Getting more hours in a day isn’t always possible. Somedays you wish there were more hours in a day just so you can do the things you planned. Often you’re chasing time as it flies by and you’re stuck in limbo, trying to figure out how to escape. In any case, it seems there’s always a relentless struggle to get the most from your time – and often we fail at it. Is it because we’re not doing a good enough job of managing our time? Is it because the distractions around us get the better of us? Or is it because we’re simply unable to shake off our habit of procrastinating and end up compromising on our productivity?

Productivity seems to be that one common trait that everyone is chasing after. And no matter how productive we try to be, there’s always room to get better and use our time more wisely. So what’s the key to achieving this? How can we do more in little time? How can we discipline ourselves to better utilize our time?

There’s no one rule or formula that can get you there. However, there are a few practices and tips that you can incorporate in your daily life that’ll definitely help you get better at time management and be more productive. Curious? Here are a few that have helped me.

1. Start Your Morning Right

First things first, your morning routine is paramount. Getting it right is the first and best way to guarantee yourself a productive and effective day. Your morning’s set the tone of everything that follows so this is what counts the most. It’s now become our instinct to reach for our mobile devices the second we awake. That’s a big mistake as it’s precisely the mental distraction that you need to avoid. Instead, pick up meditation and exercise to help you channelize and strengthen your mind. Getting your mindset in place is the key to successfully kick starting your morning.

2. Stay Focused (Always)

Probably never the easiest to achieve, however, staying focused is probably the biggest enabler of productivity, achieving results and feeling fulfilled. Contrary to popular misconception, staying focused doesn’t require much – in fact it requires very little. And that’s simply to slow down. The more you’re chasing and running after deadlines, meetings and people the less you’ll actually accomplish. By slowing down, you’ll really start to increase focus and get more done. That’s probably the biggest differentiator of incredibly successful leaders and those who follow them. Alter your habits to regain control of your focus and you’ll start to ‘feel’ and ‘experience’ the difference in yourself.

3. Use That Smart Device ‘Smartly’

Yes we all have a few – smartphones, tablets, phablets and even voice recognition assistants. But are we really using them to their maximum potential? If you ask me, over 75% of the people who own smart devices simply skim the surface of what its potential really is. Most of the apps they have on their devices are leaning towards entertainment and amusement rather than really adding value or helping them stay informed and productive. But you’re not the average ‘smart’ person are you? You’re truly using your smartphone to be smarter.

So there you have it. Nothing fancy, and nothing extraordinary. After all to achieve big successes it’s the little details that matter. In this case, to enhance your productivity you don’t have to bend over backwards – you just have to make simple, small tweaks in your habits and you’ll reap big benefits.

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