191: 7 Steps to Doubling Your Productivity

Life on Fire TV (Audio) – Online Business Coaching With Nick Unsworth

Hey hey! Welcome to episode 191 of Life on Fire. Would you like to do twice as much in less time? Of course you would! And that’s exactly what today’s episode is devoted to: being more productive. I’ve picked the top 7 steps to doubling your productivity.

On this show you’ll find out what each step is, why it’s important and how to implement it. When you take action on these 7 steps not only will your productivity in your business and career improve so will the other areas of your life. So tune in and check out these 7 steps to double your productivity and reignite your life on fire.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why you shouldn't check your email first thing in the morning. (1:00)
• What is one of the fastest ways to drain your productivity and your spirit? (3:05)
• What is Parkinson's Law and why is it important to know? (3:30)
• What is the root of procrastination? (5:40)
• Why taking more free time and not LESS is key to being more productive. (11:55).
• And so much more!

In keeping with today’s theme of being more productive let’s not waste any time and jump right into the 7 steps, working backwards from 7.

7. Conquer your email.

Do you check your email first thing in the morning? Has it ever wrecked your morning or even the rest of your day when you have? Stop doing it! I have and it’s been a fantastic way to get more done and stay focused.

Now I only check email twice per day, and for most of us this is possible. Rather than checking in often set up an away message that says “In the spirit of giving 110% to my clients I will be checking my email twice per today at 10am and 4:30pm.”

You’ll be amazed at how much more productive and effective you are. It’ll also help you get down to Inbox Zero!

6. Batching.

Parkinson's law states that anything you do will take as much time as you allot it. So if you decide a presentation you have to make is going to take 3 months to create it will take you 3 months to create it.

If you decide it will take you a day it will take you a day!

So take your tasks and clump them together, this is called batching. Group together all of your tasks that are similar and do them in the same chunk of time. For example if you have to be on the phone with appointments do them back to back to back.

My schedule is set up this way: Monday is coaching calls all day. Tuesday is a team call and then copywriting, or other creative tasks. Wednesday I’m on coaching calls again and Thursday I make videos like this one!

Try batching, it’s what I’ve used to get more done in less time.

5. Make faster decisions.

If there is one thing that kills productivity it is making slow decisions. Often people get stuck because they are afraid of making the “wrong” decision. But in reality if you simply make a decision know that you have the control to make it the right one. Keeping that in mind practice making faster decisions, you won’t be making a wrong one.

To get started try this the next time you go to a restaurant: make your decision in less than a minute! Doing so will start to train your mind to make fast decisions.

4. Disable notifications.

Turn these off! All of those notifications tug on your brain. And then you’ll get wrapped up in either checking those notifications or thinking about them.

Instead turn off your notifications, even your text messages while you’re working. And then schedule time in your calendar to go on social media. It’ll give you more free time and more freedom!

3. Eating the frog.

This is a strategy I learned from Brian Tracy, but it’s not about actually eating a frog! All this phrase means is to do the hardest thing first, the thing that will make the biggest impact on your business. Go after it first thing in the morning, get it done and you’ll have more accomplished than if you procrastinated doing it.

Be a finisher!

2. Calendar everything.

The day I turned pro is when I started calendaring everything. And I mean everything: calendar when you’ll check you email, your social media, your frog-eating time, and your other tasks too.

When everything is on your calendar it makes it easier to get everything done. And because you'll know when you can schedule something it’ll be easier to make decisions, make commitments and find more free time for your life outside of your work.

You should even calendar that - calendar your free time. I know it’ll change a lot for you, it has for me!

1. Take more free time.

Speaking of free time the #1 tip to doubling your productivity is to take more of it.

That sounds counterintuitive right? But if you keep pushing and pushing at something, it doesn't make your more effective or productive…it only tires you out more.

Instead come back to that task or that issue when you are fresh mentally and physically because you can put your best efforts in and get more done in a fraction of the time. Think about the last time you went on vacation: what was it like before you went? You were super productive right? You were - because you wanted to enjoy your vacation.

So why not schedule fridays off if you’re an entrepreneur and can do that? Make sure your weekends are blocked off, whether or not you can take Fridays off too.

When you schedule your free time it changes everything: you will come back replenished and more productive as a result. Your tank will be fully again and you’ll be ready to tackle your work week head on.

So take this on as another challenge: take your work week and remove a part of it, replace it with something fun! Treat yourself and reward yourself with that free time: go to the beach, get a massage, etc.

The brand Life on Fire is about living your life, and that means being successful, being happy and enjoying your journey and loving your life.

These 7 steps are just the tip of the iceberg. To turn this into a habit join us on our double your productivity challenge: we have a big community and a tribe participating. These are all folks like you who want to be the best versions of themselves, they want to excel at their business and operate at the next level.

in this group challenge we're doing live training sessions. The sessions are designed to help you reprogram your mindset and how you think so by the end you are in the zone!

What happens is we will help you create a habit out of these productivity steps. This challenge will take place over 30 days, and offers group accountability as well as prizes and giveaways too! Throughout the process of this challenge you'll build the habit of doubling your productivity, being happier, having more progress and momentum in your life.

For the details on all of that and more check out episode 191 of Life on Fire

EPISODE RESOURCES

• The Double Your Productivity Challenge
• Life on Fire
• Life on Fire Fest 2016
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