Be More Focused and Productive – A Simple List of 12 Things To Do + Tools

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This is a list of things I gathered along the way and tried to use myself to be more productive and organized. It’s not easy and doesn’t always work but it helps, a lot. I don’t always follow my own advice but here goes:

1. Organize and prioritize the tasks before starting to work. Organize tasks by importance and urgency. Focus on maximum three important tasks a day, or one very important task.

2. Use the Pomodoro technique, 25 minutes of focus per task and work in sprints.

3. Less browser tabs, these are a distraction, if you don’t use it put in [Pocket](http://www.getpocket.com) or close it.

4. Check email only 2-3 times a day, ex. 10.30, 13.30, 17.00. And only after you’ve organized and done some things already. Don’t start doing email first. Don’t let the email tab open, you will want to check it often.

5. De-clutter. Keep the desk clean. Keep the office space clean. A messy desk or office will reduce your capacity to focus.

6. Write down things you want to remember in Evernote, unload your mind. Take notes, pictures, write stuff that you want to come back too. It will clear your mind and help you concentrate on the things at hand, without the mind constantly trying to remember you stuff you don’t want to forget.

7. Use a calendar and notifications for reminders. Set it and forget it.

8. Use a software for project management and communication, task, collaboration.

9. Eat lunch every day at the same time.

10. Use routines in your advantage: create breakfast list menu, choose your next
day clothes the night before, try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time.

11. Browse Facebook/Twitter only at home, not at work (if possible).

12. Try to look at the smartphone less often, this is one thing that distracts
us a lot.

13. Tools I use to help me with all these:

Pomodoro software to work in sprints.

Asana to manage projects, communication, deadlines.

Google Calendar for reminders and meetings.

Evernote for notes, things you want to remember.

Google Docs for writing, reports, creating files.

Hipchat for real time communication.

Pocket read it later and bookmarks.

Lastpass for passwords.

Using just a small part of this stuff will make you unwind and be less busy but more productive.

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