Let’s face it — all of us could benefit from becoming more productive. But, unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard to even focus for 20 minutes without getting bombarded with social media notifications, calls, emails, and people bothering you to make them lunch or feed the dog. Shoutout to the highly productive people though!

Ever find yourself asking ‘how do they do it?!’

Well, although life is busy and many of us seem to keep adding additional things to our workload, there are lots of things we can do to slow down and become more efficient. I mean, work smarter, not harder, right!?

When you look at some of the most successful people in the world, they’re masters at efficiency and know-how to prioritize, delegate, schedule, and focus. If you want to be someone who gets stuff done, it’s time we take note of these types of people.

Here are Six Habits of Highly Productive People:

1. Develop a Morning Routine

Routines are essential for productivity, and a morning routine will set you up to have a great day. The most successful people have a morning routine that never wavers — it can be as simple as sitting down in silence to enjoy a cup of coffee or prioritizing a morning workout, or as unique as jumping on a rebounder for 10 minutes before starting your day.

No matter what it is, find a routine and stick to it! In a study of over 200 self-made millionaires, almost 50% of them got up three hours before their day started.

This gives you time to do things for YOU, preparing you for your day without rushing. So start your day off on the right track by creating a ritual for yourself, and you will reap all the rewards for your increased productivity for the rest of the day.

2. Don’t Multitask

Women tend to think that we’re excellent multitaskers, but in reality, the data shows that’s not the case. When we’re trying to complete five tasks at once, we’re not focused and are instead doing five things at one-fifth of the quality we should be.

Instead, when you’re working on something, your focus should be on one thing at a time while minimizing other distractions. This is especially hard with our smartphones constantly buzzing and our laptops always pinging, but if you need to focus, put your phone on do not disturb to concentrate on the task at hand.

3. Follow the 80/20 Rule

While this may sound complicated, it isn’t! The 80/20 rule states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions.

Think of it this way: out of all the clothes you own, and you most likely spend 80% of your time in 20% of what you own.

The same applies to the rest of your life.

When it comes to what areas of your life you want to be more productive, figure out what 20% of your work produces 80% of your outcome. When you get laser-focused on that 20%, you can dedicate more time and effort (and minimize more distractions) and delegate those other tasks that are essential but don’t produce significant results.

4. Sleep is Key

Did you know that our society is chronically sleep-deprived? That’s because most of us aren’t prioritizing sleep as much as we should. 

While our busy lives can make it challenging to get your 7-10 hours per night, it’s an essential part of your productivity and an aspect that the most highly productive people never waver on. You can’t expect your brain to operate at its most creative and intelligent level if you’re not well-rested. 89% of self-made millionaires sleep 7-8 hours or more each night! Make this a priority to improve how effective you are during the day.

5. Complete Hard-Hitting Tasks in the AM

Many studies show that we are most effective in the first half of the day. So, tackle the most critical and gruelling tasks before lunch and save the more manageable, less hard-hitting things such as conference calls for the afternoon. By scheduling your day when you know you are most productive, you will be much more effective and efficient.

6. Surround Yourself with Go-Getters

Whether you’re conscious of it or not, we are who we surround ourselves with. We naturally become products of our environment, and it can be easy to get into the habit of negative self-talk, laziness, or pessimism if we are around people who are constantly downers. 

Instead, find a community of positive, helpful, loyal, and motivated people who want to see you win. These people can share advice, lift you, and help you in times of need, which will only help you grow and become happier and more productive.

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Email: catherine@catherinenikkel.com

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Catherine Nikkel is a content creator, ghostwriter and the founder of Mindful Media. She specializes in helping CEOs, entrepreneurs and influencers create copy that engages and converts. Her work has appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, Yahoo!, Authority Magazine, FemFounder and more.