time slots to tasks. For example:

  • 9:00–9:30 AM: Review emails and respond
  • 9:30–11:00 AM: Execute Urgent and Important Tasks
  • 11:00–12:00 PM: Team meetings

Time blocking helps you avoid multitasking and protects your focus-intensive periods from interruptions.

Use The 80/20 Rule:

Research has shown that 80% of results often come from 20% of efforts. Identify the tasks that yield the greatest results, and focus your energy on them. What about the rest: schedule, delegate, or eliminate.

PRODUCTIVTY FACT:
The 80-/20 rule is also known as the Pareto Principle. It is named after the Italian polymath Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that roughly 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population.

Set SMART Goals

Ensure your goals are concise and quantifiable to keep your daily plan focused and on track.

  • Specific – Clear and well-defined
  • Measurable – Easily measurable and quantifiable
  • Achievable – Realistic and achievable
  • Relevant – Aligned with your bigger objectives
  • Time-bound – Set deadlines to create urgency

Use The “Two-Minute Rule”

If something takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This technique, popularized by productivity expert David Allen, keeps small tasks from piling up.

Leverage Technology

While digital tools like Trello, Asana, or Google Calendar can help you stay organized, be mindful of the time you spend on them. 

Tech Tips For Productivity:

  • Enable do-not-disturb modes during high-focus times and meetings
  • Batch check emails instead of responding immediately
  • Set app limits for social media

DO YOU:
Not all of us are tech gurus - while some people are comfortable automating their task management, there’s nothing wrong with sticky notes on a whiteboard. Do what you’re most comfortable with - the key to productivity is a reliable system you can consistently execute upon.

Build In Buffer Time

Back-to-back scheduling leaves no room for unexpected delays. Include short breaks between commitments to recharge and adjust as needed.

Protect Your Energy, Not Just Your Time

Productivity isn’t only about scheduling time – it’s also about understanding your energy levels. Work on high-priority tasks when your focus peaks; for me, this is early to mid-morning. Save routine, low-energy tasks for when you’re naturally less alert, generally later in the afternoon.

Plan For Tomorrow Today

Spend the last 15 minutes of your workday creating your plan for tomorrow. Employing this tactic saves decision-making time in the morning, letting you hit the ground running.

Learn to Say “No”

Every “yes” to something new is a “no” to something else. Protect your time by declining requests that don’t align with your priorities. Not everyone is comfortable saying “no,” but the more you do, the easier it will become. You’re not being rude – you’re being productive. Saying ‘no’ also ensures that you maintain a healthy work-life balance, because a happy you is a productive you, and vice versa.

TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES:

  • Prioritize Your Tasks
  • Use Time Blocking
  • Apply the 80/20 Rule
  • Set SMART Goals
  • Use the Two-Minute Rule
  • Leverage Technology
  • Build in Buffer Time
  • Protect Energy, Not Just Time
  • Plan Tomorrow Before Today Ends
  • Learn to Say “No”
  • BONUS: Get Adequate Sleep

Bonus: Get Adequate Sleep

This one is about maximizing your productivity potential. As mentioned in the article “The Importance of Sleep,” ensuring adequate sleep boosts your cognitive functions, helping you think more clearly, improve your concentration, problem-solving skills, and decision-making. Getting enough sleep also helps you process emotion and consolidate memories – ensuring that you retain the information you learned during the day.

STAY ACTIVE, TO SLEEP BETTER:
Maintaining an active lifestyle promotes healthy sleep in numerous ways:

  • Regulates your internal clock (circadian rhythm)
  • Reduces stress and anxiety
  • Helps you fall asleep faster and improves your sleep quality
  • Regulates your hormones (including melatonin and serotonin, which are essential to good sleep)

Final Thoughts

Time management isn’t about fitting more into your day; it’s about learning to prioritize effectively and consistently applying these strategies. By incorporating some of the strategies into your routine, you’ll accomplish more and feel less overwhelmed, leading to improvements in your productivity and overall well-being.

SOURCES

Picture of Daniel

Daniel

Daniel is an extremely curious person, a wealth of random knowledge and facts. Extremely passionate about a vast array of interests ranging from health to history, science to athletics, everything culinary and the list goes on. Trust us, you would want to be on his team for Trivial Pursuit. Daniel is also years into his battle with brain cancer. He experienced a seizure while on a Zoom call at work in late 2020 and quite literally, his life changed within minutes. After his operation he started to talk about his story but had always known it was more than just him. From then, More Than Our Story became a PROJECT that has evolved into the starting point it is today.

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