My 5 Favorite Productivity Hacks

As an entrepreneur running 2 businesses and without a real “office” — productivity hacks are what keep me on track and hitting my goals for the day / month / year. Distractions are easy to come by (hello, instagram), especially when youre working at home or coffee shops — So, here are my 5 favorite ways to stay productive no matter the environment!

1. Schedule EVERYTHING: My calendar has been by far my favorite way to keep me productive. I put in deadlines for myself, I schedule my workouts, I even schedule time to check my emails (usually 2x per day — once in the AM and once at the end of the day). I block off times for business strategy, for retail strategy, for financial reports … you get the point. This has been probably the easiest way I have found to keep myself organized and productive throughout the day. Of course, you have to leave room for flexibility but having it all laid out in front of you helps structure your day & your mind to get shit done.
2. DND — aka do not disturb and trust me, it works. Hit that little moon button on your iphone and watch how much less distracted you will get throughout the day. It’s easy for us to want to answer texts, calls or emails immediately but its not always necessary. Going back to my first point, block off times of your day to check your texts or give yourself a social media break.
3. Learn To Say No — This has probably been one of the toughest ones for me but is something that, once I started doing, made all the difference. Whether its your clients, your co workers, your employees or your boss — the ability to say ‘no’ to the things that arent helping you (or your organization) grow, learn or move in the trajectory that you want, makes all the difference. Once you begin to cut out the noise, youll realize how much space opens up for the opportunities that DO fall in line with your goals and your vision.
4. Find What Works For You — News flash: If youre not a morning person, dont schedule important things for yourself in the morning! For me, my brain works the best from the moment I wake up until about 1-2 PM. I try to get all of my creative work or strategy meetings done in these hours. After 2 PM I’m pretty useless in the creativity department so I leave space for more mindless activities like scheduling, responding to old emails, payroll, and organization. Knowing what works best for your mind is key. Theres no point in forcing yourself to perform on tasks during hours where your mind is not at its peak.
5. Keep a List but Keep it short — To-do lists are an easy no-frill way to get your mind on track for the day but when those lists become too long, they become stressful and overwhelming which is the opposite of what you need to stay productive. I like to keep my lists to a max of 6–8 items that are top priority for the day and are all directly related to reaching milestones. Anything not on that list is most likely not super important and can be delegated or done later on.

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