How do you keep yourself on task/maintain productivity with a hectic work schedule?
TURN OFF THE DOPAMINE DRIP
“Let’s face it — we’re all addicted to email. If you want to get stuff done, turn off your email. Close your social media feeds and web browser too. You’ll be amazed at what you get done without the biochemical surge of ping, tweet, ping!”
– Michael Margolis | President, Get Storied
MAKE YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE
“The most influential changes I’ve made to my work habits and management style have been around accountability. I used to assume motivation was intrinsic, because internally, I’m a very motivated person. What I’d missed was that motivation isn’t the only thing fueling productivity, and accountability measures have done wonders to increase and organize my (and my team’s) output.”
– Derek Shanahan | Growth Marketing, Playerize
SEGMENT TIME INTO TASKS
“It took me years to understand that having a master task list was not good enough anymore. When looking at a long list of to-do’s, it’s easy to feel discouraged and not know where to start. It wasn’t until recently that I started segmenting my days into time intervals filled with specific tasks positioned to drive my productivity. Now, I only spend a certain amount of time on a task everyday.”
– Logan Lenz | Founder & President, Endagon
KEEP CERTAIN RITUALS
“I can get pretty scattered so if I don’t create rituals and stick with them, it’s tough for me to stay on task. Every night, I write out my to-do list for the next day. I get a good quick workout in the morning to get my mind clear and creative. Then I prioritize tasks and allot a certain amount of time for each task, and I’m ready to roll! Find what works for you and stick with it.”
– Trevor Mauch | CEO (Chief Entrepreneurial Officer), Automize, LLC
MANAGE TASKS WITH ANY.DO
“I use this task manager on my Android phone, and it keeps my important priorities in check. Without a task manager, I would be lost! I tend to put all my tasks in there, set reminders and priorities. It then breaks down what I need to do each day by importance.”
– Justin Nowak | VP, Community & Events, Canadian Cloud Council
WORK WELL WITH WUNDERLIST
“It used to be really difficult for me to keep everything I had to do in front of me. It was all in my head, which made everything take much longer to complete. But now I use Wunderlist, which is a great application that allows me to constantly keep all of my daily tasks and goals in front of me, categorized by each client. What’s even better is I can constantly sync it to my iPhone and iPad.”
– Steven Le Vine | CEO/President, grapevine pr
LEAVE IT ALL TO ASANA
“My go-to online productivity app is Asana. It has served as a tremendous business tool by providing a high-level view of my projects in queue, as well as supporting tactical level needs and team integration. It is user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, and it can help you refocus and prioritize a chaotic schedule.”
– Erica Nicole | Founder and CEO, YFS Magazine: Young, Fabulous & Self Employed
TOUCH BASE WITH THE TEAM
“Every day, our team has a 10-minute meeting during which each person shares what they accomplished in the last 24 hours, and what their top priority is for the next 24 hours. This creates a sense of accountability among team members. We all know each other’s goals and whether or not we accomplished them.”
– Bhavin Parikh | CEO, Magoosh Test Prep
LEARN TO RESET YOURSELF
“We’ve all done it — you fall behind or get distracted when you have a hectic work schedule. The best thing to begin learning is how to reset yourself. Once you figure out how to snap out of a distraction and get back to work, it’s easier to stay on task and maintain your productivity. If you don’t learn how to reset quickly and often, you’ll get held back.”
– Doreen Bloch | CEO / Founder, Poshly Inc.
STICK TO A CRITICAL TRIAD
“It’s easy to mistake emails, meetings, and tweeting as critical work. Everyday I ask myself, “What three critical tasks must I get done today to move my company forward?” I then write these tasks on a piece of paper that I carry around with me. I cross out each task as I complete them and won’t work on anything else until I complete them.”
– Jun Loayza | President, Reputation Hacks
MULTITASKING IS OVERRATED
“Multitasking is inevitable, but vastly overrated. Focus is where it’s at. Focus on one thing at a time, and focus on completing one thing at a time. If you can cross something off your to-do list, from start to finish, do it. Do it now. Procrastination only makes room for excuses, and will ultimately lead to you feeling overwhelmed.”
– Matt Cheuvront | Founder, Proof Branding
STAY IN THE MOMENT
“If you’re distracted by what’s next, you’ll never focus on what’s now. Stay in the moment and do your best when accomplishing the task at hand. If you feel rushed or overwhelmed, remember to be quick — but don’t hurry.”
– David Gardner | Co-Founder, ColorJar
SET GROUND RULES
“I keep a long running to do list and before I start my work day I highlight the items that are most important to accomplish that day. As the leader of the business, the more time you carve out to spend on the most important strategic items the better. Once you’ve prioritized, set ground rules with your employees. Interruption comes in many forms and will suck the life out of your productivity.”
– Anderson Schoenrock | CEO, ScanDigital
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.
