18 tips to dramatically boost your productivity

Write down all the things you plan to do, and organize them by weekly targets, yearly objectives, and long-term career goals. Then rank each task by relative importance. In the most productive scenario, you should be spending more time on the higher-ranked ones and less time on the lower-ranked ones.

The number of hours of work you put in doesn’t matter nearly as much as achieving the best possible results. If you determine what your final outcome needs to be, it can help you lay out a more efficient plan on how to get there, which frees up time.

Always pause halfway to the end to make sure that you’re on track and, if working with others, that you coordinate approaches.

The amount of time you devote to a project has to vary based on the importance of your project. Pozen says that doing B+ work on your low-priority tasks is usually good enough.

There’s no need to put in the extra time and effort and focus on all the minute details of these tasks. Pozen even suggests discarding or ignoring 80% of the emails and requests you receive, as they’re usually not important anyway, and answering the other 20% right away.

Keep a careful, daily calendar with notes reminding you of the purpose of each appointment or meeting. Writing the purpose will keep you from straying off-topic. Pozen recommends not filling each hour in your schedule in order to leave time to react to anything unexpected that may come up.

Organize yourself for the following day each night by reviewing your schedule and mentally preparing for upcoming tasks.

Don’t leave anything up to chance when you travel. Make a to-do list that you can recycle for future trips so you know what to pack, what transportation to book, and anything else you may need to prepare.

Know what your goals are for the trip so there is no time wasted before you have to leave. And Pozen warns NEVER to check luggage if you’re traveling for less than a week. Take a large carry-on instead to cut time waiting at the baggage claim.

Meetings can take up about 35% of the workday for middle managers, and up to 60% for top executives, says Pozen.

Try to limit meetings to introductions to new clients or coworkers, or to having serious discussions that cannot be done by email or over the phone. Anything else can be done effectively with email, document sharing, video conference, and other luxuries that technology affords.

If the boss gives employees two weeks to complete an assignment, procrastinators end up landing themselves in hot water by waiting until the last minute to get it done. Instead, Pozen suggests these workers set more frequent deadlines along the way, even if these deadlines are all for the same project.

And just to make sure you don’t ignore your self-imposed deadlines, tell your coworkers, or even your boss, about them. Having someone to hold you accountable to your own deadlines makes you more likely to stick to them.

Make sure you’re reading with a purpose. Ask yourself why you’re reading what you’re reading, and what you’re getting out of it that you can’t get anywhere else.

That includes knowing what you’re looking to find when you read, be it news, advice, tips, or information relevant to your work. Pozen also suggests reading the conclusion and introduction to a piece of work first so that you know where the author is heading, and so you know what main points to hit.

Writing skills are increasingly more important because emails often now take the place of phone calls. Pozen recommends creating an outline when you start writing that shows a logical progression in your piece. If you’re writing a long, dense document, create an executive summary so the reader can see the big picture.

Be sure to use effective language like short sentences and clear relationships between clauses, and always make sure to proofread more than once. Your writing will never be perfect the first time.

Don’t waste your precious time sweating a presentation. The key to effective speaking is preparation. Preparation is divided into three main events:

1. Know your audience — who they are, why they are attending and what they care about.

2. Structure your speech — write an outline of your presentation and make sure your argument is clear.

3. Rehearse the speech — rehearsing will make you comfortable and appear confident when it’s go time.

When nothing gets accomplished in an office meeting, it’s because it’s not being conducted in a manner that leads to progress. Pozen highlights three points that must be met to get the most out of a meeting:

First, the meeting leader should write a clear agenda and send it out at least a day in advance for those attending the meeting to review. At the meeting, the introduction should be short so that the most time can be allocated to serious discussion. Finally, the meeting should close with all attendees having a clear idea of what they need to do when they leave.

The first thing to know about planning your career is that you don’t need a long-term plan. When first deciding on your career, Pozen suggests making a list of a few jobs you eventually hope to hold as your Career Aims.

After you list the jobs that appeal to you, ask yourself what skills you can offer the world and see if that matches up with any of the jobs you listed. Research the jobs and find out the demand for that profession. Avoid specialization and always look to maximize the number of options you have in taking next steps. Revise your goals annually so you know when it’s time to move forward.

“Planning your career as a whole is a complicated process,” Pozen writes in his book. Your time is best spent by dividing your goals into three different categories by time:

• Targets (a week or less)
• Objectives (three to 24 months)
• Career Aims (five or more years)

Use Targets, or small, actionable steps, to achieve Objectives, and Objectives to achieve larger Career Aims.

It’s vital to manage and build productive relationships with your coworkers. The best way is to build trust. That way you can delegate your low priority goals and spend the most time on your top objectives.

When delegating tasks and projects to your subordinates, set goals broadly so they can decide how to best meet them. It’s critical to discuss progress on these goals as you go. Whenever possible, avoid criticizing your employees unless mistakes are repeated or ethically concerning. And most importantly, there is no such thing as too much positive reinforcement.

Managing your boss is just as important as managing your team. It’s less about getting along with your boss and more about managing the relationship so that they become a resource for achievement and personal success. As with any relationship, communication is key.

Make sure you’re on the same page regarding what your assignments are, then match your communication style with your boss to know how to effectively interact. If a disagreement leads to transferring jobs, make sure you leave your current job with tact so you don’t burn bridges on the way out.

People avoid change because they fear its negative effects. Pozen says to make productive choices, learn to embrace change, and take advantage of the opportunities it presents.

Recognizing your subconscious bias toward stability is the first step to accepting change. Keep in mind that holding a job for life is the exception, not the rule. And in the end you should stay the same by upholding consistent ethics. Acting ethically should be your top priority and will pay off in the long term.

Pozen notes that everyone should always make personal time for themselves, including getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis, exercising, and spending time with friends and family.

Doing so clears your mind and enables you to better focus when it comes time to completing work-related tasks, because you won’t be as distracted by personal goals and objectives.

The whole point of being productive is having a more rewarding life. The more efficient you are at work, the more time you’ll have for your personal life. The key to getting there is being aware of where your hours are more valuable.

Four hours spent with your spouse are more valuable than four at work, so push hard to improve your organization’s flexibility so you have more control over where you spend your time. And when you leave the office, avoid as many interruptions from work as you can. It’s healthy and necessary to give your mind a break.

Published in collaboration with Business Insider

Author: Melissa Stanger is the Lists and Rankings Associate Editor for Business Insider. Carolyn Cutrone contributed to this article.