Dr. Laura Blog

Getting more done each day isn’t necessarily about working harder - it’s about working smarter.

Here are 5 tips to have a more productive day:


1. Map out your day the night before. One of the best ways to have a very productive day is to make a brief list the night before of what needs to be accomplished the next day - no ifs, ands or buts. Then rearrange it in order of priority. You’re never going to get done everything you want to accomplish, but if you do things in order of priority, then you’ll be sure to get the most important things done. It also helps to do the difficult things first to get them out of the way. 

2. Get up 15-30 minutes earlier. Meditate, pray, do yoga, or make coffee and watch the sunrise. Start the day off in peace. 

3. Eliminate distractions. With cell phones and email, it’s very easy to become distracted. Focus on one thing at a time. The biggest killer of productivity is allowing distractions to distract you. 

4. Take breaks. The brain can only focus for about an hour and a half at a time. Then it goes kaputt. 

5. Celebrate a job well done. At the end of the day, reflect on what you’ve done, think about what you can do better next time, and celebrate the stuff you handled well. One thing people don’t do enough of is celebrate themselves for a job well done.