When you think of productivity tips, you may think only of how to get more into your day or how to do more. In truth, maximizing productivity often involves doing less. Being productive means finding a way of spending your primary energies in ways that are most beneficial. But rest and downtime are also critical elements in maximum productivity.
Whether you are building your own business, climbing the corporate ladder or even trying to juggle a family and career, technology can help even the busiest men get the most out of life.
Here are 6 productivity tips for the man on the go.
1. Use the Pareto Principle
In the early 1900’s, an Italian economist by the name of Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 20% of his pea plants seemed to produce about 80% of the peas. It wasn’t long before he also began to notice that about 80% of his nation’s wealth was owned by about 20% of the population. In the 1940’s a productivity pioneer by the name of Dr. Joseph Juran used Pareto’s observations to develop the Pareto Principle.
The idea being that approximately 20% of your efforts will generally yield about 80% of the results. The trick is to figure out which 20% of your efforts are yielding the most fruit and start pouring more of your energies into those endeavors and cut out the rest.
2. Schedule your down time
The truth is, rest is an invaluable part of achieving maximum productivity. No one – and I mean no one – can go, go, go 100% of the time. Maximum productivity requires ebbs and flows, peak times and rest times.
If you don’t actually plan and schedule your downtime, the likelihood is high you won’t actually take it. Some of the most successful people on earth actually schedule in downtime, rest time and flex time. Successful people know the unexpected is going to happen, so they strategically leave holes in their schedule to deal with it.
3. Automate your life
From paying bills to sending birthday cards, there is very little you can’t automate these days. Relationships are one of the most important things in life, but they can often take a back seat to work. Today, you can not only set up reminders for big events like birthdays and anniversaries, but you can even schedule a birthday card or gift to be sent months in advance.
You can sit down once with your calendar and have a year’s worth of gifts and cards arrive at just the right time. You can also schedule e-mails to be sent at a certain time and even social media posts. Being thoughtful in advance doesn’t make your gesture any less meaningful.
Regardless of whether you’re automating your business processes or private life, it’s always a good thing to take the load off your brain to make room for more important tasks.
4. Take care of your health
You can’t do your best work when you are not well rested, nor can you work efficiently when you don’t have the right fuel. Taking care of your health is a critical part of achieving maximum productivity. Thankfully, that is one more area technology can help.
With technology, you can step outside or even take a long walk if you have a long call to make. Fitness monitors and health trackers can help remind you to stand up, go for a walk or even take a deep breath once in a while. Good health actually requires a great deal of discipline, but so does being successful.
5. Use your digital assistant
Whether you are an Android or iOS user, every phone and device these days comes equipped with a wide range of powerful productivity tool and even an assistant to help them use it.
Whether you use the voice memos feature on your phone to quickly record important thoughts or ideas or use Google Trips to lift important travel information from Gmail and use it to create a detailed itinerary for you, your phone can do amazing things. The best part is, most productivity suites offer a number of tools that all work smoothly and seamlessly together and your digital assistant knows how to use them all.
You can ask it to schedule an appointment for you and remind you of it in advance. When it reminds you of your appointment, you can have it check traffic and even call an Uber or Lyft for you. At home or away, your digital assistant will always be there for you.
6. Know how to unplug
While humans are not machines, the one thing they have in common is they both have “batteries” that need to be recharged. With mobile devices that go wherever we go, it is more difficult than ever before to truly “get away from it all.”
Ironically, technology can even help you unplug from technology. Whether it is apps that help you manage and monitor your screen time, guided meditation app that leads you through mindfulness, or even those that help you unplug and connect with nature, technology can help you take a break from technology.
Achieving maximum productivity does not mean being on the go all the time. It is about finding a rhythm, pace and schedule that works for you. The most productive people often have hours of intense work, followed by complete and utter leisure, which they have meticulously planned and scheduled. They spend time with their families, take vacations and even take an unexpected break when they need it.
