1.任務貴在精而不是多

不要過于貪心。當你快要完成任務時，千萬不要想著能否“再多做一點”。你只要按照自己預期的目標完成任務即可，盡量別去嘗試那些不可能完成的任務。

2.桌面墻紙

設置一個激勵性的桌面墻紙，以此提醒自己應該做什么。

3.使用鋼筆和紙

因為我有使用鋼筆和紙的習慣，所以從來沒有遇到過電腦“藍屏”或死機而丟失資料的情況（除了曾經有一次家里的狗吞食了我的記錄紙外，但是這種情況并不常見）。盡可能地在工作中使用這兩種工具。

4.避免使用那些打著“節約時間”標簽的昂貴，精巧且高科技的道具。

我不是很喜歡那些功能奇特的設備。那些華麗的設備常常會讓我們不知所措，其操作需要一定的技能，而且還需要點擊許多小按鍵等等。任何精巧的設備都有超過2種的顏色選擇（一般來說黑白兩色是最適當的），但是通常情況下你并不需要依賴于這種高科技設備。

5.完成任務后才能看電視

沒有完成任務就不能看電視，這是幫助你更好地節約時間的經驗法則。

6.外包電子郵件

也許這個方法并不適用于每一個人，但是讓其他人幫助你過濾一些無用的電子郵件確實能節省不少時間。你的助手能夠幫助你完成一些日常工作，為此你可以挪出更多時間去完成其它工作。特別是在當今世界，你還可以利用虛擬助手幫助你完成相關工作。

7.采用適當的垃圾郵件保護裝置

垃圾郵件將會耗費你不少時間。所以你可以花點錢去安裝一個好一點的垃圾郵件保護系統，這是個不錯的方案。

8.不要太過草率

Treebeard（游戲邦注：電影《指環王》里的角色）對霍比特人說道：“不要太過草率”。當你在執行任務時，最好能把這句話當成座右銘。

9.不要半途而廢

當你決定完成一些任務時，最好的方法就是堅持完成預設的所有目標，不要什么都只做一點點或者中途放棄。

10.果斷做決定

我看到很多人總是担心做出不好的決策而猶猶豫豫。他們老是害怕下決定后會出現什么差錯。但是出現錯誤又怎樣呢？你只要做出決定，即使不能順利進行，以后也能夠再做出新的決定而進行彌補。

11.不要總是質問自己“現在是否充分利用所有的時間？”

如果你采用了下一點內容，就不用担心如何去規劃各種工作了。

12.采用新的方法規劃你的工作

人們經常使用“A-E”去排列他們工作的重要性。也有人使用“1-5”或者“綠色/黃色/紅色”進行排列。但是，我認為編寫一個列表更加有效。你可以把最重要的任務列在最上方，當這項任務完成了你再進行下一項任務。這個方法能夠讓你立馬知道哪些工作最重要。

13.休息，休息，休息！

不要總是宅在工作室里，多出去走走呼吸下新鮮空氣。

14.戒掉咖啡

戒掉咖啡，讓你的身體不再依賴于這種新型“毒品”。

15.給工作室上鎖

不要讓狗，老鼠，小孩或者其他家庭成員進入你的家庭辦公室，這么做能保證你在專心工作時不受打擾。盡可能地提高音樂的音量，以此能夠幫助你提高工作效率。

注意：你同樣需要保證自己在工作時家里的小孩有人照料。畢竟誰都不希望在結束工作后卻發現整個家里已經被弄得一團糟了。

16.上述這點也同樣適用于公司的辦公室

給自己的辦公室上鎖同時也能夠避免同事們因為一些瑣事而浪費你的時間。

17.休假！

工作的時候避免與家人接觸，那么工作之余就應該多花點時間陪陪他們！而休假就是最好的方法，你也可以趁此充充電，調節下精神和體力。

18.在鈴聲響兩次時才接電話

很多電話都是在浪費時間。如果對方真的有要事相談，我保證他還會再次打電話給你。

19.拒絕

很多人總是默認地接受一些事。不要再無條件地對任何事負責了，你只需要簡單地說出“不”。無需做出任何無理的言行，同時你還要確保自己是相關工作中必不可少的角色。而你之所以這么做，只是為了更好地完成工作。

把這點與之前的內容相結合，你將能夠很好地提供工作效率。

20.遠離那些報怨者

悲觀者和報怨者都將打擊任何團隊的士氣，不利于團隊的發展。不要讓自己卷入報怨者的團隊中。

21.設定最后期限

雖然最后期限并不能推動所有方案的順利完成，但是有時候卻能幫助你更好地進行工作。試著為自己設定一些最后期限，你將會發現它們功效所在。

22.適當的自我獎勵

在完成一些重要的任務后，記得給自己一些獎勵。不論是冰淇淋還是啤酒都是不錯的選擇（如果是小孩可以用披薩或汽水代替）。

23.設定獎勵限額

上述提到的啤酒獎勵并不是指你開始工作時就可以得到，而是在你很好地完成了一項較為困難的任務時才能獎勵自己喝上一瓶。

24.動手做事

這就是工作的最后底線：有時候你只是在做一些重要的任務，但是這些任務卻能幫助你達到你想要的目標。而這里并不存在任何捷徑。

25.控制會議時間

你可以成為一名“計時員”。確保會議按時召開并按時結束。如果你發現會議時間不夠，那么盡可能地壓縮下一次會議所需要討論的議題。

26.測試自己是否安排妥當

你只需要花費幾秒鐘的時間就可以看到自己的安排是否妥當，是否能夠合理地節約時間。

27.在中午之前不要打開瀏覽器

這可以讓你利用這半天的時間做一些有用的事。

28.不再使用Mac

大家都知道Mac（和Leopard）需要你花費一點時間去等待華麗的應用程序出現在界面上。但是說實在的，對于那些高效率的人來說，使用電腦最重要的一點便是速度。

29.不要因為別人否定你使用Mac而惱羞成怒

如果你老是對一些事斤斤計較，那么最終只是在浪費你和他人的時間罷了。

注意：請參見要點98

30.展開戶外活動

去戶外散步，慢跑，賽跑等，這些運動都能夠幫助你鍛煉身體。健康的體魄才是工作效能的最大保障。

31.試著每天只工作4小時

嘗試一周看看，你將會發現這么做能夠幫助你輕松地提高生產率。有時候你會碰到更多的工作量（如25-50%的），而這時你就可以相應地減少工作測試時間。試行一周或者幾天，你將能夠看到它的功效。

32.不要再尋找促使你努力工作的動力了

缺少了動力你就不能做好工作。如果你能愉快地工作，那么你將會發現無需任何激勵你也能努力工作，因為工作樂趣便是最大的動力。

33.現金酬勞

有些情況下，獎金酬勞確實很有效。不能長期實行的話，至少也要短期。你可以在自己發現了有效的工作方法時獎勵自己一件禮物，如購買一臺自己很喜歡的新電視機。

34.不要把工作帶回家

盡量讓工作時間維持在4個小時左右（或更少，如要點31中提到的）且不要把工作帶回家。如果你認為自己的工作量太大了，那可以參考要點19的相關內容。

35.缺少積極性的員工投入于工作中的時間總是最少的，反而是把多余的時間都耗費在無聊的抱怨上。

如果是這樣的話，你就需要為自己制定一個更加忙碌的時間表，并且在其他人催促之前更加努力地工作。這并不意味著你將投入比其他人更多的工作時間（詳見前面的要點），而是說明你需要比別人更加高產，不要只顧著談天說地。

36.廢除年度績效考核（假如有必要的話）

如果你的年度績效考核只是用來指責別人的錯誤，那么你完全可以考慮廢除這一制度。就像小狗會因為得到“款待”而為你做任何事，這道理同樣也適用于人類。

37.忽略80%的News Feed信息

你現在所擁有的80%的News Feed信息可以說都是無效的。那就丟棄它們（或者置于你看不到的地方），只保留最有用的20%。

38.不要再看新聞了

看這些新聞純粹是浪費時間，并不會給你帶來多大好處。你有多久沒遇到有價值的新聞網站了？

39.好吧。你可以瀏覽1至2個新聞網站。

對于一些人來講新聞網站很有幫助，但是它們卻不能提高你的工作效率。你可以選擇瀏覽1至2個新聞網站，但是你必須清楚自己為何選擇這些網站（“這是我的習慣”并不是一個理由）。

40.以終為始

這是我從《高效能人士的七個習慣(The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)》（游戲邦注：美國史蒂芬﹒柯維著所著）中學習到的一個道理。揣摩自己在完成任務后會有何想法，如此你有可能變得更加有效率。

41.不要再觀看體育比賽

觀看體育比賽意味著你需要投入大把的時間。醒醒吧人類。高爾夫球也只是一些人在一個場地里打擊著一顆小小的球而獲得報酬罷了。這么看來，觀看體育比賽還能說是你合理利用時間的手段么？

42.別在浪費其他人的時間

想要別人怎么對待你，你就需要怎么對待別人。不要總是打擾其他人并浪費他們的時間，如此他們也不會浪費你的時間了。

43.準時

開會遲到的習慣（如果你養成了這種習慣，你同樣也需要養成如何解釋遲到原因的習慣）將給他人造成困擾。開會遲到不僅意味著團隊共事的時間減少了，同時也表示你一天的時間工作時間也少了很多。

44.不要耽擱任何小任務

如果別人讓你花費1分鐘（或者30秒或3分鐘等短時間）進行一項小任務，不要耽擱，立刻執行。因為把一項小任務往后推遲，你將必須花費比現在更多的時間去完成它。

45.獲取快速的網絡連接

如果你投入了更多錢于網絡連接中，那么你將能夠更快地進行網站訪問，更快地加載電子郵件，信息源等等。網絡在你的工作中扮演著極其重要的角色，所以盡可能地獲取最快速的網絡連接。

46.工作的時候不要打開你的即時通信軟件（如QQ，Skype等）

或者你必須確保其他人不會影響你的工作。

47.別再玩網絡游戲

雖然網絡游戲很有趣，但是它們卻不能為你的高效工作提供任何幫助。

48.別再看網絡視頻

與網絡游戲一樣，網絡視頻只會浪費你的時間。

49.隨身攜帶MP3

隨身攜帶MP3，聽聽信息產品的相關內容（不包括音樂）將能讓你在執行任務的同時了解到更多知識（從清理電腦桌面到整理磁盤等）。但是這么做也要適度。只有當你在執行一些簡單且無需投入太多注意力的任務時才能這么做。

50.適當減壓

壓力并不能幫助你更有效地進行工作，相反地，它還會牽制你的工作。你可以通過冥想，休息，閱讀關于“禪宗”等書籍而緩解壓力。

51.專注于完成任務

如果得到了一長串的任務安排也不要太過焦慮，再多的焦慮也不會讓你的工作量有所減少。相反地，你應該更加專注于如何完成任務，并想想你已經完成多少任務了。

52.打盹

如果你能在下午3點左右打盹30分鐘，那么這對你一整天的工作效率將很有幫助。試試看你需要睡多長時間才能恢復精神，有些人只需要15分鐘，但是有些人卻需要45分鐘。

53.擺脫那些無意義的任務

有些任務可能不再有意義了，那么就立刻擺脫它們吧！

54.把任務細分為一些易操作的行動項目

有些人給自己安排了諸如“創造一個新產品”或者“寫一本新書”等任務。但是這些只能作為目標而不能當成特定的任務。你必須確保你的任務在力所能及之內，并且自己清楚如何做才能完成它。

55.不要再高估自己的工作任務

一些人總是認為自己不能按時完成任務，而一些人則認為應該高估自己所接到的各種任務。我建議你們把任務細分為一些小項目。如果你雙倍高估了任務，那么有可能導致你為自己規劃出更多的工作項目。

56.規劃一些戶外工作

最好的靈感并非來自你的電腦屏幕。帶著你的記事本出去走走，并更好地規劃你的工作。

57.學習更快地打字

快速的打字員能夠在相同的時間內往電腦里輸入更多內容。

58.在某一時刻停止規劃

在某個時候你應該停止規劃而開始著手進行工作。規劃者通常都是最糟糕的拖延者。

59.開始規劃（如果你之前并未嘗試過）

上一要點適用于那些滿腹觀點卻缺乏實踐的人。如果你的工作需要你規劃更多的任務，那么你便適用于這一點。雖然花點時間進行規劃是合理的，但是有時候你也需要考慮下第58個要點的內容。

60.少看一些沒有用的東西

喜歡閱讀的人不會意識到自己花費了多少時間在閱讀一些沒有實際意義的“戰略信息”。如果你認為閱讀700種提高生產效率指南能夠幫助你更有效地進行工作，那么你便需要三思了。挑選一些較好的書，少看那些沒有意義的東西。

61.購買一臺合適的電腦

多投入5百或1千美元于電器中，而獲得更快的操作時間是值得的。花更多的錢去為你的CPU提速，你也能因此賺的更多利益。這不僅能夠加快裝載時間，也能夠為你節省不少等待的時間。

62.警惕好奇害死貓

你也許會處于好奇心而去點擊一些鏈接，我們應該正視這個問題。因為你很有可能因此進入一些無聊的網站而浪費了你大把的時間。

63.多做一些重要的事

有些人總是想要盡可能地多做一些事，這是一種重數量不重質量的行為。無謂地做一些不能幫助你達成目標的事只能是浪費時間。反而你可以少做一些事，并側重于做那些重要的事。

64.放手

人們總喜歡握有控制權，而這么做卻讓他們不得不自食其力地完成很多任務。要想完成走得更遠，你就必須學會下放任務（牢記要點19所提到的內容）。

65.不要購買價廉質次的產品

本來想命名為“不要購買垃圾產品”，后來改成了廉價產品。讓我們正視這一問題。如果你需要在工作時間一直使用電腦，那么就應該購買一些像樣點的硬件和軟件。購買一臺不堵紙的打印機。購買質量較好的軟件，不要受到便宜軟件的誘導。要知道，價格與質量通常是成正比的。

66.想想什么對你來說才是有用的

如果你沒有停歇地從第一點看到了這里，那么我建議你可以停下來休息一會了。是否看了這個列表你就可以正確執行每一項任務了？這些要點是否對你有幫助？如果看了這么多要點你還是沒有掌握相關要領，我認為你可以就此打住別往下看了。如果你發現了一些有價值的信息，那么就繼續看下去，或者你也可以將這個頁面打印下來方便以后使用。

67.避免事必躬親的管理方式

一些團隊的領導人喜歡對團隊成員進行大小事情都要親自過問的微觀管理方式。如果是單純的指導便不成問題，但是時時刻刻盯著成員做事那就不妥了。微觀管理意味著在一項任務中至少有一名成員是專門在觀察并操控任務的執行。

68.少說話

少說話，但是說的每一句話都是有意義的。在會議上有些人總是想盡辦法提高音量讓大家聽清楚。但是之前你必須想清楚自己要說些什么。因為并非你所提出的建議都是有意義的，所以你還是少說點為妙。

70.在家上班

如果可能的話就在家里上班，因為這能每天讓你多出30分鐘的工作時間（因為你可以省去每天來回于公司間的路途行程）。

71.選擇適當的交通工具

如果你必須去公司上班，那么就需要想想那種交通工具比你現在所使用的更加方便。也許公交車或者自行車都比你現在所使用的交通工具更快捷。

72.不要休息太長時間

30或60分鐘的長時間休息將會影響你的工作時間。休息可以，但是不要花費太多不必要的時間。一般5至15分鐘便可。

73.確保工作室的室溫正常

氣溫太低的話你的手指便不能正常工作了，而太熱的話你的腦袋也不能正常運行了。

74.自動化日常工作

如果你有一些每天都必須進行的日常工作，那么可以考慮將它們自動化。

75.不要在不相干的論壇上游蕩浪費時間

嚴肅來講，你是否真的有時間耗費在那些不相干的論壇上瀏覽一些無意義的內容。選擇一些對你有幫助的論壇，不要再流連于那些無意義的論壇。

76.掌握快速瀏覽的方法

略讀，預覽索引，跳過不重要的段落等等，這些都能為你節省不少時間。

77.尋求幫助

有些人總是不喜歡向他人尋求幫助。但是有時候他人的幫助卻是很有意義的。畢竟，比起固執己見，完成任務更加重要不是么？當你遇到困難時不要害怕，勇敢地向他人尋求幫助吧！

78.為將要執行的任務設定一個過程

設定一個嚴格的過程將能幫助你更好地執行任務。我們假設你的團隊成員總是向你尋求幫助。不要讓他們養成一遇到問題就問你的壞習慣，而是（1）首先在指南中尋求答案，（2）咨詢團隊領導，（3）如果還不理解再請求你幫忙。

79.懶人就更加需要努力工作

我發現如果你想真正地偷懶，就更應該在一開始便努力工作。如果你希望自己能夠隨時懶洋洋地躺在沙發上，那么你真的應該從現在開始努力工作了。努力工作就像是把錢投資在銀行里：它會為你支付利息。如果你現在努力工作，那么以后就可以不用這么辛苦了。而如果你現在老是想著偷懶，那么以后可有的你受了。

80.安裝第三方實時通訊系統

我發現很多企業家都在嘗試著建立自己的實時通訊發送系統。在遇到可以花錢購買的第三方系統之前（如aweber），這些公司一直在嘗試各種解決方法。浪費時間去設計那些可以輕松購買到的系統真的很不值。

81.快速行走

走路不要慢吞吞的，如果你能快速行走，那么每天至少可以節省5分鐘的時間，換算成1年便是30個小時！

但是駕車時就不要這么做了。因為超速駕車將會讓你得到警察開的罚單和一大筆的醫院賬單。

82.你的選擇會決定你的命運

讓我們正視這一問題。如果你的電腦桌面上堆積了一大堆任務——那也都是受你之前所做的決策促使的。如果你忙到不可開交只剩下照鏡子的時間了，那么你就可以毫無顧忌地創造一個屬于自己的新未來了，你可以減輕自己的工作量，挪出更多時間做一些重要的事。

83.購買一本筆記本

比起在桌角貼滿便利貼，準備一本能讓你記錄下各種重要事件的筆記本更好。雖然將各種事件記錄在電腦的硬盤驅動器也可以，但是問題就在于你不可能會隨身攜帶著自己的電腦。同時你還不能將自己的備忘錄遺落在家里或公司等地方，最好能將它們放在自己能夠輕松找到的位置。

84.學會記錄

困擾一些事情的同時也會耗損我們的精力。如果出現了一些“你需要記住”的事，那么就將其記錄下來。讓那些困擾你的瑣事待在筆記本里，那么你就不需要勞心分神地去担憂它們了。

85.首先處理最厭煩的任務

肯定有一些不是很重要但是卻需要你費神的任務存在。如果你每天都在担心這些瑣事，那么這將會嚴重影響你的工作效率。最好的方法便是，你可以在這些瑣事影響到你之前完成它們。完成了這些讓人厭煩的任務你將能夠留出更多精力去做其它工作。

86.為自己安排一些驚喜

我們經常會將整個任務安排表寫得滿滿的。但是有時候也會出現一些新的任務攪亂你的行程安排。所以，為了避免這種風險，你最好在安排表中給自己留點喘息的空間。如果有空余時間再考慮給自己添加新任務。

87.專注于結果

有些人總是認為一定有一些特定的行動步驟能夠幫助他們完成任務。很多人總是關注于自己做了些什么，但是實際上，他們更應該關注于他們能從中獲得什么。就像誰會去關心電話是怎么運作的呢，只要它能用來打電話就好了。

88.每日和每周的關注焦點

每天花兩個小時或者更多時間于工作任務上很容易。有的人會認為三天中每天花費2個小時完成3件不同的事根本不成問題。事實上，如果每天能花費6個小時于工作上，我們將能獲得更多成效。所以，把注意力從單純的任務中轉變到每日任務（或者每周，每月），你將能從中有所收獲。

89.讓事情變得簡單

復雜繁瑣的事只會浪費你的時間。如果你覺得任務很復雜的話，那么它將會耽擱你大把的時間。如果你的備忘錄不能告訴你如何去執行這些任務，那么你也會因此損耗掉大量的時間。

90.廁所是你的朋友

廁所是你閱讀的最佳場所。但是你需要確保不會把書本弄臟，這真的是一個安靜適合閱讀的地方。

91.回答這個問題：你想獲得什么？

如果你連自己想要獲得什么都不知道的話，那么你將很難有所成就。這是一個很簡單的問題，能夠幫助你提高生產效率：所以你需要明確自己的目標到底是什么。

92.不要輕易激動

受到一點激勵或者在一周時間里做出一些驚人的成績都不會對你有太大的幫助。比起快速奔跑者，你更應該成為一名長途奔跑者。在工作中你可以放慢速度，但是你卻要保證這樣做能讓你走得更遠。快速奔跑者在跑了100米后便會感到疲倦，孰不知你的目標可是10英里！

93.暫且將靈感擱置1周

人們很容易因為一些事情而激動大受鼓舞，但是在1周后這種感覺便會慢慢變淡。為了解決這個問題，你可以耐住沖動，暫且將你的靈感擱置1周。1周后再看看自己的積極性還在不在，并且判斷這個靈感是否還有價值，如果答案還是肯定的，那你就可以繼續你的工作了。

94.想想“只剩下幾步了”

如果你即將靠近終點，那么你可以提醒自己只剩下一些工作就可以獲得成功了。試看看，只要你用心去做，你便能取得成功。

95.學習，學習再學習

有些人只會一個勁地往前沖，卻不去思考他們過去都做了什么。如果你能在前進過程中停下來思考下自己去年或者上個月都了什么，都將對你未來的工作很有幫助。留些時間去學習過去，將會為你的未來制造出更多高效的時間。

96.放手一搏

我們在嘗試一些新任務時總會有所担心，担心結果是好是壞，担心會不會有悖于自己的想法等等。而這些總總的担心將會束縛我們的行動，所以，何不放心一搏呢？不要老是想出一大堆借口而不敢嘗試。勇敢你去做一些新的挑戰，如果結果不如意–但是至少你從中知道這么做是不對的，并且也能夠再繼續嘗試其它新任務。

97.備份

有些人認為做備份將耗費日常開支，并且需要投入大把的精力。好吧，既然這么說，我想問問如果你電腦的硬盤驅動器崩潰了，而所有資料都不見了，你要如何解決這一可怕的情況？

98.使用對你有幫助的工具

蘋果用戶：我在要點28中所說的都是開玩笑。關鍵是我們必須使用那些對我們的工作有幫助的工具。人們的喜好不同，有些人喜歡Mac，而有些人偏好于個人電腦。根據你的需要做出最合適的選擇。

99.不要使用蠻力

在穴居人生活的石器時代里，力氣就是人們得以生存的必要手段。但是在當今社會，所謂的“生存規則”發生了巨大的變化。如果你總是強制地用自己的方法與他人競爭，那么你將會深陷于自己挖出來的洞坑里。最好的方法便是學會靈活應對并適應各種情況。和平的應對方法將能讓你的工作更有成效，所以讓我們無視星際大戰這種硬碰硬的手段吧。

100.不要再看這種列表了

也許你現在會想“我已經得到了一些很有幫助的要點了”。但是如果你繼續毫無止境地尋找更多類似的要點，那也不會對你的工作有太大幫助。要點24，32和91便包含了你需要的所有內容。

（本文為游戲邦/gamerboom.com編譯，如需轉載請聯系：游戲邦）

100 Ways To Be More Productive

By Juuso

Every once in a while I heard people saying how busy they are, and how little time they have. There are busy managers, producers, leaders, entrepreneurs, workers. Everybody seems to be busy. I compiled a list of 100 items that can help you get more productive hours. Check this long list, and perhaps you’ll get some ideas on how to become more productive.

#1 – Less is more

Don’t get more and more work. Don’t think that you can finish “one more task” when you’ve already behind your deadline. Just pick the tasks that you really need to do, and don’t try to do more than it’s possible.

#2 – Desktop wallpaper

Get yourself a motivating wallpaper – something that reminds you what you should be doing.

#3 – Use pen & paper

I’ve never encountered a “blue screen” and never lost anything because pen & paper would stop functioning (well, once my dog eat some concepts but I assure you that doesn’t happen often). Use them more in your work.

#4 – Get rid of fancy, pocket sized, high-technology toys that are labeled to “save your time”

There’s some features fancy gadgets have that I don’t like much. Fancy gadgets jam, get lost, require skills, have too tiny buttons to name but a few things. Get rid of them. Any pocket-sized thing that has more colors than 2 (black and white preferrably) is probably a high-tech gadget you won’t need.

#5 – Watch television after finishing something

No tasks done, no watching television. That’s the rule of thumb that will save you more time than you need.

#6 – Outsource your email

Not perhaps the greatest idea for everybody, but you can save time by screening somebody to get through useless mail you get. Your assistant can also help you on routine tasks, thus saving your time for more productive matters. In today’s global world you can get yourself a virtual assistant to help you out.

#7 – Get proper spam protection

Junk mail eats your time. Certainly you can spend couple of bucks to get a good spam protection. Think it as a very good investments.

#8 – Remember what Treebeard the ent said

Treebeard said to the little hobbits: “Don’t be hasty”. That should be your motto too in case you plan to get something done.

#9 – Don’t do things half-way

If you intend to finish tasks, don’t think the right way to do that is to do “little bit everything”.

#10 – Don’t postpone decision making

I’ve seen too many people worrying making a bad decision. They think that they might make a mistake if they decide. Here’s the news: yeh, that might happen – so what? Just decide something, and if it doesn’t work out then you are free to decide something else in the future.

#11 – Don’t keep asking “Am I making the most of my time right now?”

You shouldn’t worry about that sort to stuff if you follow the next tip.

#12 – Use the new way to prioritize your work

It’s quite common that people prioritize their work by using letters “A-E” depending how important tasks are. Some use “1-5″ (or “green/yellow/red”) priorities. My suggestion is: don’t do that. Instead, compile a list. The topmost item is your first priority. When that’s done, move to the item next on the list. This will force you to see what’s the most important task right now.

#13 – breaks, breaks, breaks!

Go out if possible – fresh air is something you don’t breath inside buildings.

#14 – No coffee breaks

Skip the coffee, and teach your body to survive without this modern day drug.

#15 – Lock the room where you work

Keep dogs, rats, children and other family members away from your home office, that helps you stay focused on your work without interruptions. Improve the efficiency by listening to music loud enough.

Notice: You still need to ensure there’s somebody to watch what the kids do. After all, you don’t want to end your day and notice that your home has burned, do you?

#16 – Now as I think, that previous tip works also at typical offices too

Locking your co-workers from wasting your time sounds even better idea, don’t you agree?

#17 – Vacation!

After locking your family out you need to show that you still want to spend time with them too. A vacation is a great tool for that, not to mention you get to charge your batteries.

#18 – Let people call twice before answering

Most of the calls are time wasters anyway, right? If people have really important stuff to tell, I’m sure they can call you again.

Ignore this tip if the caller is a customer.

#19 – Just say no

Most people accept anything by default. Stop being responsible for everything and just say no. There’s no need to be rude, and make sure you look like somebody who does only the work that’s necessary. The goal is to do the work that’s important.

Combine this with the previous tip and you’ve reached a heck of a level in productivity.

#20 – Keep whiners far away

Whiners and complainers are such a disease that they can bring down any team’s motivation. Don’t let yourself be dragged into conversation with complainers.

#21 – Put a deadline

Deadlines aren’t the answer to every solution, but sometimes they might work very well. Try setting some deadlines for yourself and see how they work for you.

#22 – The beer reward (K18)

After completing some major milestone, reward yourself with something you enjoy. Anything from ice cream to beer is fine (kids should use pizza or soda instead).

#23 – Remember limits

The previous beer reward doesn’t mean you have a case of beer with you every time you go to work… but you can drink that one bottle after beating the tough deadline that you finished well.

#24 – Just do it

That’s where the bottom line eventually is: at some point you simply have to do those important tasks that help you get where you want. There’s really no shortcuts.

#25 – Guard the time on meetings

Somebody has to be the timekeeper, so it might be as well you. Make sure meetings start and end on time. If there’s not enough time, make sure you have less issues to discuss the next time.

#26 – Take the “Ultimate test on How Organized Are You”

It takes just a few seconds to finish and will tell if you need to get organized to save time.

#27 – Don’t launch your Internet browser before midday

That will save you half of the day to actually do something useful.

#28 – stop using Mac

Everybody knows that Mac (and Leopard) is something where you wait to see beautiful applications running slowly. Truly productive people use PC where speed is the essence, that’s something we all know.

#29 – Stop being so offended if somebody insults you using Mac

If you keep taking flame baits, then you really must realize it just wastes everybody’s time.

Remark: Please see also tip #98

#30 – Start outdoor activities

Walking outdoors, jogging, running – all these are good activities that help get you in better shape. Good health means more productive hours.

#31 – Test working only 4 hours per day

Try this for one week, and you’ll immediately see how you simply have to boost your productivity. Suddenly you might get anything from 25-50% more work done, yet spending less hours. Try it for one week, or just for couple of days to see how well this tactic can work.

#32 – Stop finding clues for motivation

If you aren’t motivated to work, then you aren’t doing the right work. Start doing more stuff that are naturally fun to do. Soon you’ll notice that you don’t need to do much to motivate yourself, now the motivation comes from inside.

#33 – Money rewards

Bonuses might work in some cases. Not perhaps long-term, but at least for shot term. Instead of buying that nice new television you’ve dreamed of, you could make it so that it’s a gift for you if you find ways to work more productive hours.

#34 – Don’t bring work to home

Keep your hours in around 40 (or less, see tip #31) and don’t bring more work to your home. If you think you have too big workload, then use the tip #19.

#35 – Do more than asked

The least motivated employees do the absolute minimum that’s required, and spend rest of their time whining. If that’s the case then you should get yourself busy schedule, and then do even more than what’s asked. This doesn’t mean that you should still do more hours than others (see the previous tip), it simply means that you do more productive hours – and cut the chit chat.

#36 – Stop doing annual performance reviews if…

… all you do is blame others and point where they did something wrong. If there’s one thing to learn from the dogs, it’s the fact that dogs do anything for treats – and same goes with people too.

#37 – Kill 80% of your RSS feeds

The 80% of your current RSS feeds are just waste of time. Get rid of them (or put them in such place where you cannot find them), and keep the top 20%.

#38 – Stop reading news

They are timewasters, and really won’t bring much to you. When was the last time you heard something useful from a news site?

#39 – Okay, you can keep reading one or two news sites

For some people news sites can be beneficial, but often they don’t boost your productivity. It’s okay to have one or two news sites, but make sure you have a clear idea and a good reason why you are reading those sites (“Because I’m used to reading them” is not a good reason.)

#40 – Begin with the End in Mind

This one I learned from the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Think about how you will feel after the work is done, and you can become more productive.

#41 – Stop watching sports

That’s something where you can put countless of hours. Wake up people. Golf is something where adult people hit tiny ball around a field, and get paid well. Is watching that really most productive ways to use your time?

#42 – Stop wasting other people’s time

Do unto others as you would expect they should do unto you. Stop wasting other people’s time by bothering them all the time. That way they’ll stop wasting you.

Maybe.

#43 – Be on time

The habit of being late from meetings (yes, it’s a habit you develop – along with the talent to come up with the excuses why you were late) is killer for everybody else. Being late from meetings means less time for efficient working as a group – and adds up towards the end of the day.

#44 – Don’t postpone small (and important) tasks

If some people ask you to do something that takes 1 minute your time (or 30 seconds or 3 minutes, or something very little) then don’t postpone doing that task. It takes more time to put that task on your future todo list than it is to do right now.

#45 – Get a faster Internet connection

If you spend couple of more bucks than you are currently paying for your Internet, then the sites you visit load faster. Your emails load faster. Your RSS feeds load faster. If Internet plays a big role in your work, then why not get a decent connection?

#46 – Don’t launch instant messaging software until end of the day

Or you can rest assured that people will try to keep you from doing any work.

#47 – Stop playing online games

As fun as they can be, they really don’t bring any productive hours.

#48 – Same goes with the online videos too

Like previous tip, online videos can waste lots of your time.

#49 – Get yourself an MP3 player

Getting an MP3 player and listening to information products (music doesn’t count) can help you learn something while doing some routine tasks (anything from cleaning your desktop to doing the dishes). Don’t go overboard with this though. The point is to listen audio when you are doing something simple tasks that require very little of your attention.

#50 – Reduce stress

Stress doesn’t bring you more productive hours, quite on the contrary. Meditate, relax, read a book about Zen and take it little easier.

#51 – Focus on the completed tasks

Don’t worry if you have a big list of tasks to do. The list won’t get any smaller by worrying. Instead, concentrate the completed tasks and think how much you’ve already achieved.

#52 – Take naps

If you can take a nap that lasts 30 minutes around 3 pm, you can bring more efficient hours in one day. Experiment what times and length of nap fits for you. For some people 15 minutes (or 45 minutes) can be a better choice.

#53 – Get rid of tasks you won’t do

There might be tasks that aren’t useful anymore, so get rid of them. Eliminate them from your task list right away.

#54 – Break your tasks into manageable action items

Some people schedule tasks such as “create a new product” or “write a book”. These should be listed as goals or objectives, not specific tasks. Make sure your tasks are small enough that you always have a clear idea about what to do.

#55 – Stop doubling or tripling your work estimates

Some people think that tasks are never done on time. Some people suggest to add 100% more buffer to your estimates. I recommend splitting the task into a smaller one. Doubling your estimates suggests that you are taking really wild guesses on how something goes – and might lead to planning to much work.

#56 – Plan (some of) your work outdoors

Best ideas don’t come in front of your computer screen. Go out, take your note pad with you and plan your work there.

#57 – Learn to type faster

Fast typers get more stuff written on computer.

#58 – Stop planning (at some point)

At some point you gotta stop planning and start doing. Planners are the worst procrastinators.

#59 – Start planning (if you’ve never done it before)

The previous tip applies if you are a guy who gets lots of ideas, but lack execution. Some people might benefit if only they would plan more of their work. Spending some time to plan your work is fine, but at some point you need to remember tip #58

#60 – Read less (useless stuff)

People who enjoy reading a lot might not realize how much time they are spending reading “strategical information” that has no practical use. If you think that reading seven hundred different productivity guides will make you more productive, think again. Just pick couple of good books and read less useless stuff.

#61 – Buy a proper computer

Spending an extra $500 or $1000 for a machine that is supposed to be fast every day is money well spent. Spend little more to get faster CPU and more memory. It will speed up loading times, and save your time.

Plus, you get to play nicer video games.

#62 – Don’t let the curiosity kill the cat

Okay, there are some interesting links you just have to click, but let’s face it. If you go to some stupid website just for curiosity, chances are you will waste your time.

Stop that.

#63 – Do more what’s important

Some people are busy doing as many things as possible. These guys are after a quantity. Doing lots of tasks that doesn’t get you to your goal is waste of time. Instead of doing more tasks, try do few – but important tasks.

#64 – Let go

Control. People want control. Some people want control so badly that they just need to do everything by themselves. Learning to delegate some tasks (and remembering tip #19 too) goes a long way.

#65 – Don’t buy cheap

I could have named this “don’t buy crap”, but I decided to use the word cheap. Let’s face it. If you are using your computer most of your working hours, then wouldn’t it make sense to buy decent hardware and software? Buy a proper printer that doesn’t jam papers. Get some good software, and don’t always go just what’s the cheapest option. Cheap and quality won’t often meet.

#66 – Think what’s useful for you

If you’ve read this far without breaks… then I really recommend you stop now for a few seconds. Is reading this list really something you can apply right away? Does these tips bring you any value? If you’ve got this far without getting anything, then I think it’s better stop reading. If you found the info valuable, then feel free to go on – or print this page for later use.

#67 – Avoid micro-managing

Some team leads have the tendency to micro manage their team members. Giving guidance is okay, watching every action not. Micromanaging means there’s at least one too many doing the task.

#68 – Say less

Say less, but with a meaning. There are people in meetings who seem to make sure their voice gets heard. What if you’d take the approach that you think before you say something. Not everything you are going to suggest is relevant, so you might as well say less.

#70 – Work from home
If possible, do some work from home. This can give you extra 30 minutes every day, that would otherwise be spent on getting to the workplace.

#71 – Plan your transportation

If you must go to your workplace, then consider alternatives for your current transportation. Perhaps a bus or a bicycle could be faster option that whatever you are currently using.

#72 – Don’t take long breaks

30 minutes or 60 minutes long breaks can easily kill productive hours. Have breaks, but don’t let them slip longer than necessary. Sometimes 5 or 15 minute breaks can be sufficient.

#73 – Make sure the room temperature is for humans

When it’s freezing cold, your fingers won’t work. When it’s too darn hot, your brain won’t work.

#74 – Automate routine work

If you have some routine work that you need to do every day, then you might want to consider automating those tasks.

#75 – Stop wasting time posting at irrelevant forums

Seriously, do you really have time to get as many posts as possible in irrelevant discussion forums? Go to places that give you something, and stop visiting some forums.

#76 – Learn to read faster

Skimming, checking only the index, skipping paragraphs. All these can save hours for you.

#77 – Ask for help

Some people are too stubborn to ask for help. You know what, sometimes asking might be worth it. After all, do you want to be stubborn or get things done? Don’t be afraid to ask help if you get stuck.

#78 – Set a process for doing stuff

There are certain routines, certain tasks that need can benefit from having a strict process they go through. For example, let’s suppose your team members are always asking you for help. Instead of making a habit telling everybody to ask you first, perhaps you could get people to (1) first check out the manuals, (2) then consult team leads and (3) after that consult you in case there’s a problem with the project.

#79 – The laziest people need to work hard

It’s quite tricky, but I’ve noticed that if you want to be really lazy – you gotta start working hard. If you want to be lazy and lie on your sofa when you want, you really need to start working hard now. Working hard now is like putting money in the bank: it pays interest. If you work hard now, you won’t need to work that hard later. If you are lazy now, rest assured you need to work for long.

#80 – Get automated 3rd newsletter system

I’ve seen entrepreneurs trying to set up their own newsletter sending systems. They spend ages finding proper solutions, when they could spend a few bucks and get a reliable third party system like aweber. No point wasting time programming something that can be so easily purchased.

#81 – Walk faster

Instead of walking slow, you can think about walking faster. If you save 5 minutes per day by walking bit faster, you would be saving 30 hours in one year.

Don’t try this if you drive a car. That just gets you speeding tickets and a big hospital bill.

#82 – You get what you choose to get

Let’s face it. If you have lots of stuff piling on your desktop – that’s because you’ve made such decisions in the past that created your current situation. If you are busy, then the only place to look is to a mirror. The good news is that since you created the current situation, you are free to create a new future where your workload is lighter and you have more time to do what’s important.

#83 – Buy a notepad

Instead of having thousand and one post-it notes, get yourself a notepad where you start putting important stuff. File in your computer hard drive is okay, but then you have the problem that you might not always have the computer at hand. Just make sure you don’t scatter all your todo notes all over your home or work. Put them in proper place where you can actually find them when needed.

#84 – Write things down

It consumes your energy if there are things that bug you. If there’s something “you need to remember”, then simply write it down. That way it stays on your notepad and your energy won’t be needed to remember the task.

#85 – Deal with the the ugly tasks first

There might be some tasks that might not be the most important for reaching your goals, but consume your energy just by existing. If there are some things you worry daily, then it impacts your productivity. It’s better to do these ugly tasks before they consume you too much. By getting these ugly tasks completed, you’ll get more energy to do other tasks.

#86 – Schedule for surprises

It’s easy to fill your calendar 100% with all kinds of tasks. Then something additional tasks come and mess up the week. To avoid this risk, consider leaving some breathing room in your calendar. You can always take additional tasks if time permits.

#87 – Focus in the results

Some people think that there are specific action steps that one must take to finish certain tasks. Some people pay too much attention on how something is done when in reality they should focus on the outcome. After all, who cares how cell phones work as long as you can make calls.

#88 – Daily and weekly focus

It’s easy to do two hours this, two hours that and two hours something else. One could think that it doesn’t matter if they do three different things, and spend 2 hours per day for three days. In reality, more will be achieved if each task gets 6 hours per day. Changing your attention from task to task daily (or sometimes even weekly – or monthly) has an overhead.

#89 – Make it simple

Complexity can waste your time. If finding your task is complex, you’ll lose time. If your todo list isn’t easily telling you what you need to do, it’s time lost.

#90 – Toilet is your friend

They are great places to read books. Sure, you need to make sure that the book pages don’t get dirty and all that but overall they make a great peaceful place to learn.

Besides, you never get into trouble even if you run out of toilet paper when you have a 300 pages long book with you…

#91 – Answer this question: where you want to go?

It’s pretty hard to get anywhere if you don’t even know where you want to go. Answering to this simple question will help you become more productive than ever: make it really clear you know where you are aiming.

#92 – Don’t get too excited

Getting a spike of motivation and doing something super productive for one week is not going to help you. Instead of trying to be fast runner you should become a long distance runner. You might go little slower, but that’s the way to get somewhere far. Fast runners get tired after 100 meters, and you are aiming for 10 miles.

#93 – Let your idea rest for a week

There are people who get excited (see tip #92) for something and then week later they don’t feel like motivated to continue. To solve this problem, resist the urge to start your fancy idea for one week. After the week is over – check out how motivated you are and think how good the idea feels now. If it still feels good, feel free to proceed.

#94 – Think “only these few steps to go”

If you are near the end, then a fine way to motivate yourself is to remind that there’s only very little work left – and you are almost there. Just think about this and remind yourself that the work is done in no time if you put your mind to it.

#95 – Learn, learn, learn

Some people go forward without thinking what they did in the past. If you stop and reflect a bit what you did last year or last month, you might get some ideas to boost your productivity in the future. Take some time to learn from the past, that will give you more productive hours in the future.

#96 – Just give it a go

Sometimes you might fear what might happen when you try something new. You might worry whether it turns out well or like you planned. Here’s the thing: just give it a go. Some people can come up with lots of excuses, and never try anything. Just try something new, and if it doesn’t work out – at least you’ve learned what isn’t working and are free to try something else.

#97 – Backup

Some people believe that making backups is an overhead, and requires too much effort. Well, do you have any idea how much effort it requires to get everything back if your computer hard drive crashes and wipes out everything you’ve got there?

#98 – Use what works for you

Apple users: I was really just kidding there on tip #28. The key is to use the tools that work for you. There are different people. Others prefer Mac, others prefer PC. Use what fits your needs.

#99 – Don’t use the force, Luke

There was once a time period where use of force was essential to survive. That was when the cave men existed. Today, the rules have changed a bit. If you try to force your own way – you are really just digging yourself a deep hole. A better idea is to be flexible and adapt in situations. Soft way can sometimes get people to work more effectively, so forget Star Wars.

#100 – Stop reading lists like these

You might be thinking that “now you have got some great tips”, but that does little good if you continue hunting more and more tips. The tips #24, #32 and #91 contain everything that you really need. （source:gameproducer）

http://www.gameproducer.net/2008/01/12/100-ways-to-be-more-productive/