Productivity is a key issue for entrepreneurs. It has grown as an issue along with the number of startups. And the knowledge base on productivity is growing. Along with it, so is confusion. There are claims that the 6-hour workday is optimal. Others put in 60 hours of work every week and go on city breaks in weekends.
The world is crazy for enhancing productivity. Why? Maybe it’s because we’re so far from where we started. And we cannot reconcile our current success. Or maybe it is standard greed. We want more. And when you want more, you know what to do. Increase productivity. Or maybe we’re scared that in the future 80% of jobs will be lost to AI. It’s still productivity that we’ll be concerned with then.

But what works, really? What makes you more productive? We’ll continue our list of productivity hacks with 7 more tips on how to get more work done.

#8 Wake up before sunrise. Enjoy the silence.

It’s easy to find out when the sunrise will occur. There are a dozen calculators online. Adjust your clock and wake up half an hour before. Starting your day like that will boost your productivity because you can plot the day ahead.
Care to make it more extreme? Wake up at 04:00 every morning for a whole month. Well, try it for a week or two. Try it, it feels like you’ve just doubled your working day. Also, you can link waking up early with better sleep and micro-goals.
The most amazing thing about waking up that early is the silence. And not just the silence around you with everybody still asleep. With the city unclogging to the new day. No, it’s the silence inside. That incredible focus and clarity you long for. Right there, in the early hours of the morning. Try and pick it up for a while. It’s the entrepreneurial thing to do.

#9 Do healthy stuff. Exercise more, sleep better.

Firstly, understand what happens when you sleep. Secondly, learn to use cycles to enhance your sleep. Lastly, use weekends to deal with sleep debt.
Exercise boosts your cognitive functions. Firstly, it brings blood to key areas of the brain. Secondly, it takes as little as a walk for you to benefit from exercise. Lastly, you can get most benefits of all training with 20 of high intensity exercise per day.
There are so many things you can do to. Just pick your favorite 2. And start doing them. Productivity is a mindset. You need to gear up to be productive. And your gear is the right approach, the right attitude.

#10 Learn to relax. It keeps you productive.

You should learn how to balance work and life. But when you’re at work, take a tiny break every now and then. And use it for a mindfulness exercise. For example, take a few deep breaths. Or go ahead and take a longer break.
Human focus is a fidgety thing. If you don’t take breaks often enough, you will lose focus. It can get so bad that you don’t even know you’re losing focus. And people find it hard to maintain focus on something. It’s not the task.  A lot of people find it hard to focus on nothing.

#11 Use a  collaborative teamwork solution.

Try a tool that brings together all sorts of instant communication features. From team chat and video calls to file transfer and screen sharing. And even advanced AI that tells you how everybody’s feeling.

What better way to harmonize introverts and extroverts? Or to reduce overhead. Or to introduce smart meetings and increase accountability.
That’s the thing with current technologies. There are simply too many options out there. A lot of them come with a bundle of features. Yet, people still use whichever they designated as the “X” app or service. And that’s perhaps natural. Here’s where it gets tricky. Try and think of a team productivity app.

#12 Procrastinate your procrastination.

Everybody procrastinates. And soon deep learning advances will allow for larger neural networks. And that’s when we’ll learn that machines procrastinate too. In fact, procrastination is a key component of creativity. Creative thinkers are active-lazy.
Procrastination also counters productivity. What you need is control. Firstly, divide your time into work, breaks, and waste. What’s better than using waste-time as a reward? Your work time can be grouped in 30 minute crunches. And breaks could be a 5 minute window.
Waste time? That could easily be any activity of no clear benefit. And that’s because sometimes we want to go nowhere. Sometimes we just want our mind to go nowhere. Maybe there’s value to it. After all, even a stopped-clock is right twice a day.

#13 Make your priorities clear to yourself & others.

It starts with you. Clarify things for yourself first. What are your wants and needs? What are your goals, your objectives? And what is your strategy? Now, move onto sharing that clarity with others.
Are you an effective communicator? It’s OK, empower your business with effective communication. Give in to being an effective communicator, it’s not a fad. Some people might think you’re after increasing sales. But you should specify that your interest is conversion rates and R.O.I.

#14 Start your work with a break.

What’s the first thing you do when you start working? Is it a list? Scratch that, lists are not the best anymore. Productivity increases with breaks. So, the best thing to do when you start working is take a break. Just take a break and think about what you’re going to do. Firstly, try and think about nothing. And enjoy how you feel. Is it 04:00 AM? Amazing! Secondly, contemplate what you need to do. And try and relax about it. Creativity is fostered by relaxation. And so is enhanced productivity.
In fact, starting with a break increases your chances of feeling comfortable with your day. And when you feel comfortable, there’s no stress. Also, no anxiety.
This was the second of a three-part series on productivity. Check in for the last set of tips coming up soon.