We all have 24 hours per day—so how can we best use them? Some thought leaders swear by waking up before the sun, while others have the audacity to suggest giving up coffee. If you want to wake up at 5 a.m. and stop drinking liquid energy, well, more power to you. But what other options are there for those of us unwilling to try those ghastly strategies? 

The average frontline supervisor spends eight hours per week reading and sending emails. Instead of answering emails throughout the day or always answering your phone, set aside a specific time for those activities. At the beginning of the day, you decide what you want to accomplish. Then, work on those tasks in 90-minute increments. Do not work on emails and phone calls until the time of day you have set aside for them.

Implement the two-minute rule.

Implement the two-minute rule.

The two-minute rule dictates this: if you need to do a task that will take two minutes or less, do it now. Most of the things we put off are not difficult—we simply procrastinate for one reason or another. Why not take care of all of those annoying tasks right away? The two-minute rule also works on projects that take longer than two minutes. If you are having trouble beginning a project, just commit to spending only two minutes on it. If you work on it for two minutes, great! You did something. More likely, you’ll gain confidence and momentum and work on it for longer than two minutes. 

What are your productivity hacks?