By Brad Hodgson
Let’s face it, there is no shortage of productivity hacks – you can find them anywhere. The problem, however, is that so many of them are just random advice from the average person with no evidence that their advice actually works.
Wouldn’t it be better to follow the advice of already successful people and try to incorporate their practices into your daily life? Here is some of the best advice from successful real-world entrepreneurs that can help you make better decisions, increase your productivity, and keep you from being hesitant about your work.
1. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you
Jack Ma, F.Ounder from Alibaba
“I didn’t know anything about technology. I didn’t know anything about management. But the thing is, you don’t have to know a lot of things. You have to find people who are smarter than you. For many years I’ve found people smarter than me and my job is to get these smart people to work together. And when smart people can work together, it’s easier. “- From a speech Jack Ma gave at the 2018 World Economic Forum.
2. Focus on what you love
Jay-Z, hip-hop mogul
“It just got to a point where it looked like, ‘Make this decision because that’s something you really love and enjoy doing. It’s time to really focus on it and then take it seriously, give it your all. ‘And when I did that, it wasn’t looking back from there. “- From an interview at the 2010 Forbes 400 Summit.
3. Reduce your choices
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook
“I really want to clear my life so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything other than how I can best serve this community. There are actually a lot of theories of psychology that make small decisions about what to wear or what to eat for breakfast or the like that kind of make you tired and use up your energy…. I feel like I’m not doing my job if I use some of my energy on things that are silly or frivolous in my life. “- From a Q&A interview in which Mark Zuckerberg revealed why he wears a gray t-shirt every day.
4. Plan your day
Tim Ferriss, entrepreneur and author of the 4-hour week
“Just a few minutes each morning can save you hours of wasted time or disperse your efforts each day. Each morning, focus on what is really important. “
“You can be busy all day but not tackle the most important things, which in many cases are the toughest things on your plate. So, isolate the one or two most important things you need to do today. Just one or two. “
5. Wake up early and exercise daily
Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group
“No matter where I am, I get up early – I usually like to sleep around 5am with the curtains open so that the sunlight wakes me up. I find natural light wonderfully motivating. It’s hard not to get excited about the day ahead when the sun is shining through the windows.
“When I’m anywhere with a tennis court, I usually play a few hard sets of tennis. When tennis isn’t an option, I go for a walk or run or jump on my bike. When I’m near the ocean and there’s enough wind, I go kitesurfing. There is no better way to start the day than with the wind in your hair, salt on your skin and a smile on your face. “- From Richard Branson’s blog.
Other items from AllBusiness.com:
6. Surround yourself with motivating memories
Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS
“I surround myself with inspiring quotes. This easy-to-understand piece of advice has played a huge role in overcoming my own fears and insecurities throughout my entrepreneurial career. “
7. Make decisions quickly
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon
“Most decisions should probably be made with about 70% of the information you wanted. If you wait for 90% you are likely to be slow in most cases. Either way, you need to be good at quickly spotting and correcting bad decisions. If you’re good at correcting course it can be less costly to be wrong than you think, while it sure will be expensive to be slow. “- From a 2016 Amazon letter to shareholders
8. Hold fewer meetings
Elon Musk, founder of Tesla
“Excessive meetings are a company’s problem and almost always get worse over time. Please fetch [out] from all large meetings unless you are certain they will add value to the entire audience. In this case, keep them very short. “- From an email sent by Elon Musk to Tesla employees in 2018.
9. Don’t multitask
Oprah Winfrey, Entrepreneur and Celebrity
“I have learned that there is a level of intensity and truth in your full attention to every activity you wish to experience. It’s about living a present life moment to moment – not worrying about what will happen at 3 o’clock and what will happen at 7 o’clock…. All about multitasking? This is a joke to me. If I try, I’m not doing anything well. “- From an interview with Fast Company.
10. Walk in solitude
Paulo Coelho, Brazilian author
“For me, walking is my way of thinking, my way of meditating. It’s not that I think. But I am in a kind of trance totally connected to the present moment. “- From an interview with The Tim Ferriss Show.
11. Treat people well
Larry Page, founder of Google
“It is important that the company is a family, that people feel part of the company and that the company is like family to them. They treat people with respect, they tend to return favors to the company. “- From an interview with Fortune.
12. Live in the moment
Adam Braun, founder of Pencils of Promise
“I do my best to be fully present to those I face. This helps me reduce multitasking, which may prevent me from dwell on what I need to focus on right now. “- From an interview with SaneBox Blog.
CONNECTED: 10 productivity tools that entrepreneurs can’t live without
About the author
Contribution by: Brad Hodgson
Brad Hodgson is the director of marketing at Busy Building Empires, a company that makes motivational prints for the visual arts.
Website: www.busybuildingempires.com
Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.
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