Productivity isn’t about accomplishing more and more, faster and faster. It’s about making space to do what’s important.”

– Chris Bailey, productivity consultant and author of Hyperfocus

You don’t have to keep working just because there’s more daylight to burn. You don’t have to immediately say yes to something, even if you actually do want to do it. We all hit a crunch time every so often but if you’re constantly drowning in to-dos, you may need to redefine your understanding of productivity.

Consider the following 3 tips to improve your productivity

1. Honor your ultradian rhythms

Ultradian rhythms are cycles that occur more than once in a 24-hour period. They contrast circadian rhythms and they have a critical role in sleep cycles, hormone and energy fluctuation and productivity patterns. Research suggests that people often experience a natural ultradian rhythm cycle of around 90 minutes. This means that focusing intensely on a task for about 90 minutes and then taking a short break can help maintain high productivity levels.

During your short breaks, you can:

• Take a walk to release stagnant energy
• stand, stretch and take some deep breaths
• Take an energizing shower and freshen up
• Do a quick load of laundry or some light cleaning
• Practice mindfulness meditation away from screens

{Related Post: Micro Breaks}

2. Pick one number one every day

Everything on your list can’t be your top priority; you have to pick one number one each day. Ask yourself, “If I do nothing else today, what absolutely needs to get done?”

You may be accustomed to working all day and jumping from task to task but never actually scratching things off your list. Get hyper-focused on your number one and check your other to-dos as you complete them. You’ll find that some things can wait, some things can be delegated, and some things are long overdue and need your undivided attention.

How to decide your number one

• Prioritize the most challenging tasks first – what is something you’ve been avoiding because it’s the most challenging? Do that first.
• Determine the criteria for each task – deadlines, impact on your goals, alignment with long-term plans, etc.
• Keep the promises you make to yourself and to others – is something waiting on a deliverable, have you promised yourself you’d get something done? Consider tackling these items first.
• Put your phone on DND – Do Not Disturb is your digital bestie who keeps you from checking your phone notifications every .2 seconds. Turn it on for focused work, interruption-free sleep, on vacation and during family time. And don’t worry, you can still adjust the settings to allow certain people to break that filter if they need to call you in emergency.

There are several options for DND

• DND can turn on automatically if you set it on a schedule. For example, you can turn it on in the evenings for family time from 6-10pm or all day on Sunday as you prepare for the week ahead.
• You can configure sleep from the focus setting, which is DND that turns on while you’re sleeping.
• You can create a focus filter that customizes how your apps behave when they’re on.

3. A word on multitasking

There is no such thing as multitasking; that’s a misnomer. What is actually happening is called task switching, which is switching from task to task in rapid succession without giving full attention to any of them. The opposite of task switching is single tasking or monotasking.

The idea here is that doing less can paradoxically lead to greater productivity by allowing you to focus on what truly matters and eliminate distractions. As a matter of fact, doing less frees up mental bandwidth and empowers you to accomplish more with less effort, therefore feeling more accomplished in the long run.

Time chunking is the antidote to multitasking. The Pomodoro Technique is the most popular and effective way to time chunk. With this technique, you focus on one task for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break before moving on. That 5-minute break is helpful even if you’re going back to the same task until its completion.

After 3 rounds of 25 minutes on and 5 minutes off, you can up your focused work time to 30 minutes.

You are not a machine; you deserve rest and room to breathe. So, don’t confuse being busy with being productive.

Which of the 3 tips above will you implement this week?