My friend Ed O’Keefe was the first person ever to call me “The World’s Most Disciplined Man.”
He did that because he said I was the most productive person he had ever met and, like most people, Ed connected insane productivity with discipline.
The truth, though, is that I’m not “disciplined.”
I’m just as weak as anyone else.
However, I was smart enough to recognize that if I just built a few SYSTEMS into my routine…
I could “trick” myself into getting more done in less time (Thus giving an illusion of discipline!)
Here are 3 hacks I’ve used to drastically increase productivity…
1. Add Deadlines to Destroy Parkinson’s Law
Ever have a meeting or call that dragged on and on…
Interrupted the flow of your day… backed up your schedule… or made you late for dinner?
That’s because you allowed Parkinson’s Law to invade your day.
This law was first introduced to me through Tim Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Work Week, and it states:
“Work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion.”
When you don’t have a designated end time for a meeting or call — unnecessary chatter expands and exceeds your expectations for the event.
One easy solution that can instantly skyrocket your productivity:
Never start a call or meeting that does not have a defined end time.
How do you do that?
Answer every call or meeting invitation with a set amount of time you are willing to invest.
For example, when I’m invited to do a podcast – and it fits my criteria of 2,500 downloads per show – I also tell them that I only have 30 minutes scheduled for the interview.
That cuts short the unnecessary chatter and keeps my day on track.
For call invitations, I say, “Yes, I have 10 minutes at 1:45 PM on Tuesday.”
Be strict. Be specific. Be safe with your time.
2. Automate-Delegate-Eliminate Every Day
Last month I told a client to delete Instagram from his phone.
That single action allowed him to boost his company's sales by $20K in recurring revenue.
Deletion of distractions opens the door to insane productivity…
Which can radically improve your results.
You must repeatedly review your daily tasks to make sure you’re not doing anything below your pay grade… or that causes an unnecessary amount of stress or angst… or that could be done just as well through automation.
How can you apply the ADE Formula in your business?
- Manually booking calls into your calendar => Automate
- Editing your own videos => Delegate
- Reading irrelevant news articles that fire you up => Eliminate
Hour by hour… Action by action… Eliminate what you hate… Automate and delegate.
There’s money on the table that needs your full attention.
3. Match your toughest task with your highest mental energy (Magic Time)
You know the Baby Blocks Shape Sorter toy?
The object of the game is to take different-shaped blocks and put them in a similar-shaped hole.
Believe it or not, optimal productivity works the same way.
Think about the most difficult project you need to finish this week.
Now assign a “square shape” to that task.
Next, look at your calendar…
Imagine if you tried to cram that difficult project into your schedule at a time of day when you were tired.
That would be like trying to cram a square peg into a round hole. It’s just not gonna work.
Instead, what you need to do is realize that your Magic Time – the time of day when you are 3X’s more creative, productive, and energetic – is the same shape as your toughest task.
Leverage that Magic Time into insane productivity!
Take that square peg (toughest task) and insert it into your Magic Time (square hole).
That’s how you win.
Stop trying to do hard things when you’re weak. And stop doing easy things when you’re strong.
Match the Intensity of the Task to the Intensity of your brainpower.
I guarantee you’ll triple your productivity on that tip alone.
Put all three of these tips to work for you?
You’ll ignite your success like pouring gasoline on a bonfire.
Success Loves Speed,
Craig
PS - Want weekly LIVE trainings to improve your productivity, transform your marketing, and close more sales? Join our private FB community >> HERE
PPS - Want 1:1 mentorship to grow your business AND have more free time? Just REPLY to this email with the word “FREEDOM” and we’ll set up a time to connect with you to see if we can help.
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