1.任务贵在精而不是多

不要过于贪心。当你快要完成任务时，千万不要想着能否“再多做一点”。你只要按照自己预期的目标完成任务即可，尽量别去尝试那些不可能完成的任务。

2.桌面墙纸

设置一个激励性的桌面墙纸，以此提醒自己应该做什么。

3.使用钢笔和纸

因为我有使用钢笔和纸的习惯，所以从来没有遇到过电脑“蓝屏”或死机而丢失资料的情况（除了曾经有一次家里的狗吞食了我的记录纸外，但是这种情况并不常见）。尽可能地在工作中使用这两种工具。

4.避免使用那些打着“节约时间”标签的昂贵，精巧且高科技的道具。

我不是很喜欢那些功能奇特的设备。那些华丽的设备常常会让我们不知所措，其操作需要一定的技能，而且还需要点击许多小按键等等。任何精巧的设备都有超过2种的颜色选择（一般来说黑白两色是最适当的），但是通常情况下你并不需要依赖于这种高科技设备。

5.完成任务后才能看电视

没有完成任务就不能看电视，这是帮助你更好地节约时间的经验法则。

6.外包电子邮件

也许这个方法并不适用于每一个人，但是让其他人帮助你过滤一些无用的电子邮件确实能节省不少时间。你的助手能够帮助你完成一些日常工作，为此你可以挪出更多时间去完成其它工作。特别是在当今世界，你还可以利用虚拟助手帮助你完成相关工作。

7.采用适当的垃圾邮件保护装置

垃圾邮件将会耗费你不少时间。所以你可以花点钱去安装一个好一点的垃圾邮件保护系统，这是个不错的方案。

8.不要太过草率

Treebeard（游戏邦注：电影《指环王》里的角色）对霍比特人说道：“不要太过草率”。当你在执行任务时，最好能把这句话当成座右铭。

9.不要半途而废

当你决定完成一些任务时，最好的方法就是坚持完成预设的所有目标，不要什么都只做一点点或者中途放弃。

10.果断做决定

我看到很多人总是担心做出不好的决策而犹犹豫豫。他们老是害怕下决定后会出现什么差错。但是出现错误又怎样呢？你只要做出决定，即使不能顺利进行，以后也能够再做出新的决定而进行弥补。

11.不要总是质问自己“现在是否充分利用所有的时间？”

如果你采用了下一点内容，就不用担心如何去规划各种工作了。

12.采用新的方法规划你的工作

人们经常使用“A-E”去排列他们工作的重要性。也有人使用“1-5”或者“绿色/黄色/红色”进行排列。但是，我认为编写一个列表更加有效。你可以把最重要的任务列在最上方，当这项任务完成了你再进行下一项任务。这个方法能够让你立马知道哪些工作最重要。

13.休息，休息，休息！

不要总是宅在工作室里，多出去走走呼吸下新鲜空气。

14.戒掉咖啡

戒掉咖啡，让你的身体不再依赖于这种新型“毒品”。

15.给工作室上锁

不要让狗，老鼠，小孩或者其他家庭成员进入你的家庭办公室，这么做能保证你在专心工作时不受打扰。尽可能地提高音乐的音量，以此能够帮助你提高工作效率。

注意：你同样需要保证自己在工作时家里的小孩有人照料。毕竟谁都不希望在结束工作后却发现整个家里已经被弄得一团糟了。

16.上述这点也同样适用于公司的办公室

给自己的办公室上锁同时也能够避免同事们因为一些琐事而浪费你的时间。

17.休假！

工作的时候避免与家人接触，那么工作之余就应该多花点时间陪陪他们！而休假就是最好的方法，你也可以趁此充充电，调节下精神和体力。

18.在铃声响两次时才接电话

很多电话都是在浪费时间。如果对方真的有要事相谈，我保证他还会再次打电话给你。

19.拒绝

很多人总是默认地接受一些事。不要再无条件地对任何事负责了，你只需要简单地说出“不”。无需做出任何无理的言行，同时你还要确保自己是相关工作中必不可少的角色。而你之所以这么做，只是为了更好地完成工作。

把这点与之前的内容相结合，你将能够很好地提供工作效率。

20.远离那些报怨者

悲观者和报怨者都将打击任何团队的士气，不利于团队的发展。不要让自己卷入报怨者的团队中。

21.设定最后期限

虽然最后期限并不能推动所有方案的顺利完成，但是有时候却能帮助你更好地进行工作。试着为自己设定一些最后期限，你将会发现它们功效所在。

22.适当的自我奖励

在完成一些重要的任务后，记得给自己一些奖励。不论是冰淇淋还是啤酒都是不错的选择（如果是小孩可以用披萨或汽水代替）。

23.设定奖励限额

上述提到的啤酒奖励并不是指你开始工作时就可以得到，而是在你很好地完成了一项较为困难的任务时才能奖励自己喝上一瓶。

24.动手做事

这就是工作的最后底线：有时候你只是在做一些重要的任务，但是这些任务却能帮助你达到你想要的目标。而这里并不存在任何捷径。

25.控制会议时间

你可以成为一名“计时员”。确保会议按时召开并按时结束。如果你发现会议时间不够，那么尽可能地压缩下一次会议所需要讨论的议题。

26.测试自己是否安排妥当

你只需要花费几秒钟的时间就可以看到自己的安排是否妥当，是否能够合理地节约时间。

27.在中午之前不要打开浏览器

这可以让你利用这半天的时间做一些有用的事。

28.不再使用Mac

大家都知道Mac（和Leopard）需要你花费一点时间去等待华丽的应用程序出现在界面上。但是说实在的，对于那些高效率的人来说，使用电脑最重要的一点便是速度。

29.不要因为别人否定你使用Mac而恼羞成怒

如果你老是对一些事斤斤计较，那么最终只是在浪费你和他人的时间罢了。

注意：请参见要点98

30.展开户外活动

去户外散步，慢跑，赛跑等，这些运动都能够帮助你锻炼身体。健康的体魄才是工作效能的最大保障。

31.试着每天只工作4小时

尝试一周看看，你将会发现这么做能够帮助你轻松地提高生产率。有时候你会碰到更多的工作量（如25-50%的），而这时你就可以相应地减少工作测试时间。试行一周或者几天，你将能够看到它的功效。

32.不要再寻找促使你努力工作的动力了

缺少了动力你就不能做好工作。如果你能愉快地工作，那么你将会发现无需任何激励你也能努力工作，因为工作乐趣便是最大的动力。

33.现金酬劳

有些情况下，奖金酬劳确实很有效。不能长期实行的话，至少也要短期。你可以在自己发现了有效的工作方法时奖励自己一件礼物，如购买一台自己很喜欢的新电视机。

34.不要把工作带回家

尽量让工作时间维持在4个小时左右（或更少，如要点31中提到的）且不要把工作带回家。如果你认为自己的工作量太大了，那可以参考要点19的相关内容。

35.缺少积极性的员工投入于工作中的时间总是最少的，反而是把多余的时间都耗费在无聊的抱怨上。

如果是这样的话，你就需要为自己制定一个更加忙碌的时间表，并且在其他人催促之前更加努力地工作。这并不意味着你将投入比其他人更多的工作时间（详见前面的要点），而是说明你需要比别人更加高产，不要只顾着谈天说地。

36.废除年度绩效考核（假如有必要的话）

如果你的年度绩效考核只是用来指责别人的错误，那么你完全可以考虑废除这一制度。就像小狗会因为得到“款待”而为你做任何事，这道理同样也适用于人类。

37.忽略80%的News Feed信息

你现在所拥有的80%的News Feed信息可以说都是无效的。那就丢弃它们（或者置于你看不到的地方），只保留最有用的20%。

38.不要再看新闻了

看这些新闻纯粹是浪费时间，并不会给你带来多大好处。你有多久没遇到有价值的新闻网站了？

39.好吧。你可以浏览1至2个新闻网站。

对于一些人来讲新闻网站很有帮助，但是它们却不能提高你的工作效率。你可以选择浏览1至2个新闻网站，但是你必须清楚自己为何选择这些网站（“这是我的习惯”并不是一个理由）。

40.以终为始

这是我从《高效能人士的七个习惯(The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)》（游戏邦注：美国史蒂芬﹒柯维着所着）中学习到的一个道理。揣摩自己在完成任务后会有何想法，如此你有可能变得更加有效率。

41.不要再观看体育比赛

观看体育比赛意味着你需要投入大把的时间。醒醒吧人类。高尔夫球也只是一些人在一个场地里打击着一颗小小的球而获得报酬罢了。这么看来，观看体育比赛还能说是你合理利用时间的手段么？

42.别在浪费其他人的时间

想要别人怎么对待你，你就需要怎么对待别人。不要总是打扰其他人并浪费他们的时间，如此他们也不会浪费你的时间了。

43.准时

开会迟到的习惯（如果你养成了这种习惯，你同样也需要养成如何解释迟到原因的习惯）将给他人造成困扰。开会迟到不仅意味着团队共事的时间减少了，同时也表示你一天的时间工作时间也少了很多。

44.不要耽搁任何小任务

如果别人让你花费1分钟（或者30秒或3分钟等短时间）进行一项小任务，不要耽搁，立刻执行。因为把一项小任务往后推迟，你将必须花费比现在更多的时间去完成它。

45.获取快速的网络连接

如果你投入了更多钱于网络连接中，那么你将能够更快地进行网站访问，更快地加载电子邮件，信息源等等。网络在你的工作中扮演着极其重要的角色，所以尽可能地获取最快速的网络连接。

46.工作的时候不要打开你的即时通信软件（如QQ，Skype等）

或者你必须确保其他人不会影响你的工作。

47.别再玩网络游戏

虽然网络游戏很有趣，但是它们却不能为你的高效工作提供任何帮助。

48.别再看网络视频

与网络游戏一样，网络视频只会浪费你的时间。

49.随身携带MP3

随身携带MP3，听听信息产品的相关内容（不包括音乐）将能让你在执行任务的同时了解到更多知识（从清理电脑桌面到整理磁盘等）。但是这么做也要适度。只有当你在执行一些简单且无需投入太多注意力的任务时才能这么做。

50.适当减压

压力并不能帮助你更有效地进行工作，相反地，它还会牵制你的工作。你可以通过冥想，休息，阅读关于“禅宗”等书籍而缓解压力。

51.专注于完成任务

如果得到了一长串的任务安排也不要太过焦虑，再多的焦虑也不会让你的工作量有所减少。相反地，你应该更加专注于如何完成任务，并想想你已经完成多少任务了。

52.打盹

如果你能在下午3点左右打盹30分钟，那么这对你一整天的工作效率将很有帮助。试试看你需要睡多长时间才能恢复精神，有些人只需要15分钟，但是有些人却需要45分钟。

53.摆脱那些无意义的任务

有些任务可能不再有意义了，那么就立刻摆脱它们吧！

54.把任务细分为一些易操作的行动项目

有些人给自己安排了诸如“创造一个新产品”或者“写一本新书”等任务。但是这些只能作为目标而不能当成特定的任务。你必须确保你的任务在力所能及之内，并且自己清楚如何做才能完成它。

55.不要再高估自己的工作任务

一些人总是认为自己不能按时完成任务，而一些人则认为应该高估自己所接到的各种任务。我建议你们把任务细分为一些小项目。如果你双倍高估了任务，那么有可能导致你为自己规划出更多的工作项目。

56.规划一些户外工作

最好的灵感并非来自你的电脑屏幕。带着你的记事本出去走走，并更好地规划你的工作。

57.学习更快地打字

快速的打字员能够在相同的时间内往电脑里输入更多内容。

58.在某一时刻停止规划

在某个时候你应该停止规划而开始着手进行工作。规划者通常都是最糟糕的拖延者。

59.开始规划（如果你之前并未尝试过）

上一要点适用于那些满腹观点却缺乏实践的人。如果你的工作需要你规划更多的任务，那么你便适用于这一点。虽然花点时间进行规划是合理的，但是有时候你也需要考虑下第58个要点的内容。

60.少看一些没有用的东西

喜欢阅读的人不会意识到自己花费了多少时间在阅读一些没有实际意义的“战略信息”。如果你认为阅读700种提高生产效率指南能够帮助你更有效地进行工作，那么你便需要三思了。挑选一些较好的书，少看那些没有意义的东西。

61.购买一台合适的电脑

多投入5百或1千美元于电器中，而获得更快的操作时间是值得的。花更多的钱去为你的CPU提速，你也能因此赚的更多利益。这不仅能够加快装载时间，也能够为你节省不少等待的时间。

62.警惕好奇害死猫

你也许会处于好奇心而去点击一些链接，我们应该正视这个问题。因为你很有可能因此进入一些无聊的网站而浪费了你大把的时间。

63.多做一些重要的事

有些人总是想要尽可能地多做一些事，这是一种重数量不重质量的行为。无谓地做一些不能帮助你达成目标的事只能是浪费时间。反而你可以少做一些事，并侧重于做那些重要的事。

64.放手

人们总喜欢握有控制权，而这么做却让他们不得不自食其力地完成很多任务。要想完成走得更远，你就必须学会下放任务（牢记要点19所提到的内容）。

65.不要购买价廉质次的产品

本来想命名为“不要购买垃圾产品”，后来改成了廉价产品。让我们正视这一问题。如果你需要在工作时间一直使用电脑，那么就应该购买一些像样点的硬件和软件。购买一台不堵纸的打印机。购买质量较好的软件，不要受到便宜软件的诱导。要知道，价格与质量通常是成正比的。

66.想想什么对你来说才是有用的

如果你没有停歇地从第一点看到了这里，那么我建议你可以停下来休息一会了。是否看了这个列表你就可以正确执行每一项任务了？这些要点是否对你有帮助？如果看了这么多要点你还是没有掌握相关要领，我认为你可以就此打住别往下看了。如果你发现了一些有价值的信息，那么就继续看下去，或者你也可以将这个页面打印下来方便以后使用。

67.避免事必躬亲的管理方式

一些团队的领导人喜欢对团队成员进行大小事情都要亲自过问的微观管理方式。如果是单纯的指导便不成问题，但是时时刻刻盯着成员做事那就不妥了。微观管理意味着在一项任务中至少有一名成员是专门在观察并操控任务的执行。

68.少说话

少说话，但是说的每一句话都是有意义的。在会议上有些人总是想尽办法提高音量让大家听清楚。但是之前你必须想清楚自己要说些什么。因为并非你所提出的建议都是有意义的，所以你还是少说点为妙。

70.在家上班

如果可能的话就在家里上班，因为这能每天让你多出30分钟的工作时间（因为你可以省去每天来回于公司间的路途行程）。

71.选择适当的交通工具

如果你必须去公司上班，那么就需要想想那种交通工具比你现在所使用的更加方便。也许公交车或者自行车都比你现在所使用的交通工具更快捷。

72.不要休息太长时间

30或60分钟的长时间休息将会影响你的工作时间。休息可以，但是不要花费太多不必要的时间。一般5至15分钟便可。

73.确保工作室的室温正常

气温太低的话你的手指便不能正常工作了，而太热的话你的脑袋也不能正常运行了。

74.自动化日常工作

如果你有一些每天都必须进行的日常工作，那么可以考虑将它们自动化。

75.不要在不相干的论坛上游荡浪费时间

严肃来讲，你是否真的有时间耗费在那些不相干的论坛上浏览一些无意义的内容。选择一些对你有帮助的论坛，不要再流连于那些无意义的论坛。

76.掌握快速浏览的方法

略读，预览索引，跳过不重要的段落等等，这些都能为你节省不少时间。

77.寻求帮助

有些人总是不喜欢向他人寻求帮助。但是有时候他人的帮助却是很有意义的。毕竟，比起固执己见，完成任务更加重要不是么？当你遇到困难时不要害怕，勇敢地向他人寻求帮助吧！

78.为将要执行的任务设定一个过程

设定一个严格的过程将能帮助你更好地执行任务。我们假设你的团队成员总是向你寻求帮助。不要让他们养成一遇到问题就问你的坏习惯，而是（1）首先在指南中寻求答案，（2）咨询团队领导，（3）如果还不理解再请求你帮忙。

79.懒人就更加需要努力工作

我发现如果你想真正地偷懒，就更应该在一开始便努力工作。如果你希望自己能够随时懒洋洋地躺在沙发上，那么你真的应该从现在开始努力工作了。努力工作就像是把钱投资在银行里：它会为你支付利息。如果你现在努力工作，那么以后就可以不用这么辛苦了。而如果你现在老是想着偷懒，那么以后可有的你受了。

80.安装第三方实时通讯系统

我发现很多企业家都在尝试着建立自己的实时通讯发送系统。在遇到可以花钱购买的第三方系统之前（如aweber），这些公司一直在尝试各种解决方法。浪费时间去设计那些可以轻松购买到的系统真的很不值。

81.快速行走

走路不要慢吞吞的，如果你能快速行走，那么每天至少可以节省5分钟的时间，换算成1年便是30个小时！

但是驾车时就不要这么做了。因为超速驾车将会让你得到警察开的罚单和一大笔的医院账单。

82.你的选择会决定你的命运

让我们正视这一问题。如果你的电脑桌面上堆积了一大堆任务——那也都是受你之前所做的决策促使的。如果你忙到不可开交只剩下照镜子的时间了，那么你就可以毫无顾忌地创造一个属于自己的新未来了，你可以减轻自己的工作量，挪出更多时间做一些重要的事。

83.购买一本笔记本

比起在桌角贴满便利贴，准备一本能让你记录下各种重要事件的笔记本更好。虽然将各种事件记录在电脑的硬盘驱动器也可以，但是问题就在于你不可能会随身携带着自己的电脑。同时你还不能将自己的备忘录遗落在家里或公司等地方，最好能将它们放在自己能够轻松找到的位置。

84.学会记录

困扰一些事情的同时也会耗损我们的精力。如果出现了一些“你需要记住”的事，那么就将其记录下来。让那些困扰你的琐事待在笔记本里，那么你就不需要劳心分神地去担忧它们了。

85.首先处理最厌烦的任务

肯定有一些不是很重要但是却需要你费神的任务存在。如果你每天都在担心这些琐事，那么这将会严重影响你的工作效率。最好的方法便是，你可以在这些琐事影响到你之前完成它们。完成了这些让人厌烦的任务你将能够留出更多精力去做其它工作。

86.为自己安排一些惊喜

我们经常会将整个任务安排表写得满满的。但是有时候也会出现一些新的任务搅乱你的行程安排。所以，为了避免这种风险，你最好在安排表中给自己留点喘息的空间。如果有空余时间再考虑给自己添加新任务。

87.专注于结果

有些人总是认为一定有一些特定的行动步骤能够帮助他们完成任务。很多人总是关注于自己做了些什么，但是实际上，他们更应该关注于他们能从中获得什么。就像谁会去关心电话是怎么运作的呢，只要它能用来打电话就好了。

88.每日和每周的关注焦点

每天花两个小时或者更多时间于工作任务上很容易。有的人会认为三天中每天花费2个小时完成3件不同的事根本不成问题。事实上，如果每天能花费6个小时于工作上，我们将能获得更多成效。所以，把注意力从单纯的任务中转变到每日任务（或者每周，每月），你将能从中有所收获。

89.让事情变得简单

复杂繁琐的事只会浪费你的时间。如果你觉得任务很复杂的话，那么它将会耽搁你大把的时间。如果你的备忘录不能告诉你如何去执行这些任务，那么你也会因此损耗掉大量的时间。

90.厕所是你的朋友

厕所是你阅读的最佳场所。但是你需要确保不会把书本弄脏，这真的是一个安静适合阅读的地方。

91.回答这个问题：你想获得什么？

如果你连自己想要获得什么都不知道的话，那么你将很难有所成就。这是一个很简单的问题，能够帮助你提高生产效率：所以你需要明确自己的目标到底是什么。

92.不要轻易激动

受到一点激励或者在一周时间里做出一些惊人的成绩都不会对你有太大的帮助。比起快速奔跑者，你更应该成为一名长途奔跑者。在工作中你可以放慢速度，但是你却要保证这样做能让你走得更远。快速奔跑者在跑了100米后便会感到疲倦，孰不知你的目标可是10英里！

93.暂且将灵感搁置1周

人们很容易因为一些事情而激动大受鼓舞，但是在1周后这种感觉便会慢慢变淡。为了解决这个问题，你可以耐住冲动，暂且将你的灵感搁置1周。1周后再看看自己的积极性还在不在，并且判断这个灵感是否还有价值，如果答案还是肯定的，那你就可以继续你的工作了。

94.想想“只剩下几步了”

如果你即将靠近终点，那么你可以提醒自己只剩下一些工作就可以获得成功了。试看看，只要你用心去做，你便能取得成功。

95.学习，学习再学习

有些人只会一个劲地往前冲，却不去思考他们过去都做了什么。如果你能在前进过程中停下来思考下自己去年或者上个月都了什么，都将对你未来的工作很有帮助。留些时间去学习过去，将会为你的未来制造出更多高效的时间。

96.放手一搏

我们在尝试一些新任务时总会有所担心，担心结果是好是坏，担心会不会有悖于自己的想法等等。而这些总总的担心将会束缚我们的行动，所以，何不放心一搏呢？不要老是想出一大堆借口而不敢尝试。勇敢你去做一些新的挑战，如果结果不如意–但是至少你从中知道这么做是不对的，并且也能够再继续尝试其它新任务。

97.备份

有些人认为做备份将耗费日常开支，并且需要投入大把的精力。好吧，既然这么说，我想问问如果你电脑的硬盘驱动器崩溃了，而所有资料都不见了，你要如何解决这一可怕的情况？

98.使用对你有帮助的工具

苹果用户：我在要点28中所说的都是开玩笑。关键是我们必须使用那些对我们的工作有帮助的工具。人们的喜好不同，有些人喜欢Mac，而有些人偏好于个人电脑。根据你的需要做出最合适的选择。

99.不要使用蛮力

在穴居人生活的石器时代里，力气就是人们得以生存的必要手段。但是在当今社会，所谓的“生存规则”发生了巨大的变化。如果你总是强制地用自己的方法与他人竞争，那么你将会深陷于自己挖出来的洞坑里。最好的方法便是学会灵活应对并适应各种情况。和平的应对方法将能让你的工作更有成效，所以让我们无视星际大战这种硬碰硬的手段吧。

100.不要再看这种列表了

也许你现在会想“我已经得到了一些很有帮助的要点了”。但是如果你继续毫无止境地寻找更多类似的要点，那也不会对你的工作有太大帮助。要点24，32和91便包含了你需要的所有内容。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

100 Ways To Be More Productive

By Juuso

Every once in a while I heard people saying how busy they are, and how little time they have. There are busy managers, producers, leaders, entrepreneurs, workers. Everybody seems to be busy. I compiled a list of 100 items that can help you get more productive hours. Check this long list, and perhaps you’ll get some ideas on how to become more productive.

#1 – Less is more

Don’t get more and more work. Don’t think that you can finish “one more task” when you’ve already behind your deadline. Just pick the tasks that you really need to do, and don’t try to do more than it’s possible.

#2 – Desktop wallpaper

Get yourself a motivating wallpaper – something that reminds you what you should be doing.

#3 – Use pen & paper

I’ve never encountered a “blue screen” and never lost anything because pen & paper would stop functioning (well, once my dog eat some concepts but I assure you that doesn’t happen often). Use them more in your work.

#4 – Get rid of fancy, pocket sized, high-technology toys that are labeled to “save your time”

There’s some features fancy gadgets have that I don’t like much. Fancy gadgets jam, get lost, require skills, have too tiny buttons to name but a few things. Get rid of them. Any pocket-sized thing that has more colors than 2 (black and white preferrably) is probably a high-tech gadget you won’t need.

#5 – Watch television after finishing something

No tasks done, no watching television. That’s the rule of thumb that will save you more time than you need.

#6 – Outsource your email

Not perhaps the greatest idea for everybody, but you can save time by screening somebody to get through useless mail you get. Your assistant can also help you on routine tasks, thus saving your time for more productive matters. In today’s global world you can get yourself a virtual assistant to help you out.

#7 – Get proper spam protection

Junk mail eats your time. Certainly you can spend couple of bucks to get a good spam protection. Think it as a very good investments.

#8 – Remember what Treebeard the ent said

Treebeard said to the little hobbits: “Don’t be hasty”. That should be your motto too in case you plan to get something done.

#9 – Don’t do things half-way

If you intend to finish tasks, don’t think the right way to do that is to do “little bit everything”.

#10 – Don’t postpone decision making

I’ve seen too many people worrying making a bad decision. They think that they might make a mistake if they decide. Here’s the news: yeh, that might happen – so what? Just decide something, and if it doesn’t work out then you are free to decide something else in the future.

#11 – Don’t keep asking “Am I making the most of my time right now?”

You shouldn’t worry about that sort to stuff if you follow the next tip.

#12 – Use the new way to prioritize your work

It’s quite common that people prioritize their work by using letters “A-E” depending how important tasks are. Some use “1-5″ (or “green/yellow/red”) priorities. My suggestion is: don’t do that. Instead, compile a list. The topmost item is your first priority. When that’s done, move to the item next on the list. This will force you to see what’s the most important task right now.

#13 – breaks, breaks, breaks!

Go out if possible – fresh air is something you don’t breath inside buildings.

#14 – No coffee breaks

Skip the coffee, and teach your body to survive without this modern day drug.

#15 – Lock the room where you work

Keep dogs, rats, children and other family members away from your home office, that helps you stay focused on your work without interruptions. Improve the efficiency by listening to music loud enough.

Notice: You still need to ensure there’s somebody to watch what the kids do. After all, you don’t want to end your day and notice that your home has burned, do you?

#16 – Now as I think, that previous tip works also at typical offices too

Locking your co-workers from wasting your time sounds even better idea, don’t you agree?

#17 – Vacation!

After locking your family out you need to show that you still want to spend time with them too. A vacation is a great tool for that, not to mention you get to charge your batteries.

#18 – Let people call twice before answering

Most of the calls are time wasters anyway, right? If people have really important stuff to tell, I’m sure they can call you again.

Ignore this tip if the caller is a customer.

#19 – Just say no

Most people accept anything by default. Stop being responsible for everything and just say no. There’s no need to be rude, and make sure you look like somebody who does only the work that’s necessary. The goal is to do the work that’s important.

Combine this with the previous tip and you’ve reached a heck of a level in productivity.

#20 – Keep whiners far away

Whiners and complainers are such a disease that they can bring down any team’s motivation. Don’t let yourself be dragged into conversation with complainers.

#21 – Put a deadline

Deadlines aren’t the answer to every solution, but sometimes they might work very well. Try setting some deadlines for yourself and see how they work for you.

#22 – The beer reward (K18)

After completing some major milestone, reward yourself with something you enjoy. Anything from ice cream to beer is fine (kids should use pizza or soda instead).

#23 – Remember limits

The previous beer reward doesn’t mean you have a case of beer with you every time you go to work… but you can drink that one bottle after beating the tough deadline that you finished well.

#24 – Just do it

That’s where the bottom line eventually is: at some point you simply have to do those important tasks that help you get where you want. There’s really no shortcuts.

#25 – Guard the time on meetings

Somebody has to be the timekeeper, so it might be as well you. Make sure meetings start and end on time. If there’s not enough time, make sure you have less issues to discuss the next time.

#26 – Take the “Ultimate test on How Organized Are You”

It takes just a few seconds to finish and will tell if you need to get organized to save time.

#27 – Don’t launch your Internet browser before midday

That will save you half of the day to actually do something useful.

#28 – stop using Mac

Everybody knows that Mac (and Leopard) is something where you wait to see beautiful applications running slowly. Truly productive people use PC where speed is the essence, that’s something we all know.

#29 – Stop being so offended if somebody insults you using Mac

If you keep taking flame baits, then you really must realize it just wastes everybody’s time.

Remark: Please see also tip #98

#30 – Start outdoor activities

Walking outdoors, jogging, running – all these are good activities that help get you in better shape. Good health means more productive hours.

#31 – Test working only 4 hours per day

Try this for one week, and you’ll immediately see how you simply have to boost your productivity. Suddenly you might get anything from 25-50% more work done, yet spending less hours. Try it for one week, or just for couple of days to see how well this tactic can work.

#32 – Stop finding clues for motivation

If you aren’t motivated to work, then you aren’t doing the right work. Start doing more stuff that are naturally fun to do. Soon you’ll notice that you don’t need to do much to motivate yourself, now the motivation comes from inside.

#33 – Money rewards

Bonuses might work in some cases. Not perhaps long-term, but at least for shot term. Instead of buying that nice new television you’ve dreamed of, you could make it so that it’s a gift for you if you find ways to work more productive hours.

#34 – Don’t bring work to home

Keep your hours in around 40 (or less, see tip #31) and don’t bring more work to your home. If you think you have too big workload, then use the tip #19.

#35 – Do more than asked

The least motivated employees do the absolute minimum that’s required, and spend rest of their time whining. If that’s the case then you should get yourself busy schedule, and then do even more than what’s asked. This doesn’t mean that you should still do more hours than others (see the previous tip), it simply means that you do more productive hours – and cut the chit chat.

#36 – Stop doing annual performance reviews if…

… all you do is blame others and point where they did something wrong. If there’s one thing to learn from the dogs, it’s the fact that dogs do anything for treats – and same goes with people too.

#37 – Kill 80% of your RSS feeds

The 80% of your current RSS feeds are just waste of time. Get rid of them (or put them in such place where you cannot find them), and keep the top 20%.

#38 – Stop reading news

They are timewasters, and really won’t bring much to you. When was the last time you heard something useful from a news site?

#39 – Okay, you can keep reading one or two news sites

For some people news sites can be beneficial, but often they don’t boost your productivity. It’s okay to have one or two news sites, but make sure you have a clear idea and a good reason why you are reading those sites (“Because I’m used to reading them” is not a good reason.)

#40 – Begin with the End in Mind

This one I learned from the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Think about how you will feel after the work is done, and you can become more productive.

#41 – Stop watching sports

That’s something where you can put countless of hours. Wake up people. Golf is something where adult people hit tiny ball around a field, and get paid well. Is watching that really most productive ways to use your time?

#42 – Stop wasting other people’s time

Do unto others as you would expect they should do unto you. Stop wasting other people’s time by bothering them all the time. That way they’ll stop wasting you.

Maybe.

#43 – Be on time

The habit of being late from meetings (yes, it’s a habit you develop – along with the talent to come up with the excuses why you were late) is killer for everybody else. Being late from meetings means less time for efficient working as a group – and adds up towards the end of the day.

#44 – Don’t postpone small (and important) tasks

If some people ask you to do something that takes 1 minute your time (or 30 seconds or 3 minutes, or something very little) then don’t postpone doing that task. It takes more time to put that task on your future todo list than it is to do right now.

#45 – Get a faster Internet connection

If you spend couple of more bucks than you are currently paying for your Internet, then the sites you visit load faster. Your emails load faster. Your RSS feeds load faster. If Internet plays a big role in your work, then why not get a decent connection?

#46 – Don’t launch instant messaging software until end of the day

Or you can rest assured that people will try to keep you from doing any work.

#47 – Stop playing online games

As fun as they can be, they really don’t bring any productive hours.

#48 – Same goes with the online videos too

Like previous tip, online videos can waste lots of your time.

#49 – Get yourself an MP3 player

Getting an MP3 player and listening to information products (music doesn’t count) can help you learn something while doing some routine tasks (anything from cleaning your desktop to doing the dishes). Don’t go overboard with this though. The point is to listen audio when you are doing something simple tasks that require very little of your attention.

#50 – Reduce stress

Stress doesn’t bring you more productive hours, quite on the contrary. Meditate, relax, read a book about Zen and take it little easier.

#51 – Focus on the completed tasks

Don’t worry if you have a big list of tasks to do. The list won’t get any smaller by worrying. Instead, concentrate the completed tasks and think how much you’ve already achieved.

#52 – Take naps

If you can take a nap that lasts 30 minutes around 3 pm, you can bring more efficient hours in one day. Experiment what times and length of nap fits for you. For some people 15 minutes (or 45 minutes) can be a better choice.

#53 – Get rid of tasks you won’t do

There might be tasks that aren’t useful anymore, so get rid of them. Eliminate them from your task list right away.

#54 – Break your tasks into manageable action items

Some people schedule tasks such as “create a new product” or “write a book”. These should be listed as goals or objectives, not specific tasks. Make sure your tasks are small enough that you always have a clear idea about what to do.

#55 – Stop doubling or tripling your work estimates

Some people think that tasks are never done on time. Some people suggest to add 100% more buffer to your estimates. I recommend splitting the task into a smaller one. Doubling your estimates suggests that you are taking really wild guesses on how something goes – and might lead to planning to much work.

#56 – Plan (some of) your work outdoors

Best ideas don’t come in front of your computer screen. Go out, take your note pad with you and plan your work there.

#57 – Learn to type faster

Fast typers get more stuff written on computer.

#58 – Stop planning (at some point)

At some point you gotta stop planning and start doing. Planners are the worst procrastinators.

#59 – Start planning (if you’ve never done it before)

The previous tip applies if you are a guy who gets lots of ideas, but lack execution. Some people might benefit if only they would plan more of their work. Spending some time to plan your work is fine, but at some point you need to remember tip #58

#60 – Read less (useless stuff)

People who enjoy reading a lot might not realize how much time they are spending reading “strategical information” that has no practical use. If you think that reading seven hundred different productivity guides will make you more productive, think again. Just pick couple of good books and read less useless stuff.

#61 – Buy a proper computer

Spending an extra $500 or $1000 for a machine that is supposed to be fast every day is money well spent. Spend little more to get faster CPU and more memory. It will speed up loading times, and save your time.

Plus, you get to play nicer video games.

#62 – Don’t let the curiosity kill the cat

Okay, there are some interesting links you just have to click, but let’s face it. If you go to some stupid website just for curiosity, chances are you will waste your time.

Stop that.

#63 – Do more what’s important

Some people are busy doing as many things as possible. These guys are after a quantity. Doing lots of tasks that doesn’t get you to your goal is waste of time. Instead of doing more tasks, try do few – but important tasks.

#64 – Let go

Control. People want control. Some people want control so badly that they just need to do everything by themselves. Learning to delegate some tasks (and remembering tip #19 too) goes a long way.

#65 – Don’t buy cheap

I could have named this “don’t buy crap”, but I decided to use the word cheap. Let’s face it. If you are using your computer most of your working hours, then wouldn’t it make sense to buy decent hardware and software? Buy a proper printer that doesn’t jam papers. Get some good software, and don’t always go just what’s the cheapest option. Cheap and quality won’t often meet.

#66 – Think what’s useful for you

If you’ve read this far without breaks… then I really recommend you stop now for a few seconds. Is reading this list really something you can apply right away? Does these tips bring you any value? If you’ve got this far without getting anything, then I think it’s better stop reading. If you found the info valuable, then feel free to go on – or print this page for later use.

#67 – Avoid micro-managing

Some team leads have the tendency to micro manage their team members. Giving guidance is okay, watching every action not. Micromanaging means there’s at least one too many doing the task.

#68 – Say less

Say less, but with a meaning. There are people in meetings who seem to make sure their voice gets heard. What if you’d take the approach that you think before you say something. Not everything you are going to suggest is relevant, so you might as well say less.

#70 – Work from home
If possible, do some work from home. This can give you extra 30 minutes every day, that would otherwise be spent on getting to the workplace.

#71 – Plan your transportation

If you must go to your workplace, then consider alternatives for your current transportation. Perhaps a bus or a bicycle could be faster option that whatever you are currently using.

#72 – Don’t take long breaks

30 minutes or 60 minutes long breaks can easily kill productive hours. Have breaks, but don’t let them slip longer than necessary. Sometimes 5 or 15 minute breaks can be sufficient.

#73 – Make sure the room temperature is for humans

When it’s freezing cold, your fingers won’t work. When it’s too darn hot, your brain won’t work.

#74 – Automate routine work

If you have some routine work that you need to do every day, then you might want to consider automating those tasks.

#75 – Stop wasting time posting at irrelevant forums

Seriously, do you really have time to get as many posts as possible in irrelevant discussion forums? Go to places that give you something, and stop visiting some forums.

#76 – Learn to read faster

Skimming, checking only the index, skipping paragraphs. All these can save hours for you.

#77 – Ask for help

Some people are too stubborn to ask for help. You know what, sometimes asking might be worth it. After all, do you want to be stubborn or get things done? Don’t be afraid to ask help if you get stuck.

#78 – Set a process for doing stuff

There are certain routines, certain tasks that need can benefit from having a strict process they go through. For example, let’s suppose your team members are always asking you for help. Instead of making a habit telling everybody to ask you first, perhaps you could get people to (1) first check out the manuals, (2) then consult team leads and (3) after that consult you in case there’s a problem with the project.

#79 – The laziest people need to work hard

It’s quite tricky, but I’ve noticed that if you want to be really lazy – you gotta start working hard. If you want to be lazy and lie on your sofa when you want, you really need to start working hard now. Working hard now is like putting money in the bank: it pays interest. If you work hard now, you won’t need to work that hard later. If you are lazy now, rest assured you need to work for long.

#80 – Get automated 3rd newsletter system

I’ve seen entrepreneurs trying to set up their own newsletter sending systems. They spend ages finding proper solutions, when they could spend a few bucks and get a reliable third party system like aweber. No point wasting time programming something that can be so easily purchased.

#81 – Walk faster

Instead of walking slow, you can think about walking faster. If you save 5 minutes per day by walking bit faster, you would be saving 30 hours in one year.

Don’t try this if you drive a car. That just gets you speeding tickets and a big hospital bill.

#82 – You get what you choose to get

Let’s face it. If you have lots of stuff piling on your desktop – that’s because you’ve made such decisions in the past that created your current situation. If you are busy, then the only place to look is to a mirror. The good news is that since you created the current situation, you are free to create a new future where your workload is lighter and you have more time to do what’s important.

#83 – Buy a notepad

Instead of having thousand and one post-it notes, get yourself a notepad where you start putting important stuff. File in your computer hard drive is okay, but then you have the problem that you might not always have the computer at hand. Just make sure you don’t scatter all your todo notes all over your home or work. Put them in proper place where you can actually find them when needed.

#84 – Write things down

It consumes your energy if there are things that bug you. If there’s something “you need to remember”, then simply write it down. That way it stays on your notepad and your energy won’t be needed to remember the task.

#85 – Deal with the the ugly tasks first

There might be some tasks that might not be the most important for reaching your goals, but consume your energy just by existing. If there are some things you worry daily, then it impacts your productivity. It’s better to do these ugly tasks before they consume you too much. By getting these ugly tasks completed, you’ll get more energy to do other tasks.

#86 – Schedule for surprises

It’s easy to fill your calendar 100% with all kinds of tasks. Then something additional tasks come and mess up the week. To avoid this risk, consider leaving some breathing room in your calendar. You can always take additional tasks if time permits.

#87 – Focus in the results

Some people think that there are specific action steps that one must take to finish certain tasks. Some people pay too much attention on how something is done when in reality they should focus on the outcome. After all, who cares how cell phones work as long as you can make calls.

#88 – Daily and weekly focus

It’s easy to do two hours this, two hours that and two hours something else. One could think that it doesn’t matter if they do three different things, and spend 2 hours per day for three days. In reality, more will be achieved if each task gets 6 hours per day. Changing your attention from task to task daily (or sometimes even weekly – or monthly) has an overhead.

#89 – Make it simple

Complexity can waste your time. If finding your task is complex, you’ll lose time. If your todo list isn’t easily telling you what you need to do, it’s time lost.

#90 – Toilet is your friend

They are great places to read books. Sure, you need to make sure that the book pages don’t get dirty and all that but overall they make a great peaceful place to learn.

Besides, you never get into trouble even if you run out of toilet paper when you have a 300 pages long book with you…

#91 – Answer this question: where you want to go?

It’s pretty hard to get anywhere if you don’t even know where you want to go. Answering to this simple question will help you become more productive than ever: make it really clear you know where you are aiming.

#92 – Don’t get too excited

Getting a spike of motivation and doing something super productive for one week is not going to help you. Instead of trying to be fast runner you should become a long distance runner. You might go little slower, but that’s the way to get somewhere far. Fast runners get tired after 100 meters, and you are aiming for 10 miles.

#93 – Let your idea rest for a week

There are people who get excited (see tip #92) for something and then week later they don’t feel like motivated to continue. To solve this problem, resist the urge to start your fancy idea for one week. After the week is over – check out how motivated you are and think how good the idea feels now. If it still feels good, feel free to proceed.

#94 – Think “only these few steps to go”

If you are near the end, then a fine way to motivate yourself is to remind that there’s only very little work left – and you are almost there. Just think about this and remind yourself that the work is done in no time if you put your mind to it.

#95 – Learn, learn, learn

Some people go forward without thinking what they did in the past. If you stop and reflect a bit what you did last year or last month, you might get some ideas to boost your productivity in the future. Take some time to learn from the past, that will give you more productive hours in the future.

#96 – Just give it a go

Sometimes you might fear what might happen when you try something new. You might worry whether it turns out well or like you planned. Here’s the thing: just give it a go. Some people can come up with lots of excuses, and never try anything. Just try something new, and if it doesn’t work out – at least you’ve learned what isn’t working and are free to try something else.

#97 – Backup

Some people believe that making backups is an overhead, and requires too much effort. Well, do you have any idea how much effort it requires to get everything back if your computer hard drive crashes and wipes out everything you’ve got there?

#98 – Use what works for you

Apple users: I was really just kidding there on tip #28. The key is to use the tools that work for you. There are different people. Others prefer Mac, others prefer PC. Use what fits your needs.

#99 – Don’t use the force, Luke

There was once a time period where use of force was essential to survive. That was when the cave men existed. Today, the rules have changed a bit. If you try to force your own way – you are really just digging yourself a deep hole. A better idea is to be flexible and adapt in situations. Soft way can sometimes get people to work more effectively, so forget Star Wars.

#100 – Stop reading lists like these

You might be thinking that “now you have got some great tips”, but that does little good if you continue hunting more and more tips. The tips #24, #32 and #91 contain everything that you really need. （source:gameproducer）

http://www.gameproducer.net/2008/01/12/100-ways-to-be-more-productive/