I've been trying to raise my general productivity as of late and trying to figure out how to both maximize the hours in my day and also be as efficient as possible during those hours to generate the highest amount of output with the lowest amount of waste. In order to do this, I have realized that the key to maximizing the value of your day is to live in the moment during it. In other words, if you are too busy thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, you are not making efficient use of the time that you have to actually produce, which is the current moment in time that you are in.

I think this is not only an important breakthrough in trying to raise your daily productivity, but also a simplified but basic step in becoming a more successful person overall.

Think about how much time you waste in your day either browsing the internet, watching TV, day dreaming, or playing around with apps on your cell phone. As human beings we are subjected to countless distractions and it takes a real concerted effort to break through that noise and motivate yourself to take charge of your current space in time and use it for a productive purpose. When you simply turn off the idea of worrying and thinking about things that you cannot directly control, not only will you feel a sense of liberation, but you will also realize that what you can control has been right in front of you the entire time.

If you have an essay to write, start on it. If you want to go for a jog, go out and do it. Being on the road to success is really that simple. Everything you do RIGHT NOW is a fundamental step in the direction where you want to end up. Successful people don’t waste time. They dive head first into activities and then let the results either teach them lessons for the future if they fail or speak for themselves through rewards if they succeed. Watch any interview with Steve Jobs and you’ll find this at the core of all of his messages.

Our time on this Earth is incredibly limited. We all have expiration dates and we all have a lot that we want to do before we reach them. Unfortunately, the only thing stopping us from reaching those goals is us. It’s popular vernacular these days to refer to your “hustle” and “grind” but to me they are two very different things. “Grinding” is the bare minimum that you do in your day.

Whether its going to your 9-5 or picking up the kids from soccer practice, the grind is the essential elements of your day that you have to get through to do something “fun.” The “hustle” in your day is what you do beyond those essentials that define how hard you are actually working. Hustle is coming home after an 8 hour day and spending another 5 hours on your small business idea. Hustle is working on nights and weekends on extra classes or teaching yourself something you don’t necessarily need to know but want to improve on. Hustle is going out of your way to better yourself and putting yourself on the path to success and where you want to be.

If you ever find yourself stuck in the grind, its time to reevaluate your options or take an in-depth look at how hard you are actually working. Again, our time is limited, don’t waste it pursuing objects that have no end result or create waste in your life. Every action has a reaction and two hours of TV is two hours wasted from learning more about your industry or networking with people who can help you to achieve your dreams.

Not to say you can’t have fun in life, in fact the balance between work and play is necessary for success.

The economic concept of “diminishing marginal productivity” comes into play here, where the more time you spend doing something, the less productive you are actually going to be over the course of that time. Take for instance your workday, maybe you get to the office and are full of energy, caffeine and optimism. Two or three hours into the morning and you've banged out the most work you can do at the highest efficiency you’ll be at all day. The next five hours you will experience diminishing marginal productivity every hour until 5 pm when its time to go home and sprawl out on the couch.

This is why fun and taking small breaks are critically important in the equation as its an opportunity for your mind to reset throughout the day and keep you moving at an efficient pace.

Finding the right flow that works for you may take a little while at first, but the more you find yourself living in the moment, taking actions that will be building blocks for your future, and maintaining a higher level of productivity throughout your day you will be that much closer to achieving your end goals. Plus when you do have fun and take breaks they actually become more meaningful as well. Although if your dreams align with your passions, chances are you won’t want to take many breaks when you truly begin to “hustle” as you will actually love what you are doing.

It’s hard to teach yourself how to tap into the moment, but when you do you will quickly see the benefits that it brings. It’s good to have long and short term goals to draw a map to your objective, but what you do right now, in this very second, at this very time and place, is what truly counts.