11 Hacks to Make Your Work Day Twice as Productive

You feel like you don't have a spare moment and yet you aren't getting everything done that you need to do! Entrepreneur magazine has the test for whether you really are as productive as you can be. Look at the following 11 strategies and ask yourself if you're doing them all. 1. Do it when you get it. Don't wait on the perfect moment to craft an email response. In most cases, you know what you're going to say when you read the email the first time. Answer it right then and be done with it. 2. Arrive ready to get to work. Before you leave work every day, prep your first task of the morning so you're ready to start when you arrive the next day. 3. Hold your nose and swallow the medicine. If you've got a couple of stinker tasks on queue for the day, go ahead and hit them when you've got energy first thing in the morning. You'll be fresh and giving them your best. 4. Don't let the small stuff dominate. Don't give little meaningless tasks your best attention just because they're asking for resolution right now. You can fill a morning with busywork and then you're off-track for the big stuff. 5. Don't drift in meetings. Stay with your agenda like there are wild beasts ready to devour you if you get off topic. A meeting can chew up a morning or afternoon with tangential issues that weren't part of the schedule. 6. Say "No." Not learning to say no to tasks that aren't yours or to requests from colleagues is the fastest path to burnout and dissatisfaction with your own job performance. 7. Turn off email Push. Check your email only at scheduled times. The more often you allow yourself to be distracted, the less focused and productive you will be. 8. Fight the temptation to multi-task. Stanford University researchers have confirmed that multitasking is less productive than focusing on one task at a time. Avoid multiple tabs open on your browser, multiple electronic devices sending signals, talking to others around you while you work. 9. Really unplug. If you're facing a major project deadline, don't be afraid to disconnect for a short time from everything and everyone. Leave numbers or location with one person and then go roll up your sleeves and finish. 10. Don't try to be everybody. Delegate tasks when there are others who can do something faster or more efficiently. They're a part of your team. Don't let ego overwhelm you or you'll end up not doing any of the jobs as well as you could. 11. Own the tech don't let the tech own you. Take time to set up filters and ring tones and other electronic automated filing systems that streamline your interaction with technology. There are dozens of apps available to facilitate your work performance using technology. It's not a waste of time to learn to use them. Do any of these keep you from being ultra-productive? Which suggestion will you add first?