5 Small Tweaks to Have Your Most Productive Day

“There's not enough time in the day to get my important work done.”

In a recent day in the life video I created, I captured a very typical day for me. Many of the responses I got were praise on the way I’ve been able to structure my day and get so much work done. I didn’t realize it, but after many years of reading up on this subject and optimizing my life, I’ve been able to accumulate a lot of tools, habits, and processes to help me get my best work done.

In this article, I’ll share the 5 top tips that have helped me design my most productive days.

1. Block out time for critical thinking

Most people say they have a hard time focusing on their work and getting stuff done. Time is our most valuable resource, yet we willingly allow people to steal it and let busy work occupy it.

There’s a straightforward solution for this: make time. Just put it on your calendar. For me, Everyday from 3–5 PM is my focused time. It’s on my calendar so no one can book a meeting with me, and I can’t do anything else except the most important task that day.

This helps me stay away from busy admin tasks and forces me to “show up” and just work.

2. Work in sprints

I like to use a method called “Focus Sprints” to get into the groove of deep work. It was taught to me at the 99U Conference by neuroscientist Dr. Sahar Yousef. The concept is simple: work distraction-free for 90 minutes straight, followed by a 20-minute break. Rinse and repeat.

Focus Sprints, step by step:

1. Set a realistic 90-minute goal
2. Break down the time into bite-sized tasks
3. Turn off and get away from all distractions. Close your email. Turn off notifications. Close your door. Shut out the noise.
4. Set a timer for 90 minutes and go.
5. Once the sprint is complete, rest (undistracted) for 20 minutes.
6. Repeat as many times as possible.

I explain this method in detail, and why it works, in this video I made on the subject of creativity and productivity. Jump to 6:55 for the explanation of Focus Sprints.

3. Less meetings. More making.

Meetings can be a waste of time if done poorly or too often. In the past, I’d allow appointments to occur at any point in my day. The problem with this is I’d often find that meetings would disrupt me when I was in a good flow state, or force me to switch tasks too frequently. Context-switching incurs a hefty tax on your productivity, as I explained in the video I mentioned above.

To do our best work, we need time and space for critical thinking, so we can synthesize our best solutions. At the company I work at, The Futur, we have set some guidelines to help minimize meetings. We’ve chosen one day out of the week, Monday, to do all of our meetings and planning, so we can use the rest of the week to do our work.

We measure productivity based on results and output, rather than time spent on tasks. As one of the managers, I hate being a babysitter anyway. This allows everyone to have more ownership of their tasks and the autonomy to get things done in their own way.

4. Focus on one thing at a time

A common challenge I hear often: “I’m so overwhelmed that I’m not sure what to work on next.”

First, take a deep breath. Everything will be ok.

I’ve found that whenever I’m lost in a sea of unchecked to-do boxes, I have to slow down and reassess each task, relative to the impact it might create.

To prioritize tasks, you can use a simple matrix to help you plan, prioritize, and prune your to-do list. It’s commonly known as an impact to effort matrix, which can help you plot out and evaluate all of your to-dos. This will help you see what’s a priority right now, what you should plan for later, and what you can completely ignore (busy tasks with little impact).

This slide was designed by Chris Do. Follow him on Instagram for great daily thoughts on creativity.

5. Don’t let your great ideas evaporate

In the previous tip, I told you to focus on one thing at a time, but you don’t want to lose your next big idea. Especially when it arrives in your head, while you’re currently working on something else. Make sure to capture your lightning in a bottle and save it for later.

For me, I keep track of everything on Notion, a tool I use to take notes, manage my projects, and store knowledge. Since I make a lot of content, I have a workspace dedicated to jotting down my random content ideas, whenever they come to me. The ones I’m most excited about stay in a priority list while the rest I store for later. It’s the same with the other significant efforts in my life, like updating my website or starting my book.

This helps me focus, get things done, and keep my momentum unobstructed by overwhelm. If you’re interested in checking out Notion, feel free to use my affiliate link, which I receive a small commission at no extra costs to you.

I hope the tips in this article help you optimize your day, lower your stress, and keeps you focused on doing your best work.

This article was originally published on my Medium blog. If you're interested in reading more articles on creativity and productivity from me, follow me here: https://medium.com/@matthewencina

About the Author

Matthew Encina is the chief content officer at The Futur, where he teaches about creativity, productivity, and how to have a sustained career doing what you love. He’s also creative director at Blind, and occasionally makes content on his personal channel.

Follow him everywhere @matthewencina

If you’re interested in having Matthew speak at your event, or want to sponsor his content, please send all business inquiries to [email protected].