Let’s cut the crap.
If one more article tells me to “wake up earlier” or “drink more water,” I might short-circuit.
I’m not here to preach theory. I’ve lived the startup life—20-hour days, 47 Slack notifications per minute, and the emotional weight of trying to be both visionary and janitor. If you’re anything like me, you don’t need more noise. You need clarity. Systems that respect your time. And strategies that don’t collapse the second real life kicks in.
This is for the doers. The founders. The forever-on-the-move entrepreneurs who still believe there’s a better way to get stuff done—without burning out.
Prioritize with the 80/20 Rule
80% of your outcomes come from 20% of your actions. Brutal but liberating.
When I first tracked my tasks, I realized I was spending hours polishing low-impact projects just to feel productive. Meanwhile, the high-stakes stuff? Sat in limbo.
Here’s the move:
List every task for the week. Now circle the ones that:
- Directly generate revenue
- Move a project toward completion
- Remove recurring headaches
Eliminate or delegate the rest. Seriously.
I use the Eisenhower Matrix weekly. If it’s not urgent and important, it’s either scheduled or trashed.
Master Time Blocking
Time blocking saved my brain from spontaneous combustion.
Rather than reacting all day, I now assign blocks to every major function: deep work, calls, admin, food (yes, even that), and breaks.
Sample Time Block Layout (Monday):
- 8:00–10:00 – Deep Work (strategy or creation)
- 10:00–11:00 – Admin / Emails
- 11:00–1:00 – Client / Team Meetings
- 1:00–2:00 – Lunch + walk
- 2:00–4:00 – Execution (tasks or delivery)
- 4:00–5:00 – Misc + Review
Tools I swear by:
- Google Calendar (color-coded blocks)
- Sunsama (daily planning interface)
- Notion (for linking goals to calendar)
Use the Two-Minute Rule
Stolen from David Allen’s Getting Things Done—but this one’s gold.
The rule: If a task takes <2 minutes, do it now. No planning. No batching. Just obliterate it.
Examples:
- Replying to that “just checking in” email
- Scheduling a dentist appointment
- Forwarding a file
You don’t need a task manager for everything. Some things just need to vanish.
Leverage Productivity Tools & Automation
Look, I’m not a tool junkie. But the right ones? Game-changers (wait—can’t say that. Let’s go with: “sanity-preservers”).
Here are the only three I consistently recommend:
- ClickUp – Project management without the fluff
- Zapier – Automate repetitive junk like form submissions to Slack or Gmail
- Motion – Auto-schedules your tasks into available time slots
And if your inbox looks like a nuclear wasteland:
- SaneBox
- Gmail filters
- Canned responses + auto-responders
Use tech to do the thinking you shouldn’t have to.
Build a Morning Routine That Sets the Tone
Let me tell you a secret: I don’t check my phone for the first hour of my day.
You think that’s discipline? Nah. It’s self-defense.
Here’s my morning stack:
- 6:30 – Wake
- 6:45 – Stretch / breathwork
- 7:00 – 10-min meditation (Headspace)
- 7:15 – Journaling (3 lines. That’s it.)
- 7:30 – Prioritize top 3 goals
- 8:00 – Work block starts
Want to win the day? Start before the chaos.
Even 15 minutes of intentional morning time beats an hour of chaotic reacting.
Eliminate Distractions and Protect Your Focus
This section should come with a trigger warning for phone addicts.
Try these tactics:
- Pomodoro (25/5 sprints) + Focus Keeper
- Noise-canceling headphones + brown noise
- App blockers (Freedom, Cold Turkey, StayFocusd)
- Single-tasking (yes, it’s a thing)
I also use a “Do Not Disturb” sign on Slack. No joke.
You are not a notification machine. You are a builder. So act like one.
Delegate and Outsource Strategically
You are not the bottleneck… unless you make yourself one.
When I finally outsourced my first blog layout, I realized something: my standards weren’t that special. Other people can do 80% of what you do—just give them clear instructions and deadlines.
Try:
- Upwork – for one-offs
- Fiverr – for fast, cheap creative
- Virtual Assistants – for recurring stuff like inbox management or data entry
Free your mind for thinking, not formatting.
Curious about building your first Online Business from Scratch? Start by not doing it all yourself.
Set SMART Goals and Review Weekly
I’ve wasted more hours chasing fuzzy goals than I care to admit.
Use the SMART method:
- Specific – Not “grow business,” but “get 5 new clients”
- Measurable – Know when it’s done
- Achievable – Stretch, but not delusional
- Relevant – Align with big vision
- Time-bound – Deadline. Always.
Sunday ritual: I review my week:
- What worked?
- What failed?
- What’s one small win I want next week?
This isn’t fluff. This is how you self-correct.
Conclusion
Let’s be real. You’re not going to implement everything from this list today.
But you can do one thing.
Block off 20 minutes right now. No meetings. Pick the ONE hack that spoke to you the most—and make it real.
Your future self (the one with time to breathe) will thank you.
FAQs:
1. What’s the quickest productivity hack I can apply today?
Try the two-minute rule. If it takes less than two minutes, just do it now. It builds instant momentum.
2. How do I know which task to prioritize?
Use the 80/20 rule. Ask: which task moves the needle most? If it doesn’t serve revenue, growth, or peace—reconsider it.
3. I’ve tried routines before and failed. What should I do?
Lower the bar. Build routines that take less than 10 minutes. Consistency matters more than intensity.
4. Are productivity tools worth paying for?
Only if they save you real time. Track the hours you regain—then decide.
5. How do I stay focused in a noisy environment?
Noise-canceling headphones + brown noise + Pomodoro sessions = mental armor.
