Be Productive

A lot of talk is devoted to the best way to be efficient and organized throughout the day. There are highly-paid professionals making money purely from teaching people to prioritize tasks and stop wasting portions of their time. For me, being productive is a personal idea and must be tailored to an individuals own ways of thinking and problem solving. With that being said, there are certain patterns used by successful people that must be examined and possibly integrated into your daily routine.

INC. profiled a few prosperous executives and entrepreneurs to see their strategies for executing the 'to-do list.' Let's look at a few highlights:

Jordan Zimmerman insists on daily phone calls. He has direct access to the heads of client companies and an understanding that they will take each other's calls to discuss strategy and progress in succinct conversations. Zimmerman also doesn't sleep and is routinely up at 3 AM to workout before starting his day (which he claims gives him energy for the day).

Kevin P. Ryan spends a great deal of time involved in HR for his company. He insists on doing a large amount of the hiring as he feels that the right people make his job that much easier. Ryan is in constant contact with his top executives and those identified as 'up-and-comers' both inside and outside the company in order to feel at-ease with delegation.

Barbara Corcoran makes her 'to-do list' for the next day before she takes of for the night using a rating system based on the importance of the task. This way, she hits the ground on the hard stuff in the morning and the day runs smoother. Corcoran also has a list of follow-ups assigned to people after each meeting to make sure that maximum time is spent executing as opposed confusion in responsibility.

Seth Priebatsch is most efficient during off-hours from work. He finds that large problems are much easier to solve when the office is empty and there is time to really think. Using the nights and weekends allow for his time to run smoothly when employees are demanding his attention.

Scott Lang always keeps large blocks of his day unscheduled. He likes to keep a cap at 50%, though admits that number can sometimes slip to 80%, to solve problems that come up during the day or be open for a last-minute client meeting or call.

While these are only a few examples, the major themes include the importance of exercise, keeping meetings to a minimum, and solving problems through unscheduled or open time blocks. Your productivity will always be based on the optimum use of your thoughts. Keep an open-mind and be on the lookout for ways to increase your efficiency but, remember, the goal is to always keep the ball moving forward any way you see fit.