Productivity Boosts

I waste a lot of time. I am often aimless. I don't plan. I show up late. But I want to change. I have been trying to research how to be more efficient with my time. Here are the best tips I have come across.

• Get rid of clutter: Clean you room, your car, your desk. The mind is more settled and less distracted this way.
• Be more organized: It's easier to find and accomplish things when they are laid out. It's difficult to juggle multiple ideas at once. Put them on paper and make a plan. For work, put relevant documents in their place and categorize them. It wastes a little time up front but saves much more on the back end. In presentations, it's essential for communicating ideas clearly. 
• Plan your day and do it when you go to bed (and when you leave the office). You can sleep easy knowing you won't forget. Trello is a great tool for this. It also helps to add structure to otherwise aimless time. Try to map out fun things you want to do at least a week ahead so you don't end up missing out on fun things or just spending your time aimlessly because you didn't plan. 
• Work out in the morning: I am way more energized when I do this and my afternoons are much more carefree. 
• Make checklists and review them often. Your brain has a lot going on and it's easy to forget small things unless you are diligent.   
• Set Alarms and timers: When you do make plans, make sure to set an alarm so you don't miss them. If you are working on a task, set a time and assign a fixed amount of time to complete it. Let this be your deadline.
• Follow the 5 Minute Rule: If it takes less than 5 minutes to do it, then do it now (also a good rule for helping others).