Wednesday, 1 January 2025

Top performers aren't just magically more productive -

 Top performers aren't just magically more productive -



They're using these 6 techniques:

This sheet breaks down the 

↳What

↳When (to use)

↳Why (it works), and 

↳How 

Of all 6 so you can put them to work right away:

A brilliant resource by my friend [George Stern](https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-stern/)🔥 

1) Eisenhower

What: Prioritize tasks

When: Weekly for bigger tasks, daily for immediate

Why: We often start with busy work because it's easiest - but it's least important

How: Put everything into 1 of 4 quadrants

↳Urgent and important - do now

↳Not urgent but important - schedule now

↳Urgent but not important - delegate now

↳Not urgent or important - delete now

2) 80/20

What: Focus only on highest-impact activities

When: You're overwhelmed by your amount of work

Why: Diminishing returns are real - 80% of results come from 20% of effort

How: Identify and focus on the top 20% in each category

↳20% of tasks that yield 80% of impact

↳20% of clients that bring 80% of revenue

↳20% of relationships that produce 80% of value

↳20% of exercise that gives 80% of gains

3) 1-3-5

What: Select a small number of critical tasks

When: You're only getting to part of your list each day

Why: We complete *more* when we bite off *less*

How: Pick just a few tasks for the day

↳1 key task (just 1!)

↳3 medium tasks

↳5 small ones

↳That's it - no more

You can do this the night before (my preferred) or morning of

4) Eat Your Frog

What: Do the most important task first thing

When: An important (but dreaded or overwhelming) item keeps getting procrastinated

Why: Doing something is rarely as bad as we imagine it will be; just get it done and build momentum

How: Identify, schedule, eat, celebrate

↳Identify your biggest task that you're hesitating to start

↳Schedule time to do that task first thing

↳Do it

↳Celebrate - the rest of your day will only get better

5) Deep work

What: Dedicate uninterrupted time to your key task

When: Small things keep distracting your focus

Why: Multi-tasking is a myth - we are FAR more productive when monotasking

How: Set yourself up for success

↳Block time on your calendar

↳Close your door, put away your phone, exit your email

↳Spend at least 1 hour (2-3 preferable) on just a single task

6) Pomodoro

What: Work in intervals

When: Projects that seem too big to crack - it breaks them up

Why: Research shows short bursts with breaks increase productivity

How: Work, break, work, break

↳Common is 25 minutes on, 5 off - but experiment (go until you feel your energy waning or attention slipping)

↳Focus on just one task for the interval

↳Rest should be restorative (step outside, breathe, talk to others) not just doom scrolling

Use these techniques to dramatically increase your productivity, 

And stop feeling like you never have enough time.

These seem so simple, but sticking to them is not - 

And that's what sets top performers apart.

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