Updated 30/06/2021
If you want to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of each day, then forming some of these habits can help you to maximise your efficiency. The hacks I am sharing today may be considered extreme, but they will give you that extra time to do more.
- Speed-up YouTube videosYouTube is a great way to learn new things, but some videos are l-o-n-g and can be a severe drain on your time. Did you know that you can increase the speed of video playback up to double? Click the settings button and choose your rate. BONUS TIP Do you need to watch the video or can you just listen while you work? Save time; learn while you work or commute.
- Don’t Finish Rubbish BooksAs an entrepreneur, it is vital that you are always learning. Reading books is one of the best ways to absorb new ideas. However, not all books are great. Some books are just not for you. They are hard-going and a chore to get through. You aren’t going to read every book in the world; there isn’t enough time, so, why read crap? If the book is not working for you, put it down and start a new one. BONUS TIP Get the audiobook version and listen while you work or commute.
- Record Your TV ContentIf you still have time to watch TV, and you aren’t watching on-demand, then you will get hit by watching adverts. Three minutes, every 15 minutes, or more, the advertisements waste your time. So, in a couple of hours of watching TV, you may see a whopping twenty-four minutes of ads. If you record the TV you want to watch, then you can merely fast-forward the adverts, and save twelve minutes, or more, an hour. BONUS TIP Record content instead of consuming from on-demand services that force you to watch adverts.
- Get Your Clothes Out the Night BeforeEvery morning are you running around, trying to find an ironed shirt, and the belt that goes with your shoes? Imagine you woke up and with your outfit laid out ready for you to wear. How much easier would your morning be? You would be less stressed out and prepared for work, straight away. Instead of binge-watching that extra episode on Netflix, find your clothes for tomorrow.
- Have a Do Not Disturb DayEvery time you get interrupted, you can take nearly thirty minutes to refocus on your task. Even with the best will in the world, some calls will get through, or some email senders will expect an answer. Imagine that instead you just put on your out of office message on your email, and switched on do not disturb on your phone. If you did this one day a week. If you get disrupted five times a day, then you could be saving two and a half hours by not being bothered. BONUS TIP Turn off all your phone notifications and don’t get interrupted on any day.
- Schedule Your Whole DayDo you make a to-do list and get through your whole day, and have only got to task two? They do you rollover tasks till the next day, and so on, ad infinitum? Sometimes, the jobs that you think aren’t important, or urgent, are bounced until they are critical. The task that gets missed might be one that will save you time in the future, or give you more knowledge that you can apply to improve your productivity. I schedule my whole work day, including time for reading, and other “apparently” low-priority tasks. By planning reading for thirty minutes a day, I get through my learning resources, which I would otherwise ignore.
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