Ways to become more productive

The idea is simple. Set a timer for 25 minutes and do a focused work "sprint." Take a five minute break away from your work, then repeat. After every four work sprints, take a longer break (get lunch or go for a jog or something).

"If it's not on the calendar, it's not real." I've heard that more than once. Put every activity you plan to do on a calendar, and keep your appointments.

I've had co-workers who swore by exercising every morning before work. While I haven't cemented this habit into my own routine yet, I do seem more productive on days I exercise before working.

The fact is, you can't be productive if you're falling asleep. Sleep is time for your brain to rest, put everything in order, and take out the garbage.

I think I heard this from Tim Ferriss. It would be refreshing to finish most of your work by lunchtime, wouldn't it?

Eating unhealthy foods fogs your brain and makes you tired. Keep your mind sharp with lots of vegetables.

Procrastination doesn't always feel like procrastination. A lot of times, you procrastinate by doing important things... so you can avoid doing the MOST important thing. Try to get the most unpleasant important thing out of the way early in the day.

This is perhaps my biggest struggle. Focus on one thing at a time. Don't try to multitask or switch between multiple things while you're working.

Break up big tasks into many small tasks. Having one huge task gets overwhelming and makes it easier to procrastinate. Doing many small tasks is much easier and you don't have any excuse to procrastinate.

I allow myself to buy an inexpensive baseball card every time I churn out a case at work. Little rewards like this help provide some motivation to do otherwise tedious tasks.