7 tips for those who want to work more productively

Working less, you can get better results. As an example, let's look at the small business owner who works in a non-stop mode. It can work 24 hours a day, but it does not have the same opportunities as its competitors corporations. A large company may collect a cool team, invest a lot of money in the same project as that of startups.

But sometimes small companies manage what was beyond the power to make major competitors. Facebook bought Instagram - a company of 13 people - a billion dollars. Snapchat - young start-up of 30 employees - has rejected offers from such tech giants like Facebook and Google. Part of their success is dependent on luck. Everything else - from the efficiency.

There is a huge difference between "being busy" and "be productive." If you have a lot of cases, it does not mean that you are working productively. The productivity of labor - means to effectively manage their time and distribute energy.

If you want to work not on the 80 and 40 hours a week, managing to perform several times more work, try to follow these guidelines.

1. Do not work overtime

Have you ever wondered why 40 hours per working week? In 1926, Henry Ford, American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, conducted an experiment: he reduced the number of working hours per day from ten to eight, and reduced the number of working days from six to five. The result was interesting: productivity rose sharply.

The more time you pay to work, the less efficiently and effectively you deal with work tasks.

When a project is planned 60 or more hours a week, its execution will take more than two months. Productivity decreases, Completion date of the project is transferred. The same number of workers can perform the same task in the same terms, working 40 hours a week.

2. get enough sleep

US forces conducted an unusual study: they cut an hour night of sleep soldiers. At the same time young people there was a decrease in cognitive abilities as intoxicated (by the American classification - 10-th degree)Why We Have to Go Back to a 40-Hour Work Week to Keep Our Sanity. How ironic: you can be fired, if you're drunk, and work all night is normal. And in the first and in the second case the employee status of the same.

When you notice that the work is unproductive, ask yourself: do not go if you're among the 70% of people who are constantly not getting enough sleep.

Perhaps you can work normally after a sleepless night. But it is very unlikely that you are looking at the world with joy and optimism. Negative attitude, poor health, lack of empathy and a desire to act - the consequences of overwork.

Most people who have achieved incredible heights in the business, understand how it is important to rest. Here are a few examples from history:

• Leonardo da Vinci several times a day went to take a nap, if you wanted to sleep less at night.
• French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte has never been shy to sleep during the day. He did this every day.
• Thomas Edison ashamed of his habit of sleeping during the day, but practiced it every day.
• US President's wife Eleanor Roosevelt every time to go to bed before an important speech to make up for power.
• Singer Gene Autry regularly slept in the dressing room during breaks between performances.
• US President John F. Kennedy had lunch every day in bed, and then went to take a nap.
• John D. Rockefeller - industrialist, philanthropist and the first billionaire - every day, slept in his office.
• An afternoon nap was mandatory thing in the schedule of Winston Churchill. He believed that because of this habit has time to do for the day twice.

From personal observation: when I began to sleep for 7-8 hours a day, noticed positive changes. I became more productive and have time to do much more than during the 16-hour working day. Who would have thought that sleep - a great tool for marketing?

3. Do not say "yes" too often

According to the Pareto principle, 20% of efforts gives 80% of the results. Instead of working more, we need to focus on the efforts that give us 80% of the results, and to give up the remaining cases. You will have time to focus on the most important tasks.

Stop to take on tasks that generate low or almost zero results.

The logical question is: when to say "yes" and when - "no"? If you can not figure out how to spend their time, perform simple test. Keep track of everything you are doing, and then try to optimize this process.

In 2012, scientists conducted the study, whose results were published in the Journal of Consumer Research"I Do not" versus "I Can not": When Empowered Refusal Motivates Goal-Directed Behavior. .

The researchers divided the students into two groups. In one subjects we had to say, "I can not", and another - "I will not." The results were interesting. Students who have said to yourself, "I can not eat chocolate," I ate a candy bar or in 61% of cases. Students who have said to yourself, "I will not eat chocolate" or "I do not eat chocolate," I ate something sweet only in 36% of cases. A simple change in wording considerably increases the likelihood that everyone will make a choice in favor of healthy food.

4. Do not be a perfectionist

Dr. Sherry Simon (Simon Sherry), a professor of psychology at Dalhousie University, conducted a study of how perfectionism effect on productivity. It turned out, the more the subjects professors were prone to perfectionism, the less productive they worked.

Here are some of the problems frequently encountered perfectionists:

• They spend more time working on the task than is necessary.
• They prokrastiniruyut and waiting for the right moment. In business, the right moment usually comes too late.
• They do not see the whole picture, because it focused on the details.

The perfect moment - now.

5. Automate repetitive tasks

According to a survey conducted by Tethys Solutions, a team of five people, who spend 3, 20, 25, 30 and 70% of their working time to perform routine, repetitive tasks, productivity falls by 3, 20, 25, 30 and 70% respectively.

You do not have an excellent understanding of programming to automate routine. Of course, well, if you have the necessary skills or resources. If you can not do something on their own, find out if it can not be bought or ordered.

People are much still to be done manually, because it is easier and does not have anything to learn and seek. Normal check manually 30 photos for Instagram. But if you have to manage 30 thousands of photos and video clips from five different platforms, then you just need good software to work with the content.

If you can not find a solution to your problem yourself, contact an expert who can help you. Be prepared for the fact that you have to spend money. Time - your most valuable commodity.

In addition, you can always check the GitHub or Google app script library. You can find free and ready to use open source software.

6. Make decisions based on facts and data

There are dozens of useful studies, the results of which you can use in their work. For example, did you know that the vast majority of people are easily distracted by extraneous things and 16:00? It's a random fact from the research that is conducted Matchok Robert (Robert Matchock), professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Even if you can not find the desired data, you can always carry out a simple test on their own. Ask yourself how you can measure and optimize everything that you do.

7. Break away from work and relax

Most people do not realize that we are, in fact, locked herself in the castle when focused on something. It is important to periodically break away from work and be alone. During such breaks is resting his head, and improves mood.

There is no dispute that total isolation is not the best effect on human health, but some time alone is necessary for all. For example, teenagers who can be alone with a markedly improved grades at school.

Everyone needs time to think. We often find the right decisions when they are not looking.

It is impossible to become more productive in an instant. Like everything important in life, it takes effort. But any changes will not happen if you just sit and wait. So we need to learn to better understand yourself, your body, find a way to optimize their power and go to a successful and happy life.