We always need some help from the pros, whether you’re trying to manage your emails better or just get more work done. To that effect, here are 27 more productivity tips from the pros that can help you get on your way.
1. “Concentrate on concentrating.” ~@martina
2. “Force yourself to prioritize so that you know that you will finish at least that one critical task during the period of the day when you have the most energy and the fewest distractions.” ~ @tonyschwartz
3. “Small tasks can easily steal our focus, keeping us from finishing masterpieces.” ~@glenstansberry
4. “Productivity should be aimed at meeting goals rather than merely keeping up with one’s to do list.” ~ @penelopetrunk
5. “I do only things that excite me. If you find something boring, you are going to put it off as much as possible. On the grand scale of things, the key is outsourcing, business and personal.” ~@omerperchik
6. “Separate thinking and execution to execute faster and think better.” ~@sol_tanguay
7. “Write down anything that distracts you - Google searches, random thoughts, new ideas, whatever. The point is, if you write them down, they’ll stop bubbling up when you’re in the zone.” ~@stevencorona
8. “Deal with something once. Do it now. Then it’s off your mind, and you can fully focus on the next matter.” ~@zenhabits
9. “Build routines and habits so that you’re not deciding, you’re just doing.” ~@bakadesuyo
10. “I am a great believer in the OHIO principle: Only handle it once. When you read an email, decide whether or not to reply to it, and, if you need to reply, do so right then and there. I have found that about 80% of all emails, whether internal or external, do not require a response.” ~@pozen
11. “You can actually slow time by only thinking about the task you need to do now. Thinking about all the tasks you need to do will make time fly.” ~@timeliberator
12. “My biggest productivity tip is to respond to emails once you open them. Never open them and then respond later as it slows things down.” ~@neilpatel
13. “People are really bad at creating their tasks. Most people create tasks that are really hard to complete. For example, ‘lose weight’ isn’t a task, it’s a longer project that includes hundreds of tasks. Yet, most people will add ‘lose weight’ as a task.” ~@amix3k
14. “Use Trello.com to map out all of the tasks of the company. This gives a macro view of what’s going on and allows you to delegate tasks that may better be completed by another person.” ~@mattdecelles
15. “Work in 30-45 minute bursts. Our minds can’t handle anything more. Even if you’re on fire, pull yourself away and reflect for at least a few minutes.” ~@jonathanfields
16. “There’s no app, productivity technique, or idea that can be more effective than a crazy huge challenge and a short time to deliver against. High pressure. High stakes. High expectations. That’s what motivates and focuses productivity.” ~@72andsunny
17. “On Mondays, identify three wins for the week. Each day, identify three wins for that day. On Friday, identify three things going well and three things to improve.” ~@jwhite
18. “As few meetings as possible. Meetings are mainly helping managers and not makers.” ~@gadishamia
19. “Approximately every 90-120 minutes, the mind and body give us clues signaling the need for rest and change in physical and mental activity. Don’t ignore them.” ~@staroversky
20. “Productivity should be aimed at meeting goals rather than merely keeping up with one’s to do list.” ~@penelopetrunk
21. “It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.” ~@TheZigZiglar
22. “To do the impossible, you need to ignore the popular.” ~@tferriss
23. “Nobody gives a f*** about your startup except you.” ~@irfonw
24. “Partially quit Facebook. Move everyone from ‘friends’ to ‘acquaintances’. You would still be getting updates, but instead of ‘check out what I ate for breakfast’, you will only be shown the most important stuff. That would save you lots of time and make you 5-10x more productive.” ~@oliveremberton
25. “My favourite hack is actually one I found quite recently, which is a Gmail Labs feature that helps me significantly with my productivity. It is called ‘Auto Advance’ and basically it will automatically show the next email when you archive the current email. This helps you to keep to a zero inbox policy and prevents you from reading emails multiple times. It trains you to be much more productive with your emails.” ~@manageyourtime
26. “It’s simple. I don’t have a Facebook account.” ~@pdejoe
27. “Have one board for everything important. I used to have a real one, now I use Trello.” ~@gadishamia
Want even more productivity tips and lifehacks from the Pros? Check out our new eBook: 101 Productivity Tips and Lifehacks from the Pros