How To Do It

The premise is simple. Start by making your To-Do List, and start crossing things off the list using the (10+2)*5 rule.

Wait, what? Allow us to explain

Start with 10 minutes of solid work. Once those 10 minutes are up, take 2 minutes to procrastinate. Visit your favorite site, get some coffee, eat a snack; whatever you do, there is no work allowed. Once those 2 minutes are up, go back to 10 minutes of work. Repeat the cycle for a total of 5 times, and you have exactly an hour of productivity with spaces in between to give your brain a rest.

The Rules

You can get a full description of the rules for this system here, but the most important thing to remember is this: don’t skip any breaks. By taking the time to procrastinate, you force your brain out of inertia and into wanting to get things done.

The End Result

After you’ve put the (10+2)*5 rule to use long enough for your brain to recognize the pattern, you’ll start anticipating both the breaks and the work cycles. And you may (and can) eventually find yourself skipping the break, forging on through your to-do list with increased productivity.

The three numbers can be changed to whatever you like with a bit of experimentation, especially if you want to structure your whole working day around them. The important thing is to maintain the consistency of the break-to-work ratio long enough for your brain to be permanently tricked into wanting to do work.

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And for some of the world’s most driven and successful people, one industry-defining company simply isn’t enough. Jack Dorsey famously serves double-duty as CEO of both Twitter and Square. Elon Musk, as close to a maverick, super villain-esque billionaire/philanthropist as we have today, is CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX; both these companies are undoubtedly at the front of their respective industries in innovation, financing, and promise.

If you’re a budding entrepreneur, you may be balancing your fledgling endeavor with a full-time job. Or you may be balancing multiple rolls in the same company, or even heading up a few different businesses at once. Whatever your multitasking needs, try these time-honored (and pro-tested) tips to keep all your responsibilities in line.

1. Compartmentalize Your Time.

Avelist founder Jody Porowski wrote about her experiences balancing a full-time job with a new startup. A big takeaway? “Find your rhythm.” Figuring out the time management strategy that works for you is step number one, but step number two is just as important and sometimes more difficult: sticking to it.

Compartmentalizing the same way every day is a great, effective way to make sure you’re devoting time across the board without feeling overwhelmed all at once. A few hours in the morning for this leaves the afternoon for that, spend a week or two playing around and seeing what feels best productivity-wise, then ruthlessly compartmentalize from there.

And Jack Dorsey has been doing this successfully since 2011, splitting (roughly) equal time in his day for Twitter and Square. He even travels between offices, creating a physical separation as well as mental when completing and delegatings tasks at his two behemoth companies.

2. Perfect a System for Triage.

Elon Musk famously juggles big challenges every day, and between two high-speed tech companies, he’s got a lot of fires to put out.

Practicing triage means prioritizing what needs to get done when it needs to get done. And while separation is key, it doesn’t mean emergencies won’t arise that require to you break down those barriers. Set up boundaries with colleagues or employees ahead of time: What is important or pressing enough to demand my immediate attention, all other factors be damned, and what channel is best for these notifications?

Clear boundaries up front will avoid gray areas that can sap productivity in the middle of a busy day; make sure the emergencies that demand immediate attention are just that.

3. Create Separate To-Do Lists.

Let’s take it back to #1 in this article: compartmentalizing can prevent a sense of being overwhelmed. Similarly, breaking up your to-do lists will help keep that page of tasks from seeming insurmountable. Stepping into your other role, either physically or mentally? Switch pages and see your to-do list with clear, unclouded eyes. It’s a great way to keep focus straight and anxiety low.

4. Find Your Brain Routine.

For some people, it’s coffee at a certain time. For others, it’s a productivity stack. We’re obviously big fans of nootropics, supplements designed to help increase focus, boost mental energy, help memory recall, and provide cognitive endurance, and they’ve made their way into our daily routines in varying amounts. That’s why we’ve reviewed dozens upon dozens of the most popular ones.

Everyone reacts to supplements differently, and it may take some trial to figure out the stack that works best for you. We suggest starting slow and simple and keeping in mind that individual tolerance may vary, and a little bit can go a long way toward helping you power through a mentally challenging day!

5. Network In Your Down Time.

Have a free moment? Think about how you can use it to connect with new contacts or rekindle old relationships. Cab rides or coffee breaks are great for this. And if you need a good rule of thumb for increased, effective networking, just remember to never eat a meal alone (at least, when it can be avoided within reason). Meal time is prime time for catching up and seeing where synergy lies across personal experience and business.

6. Prioritize Sleep.

Seriously, don’t skimp on the sleep. No one wants a sleepy entrepreneur pushing for energy or brainpower they just don’t have. And if a racing mind is still keeping you up at night, consider taking some calming magnesium, it’s worked wonders for a few of our testers.

The post How the World’s Best Entrepreneurs Juggle Multiple Projects appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Below are five key brain hacks that help business owners keep their heads straight when the path to success is anything but.

1. Write It Down (By Hand)

It might remind you of elementary school, but writing down a to-do list and taking copious notes (on everything) is a proven way to retain more information, even if you never look at those notes again. Keeping a notebook happy is also insurance against losing a fleeting thought that could turn into your next great idea. Some entrepreneurs we talk to even keep a journal or small notebook next to their bed so they can record thoughts and ideas from dreams as soon as they wake up, while abstract thinking is still fresh.

2. Up Your Fitness

The brain is very much a part of your body, and ignoring one will wreak havoc on the other. Exercise, both cardiovascular conditioning and weight training, has been shown to increase productivity and the brain’s ability to store and categorize new information (in addition, it’s good for overall mental health and function). Billionaire and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson has claimed he gets an additional four hours of work done each day because he takes the time to exercise, which ups your mental and physical fitness at once.

3. Supercharge Your Brain

It’s no secret we’re fans of gaining a mental edge. Brain-boosting supplements, also called nootropics, are an increasingly popular way to boost productivity and sharpen focus among business owners. There are several science-backed supplements in this category, including some from herbal, natural, and even organic sources. Our reviewers have cut through the hype and separated fact from fiction in outlining which work for certain lifestyles, professions, or preferences.

4. Work Standing Up

Want to up your work output by 10%? Try standing while working. Whether it’s at a custom standing desk or one you fashion by putting your laptop on top of old phone books, a standing workstation benefits posture and productivity while fighting fatigue and reducing procrastination. In our experience, it takes a few days of adapting, but there’s a pronounced uptick in work energy less than a week in.

5. Set Smaller Goals

Starting a company is daunting; making it success is an even scarier prospect. Start small and subdivide to-do lists in order to bite work off into manageable chunks. Make incremental progress, a goal to accomplish within a day, afternoon, or hour, without procrastination, and the big picture starts to come into focus much clearer.

The post Five Brain Hacks That Help Entrepreneurs Succeed appeared first on Brain Wiz.

1. Handwrite Your List

Because handwriting involves both visual and motor functions, your brain will hold on to that information longer. When you handwrite your list, you are more likely to remember the tasks you need to accomplish.

2. Buy a Nice and Portable Notepad

Blank paper, ruled or grid, there are a number of To-Do list worthy options out there. A pocket or purse notebook is great on the go, and some doodle pads (the ones artists use) can conveniently fit in a tablet folio, laptop case, or laptop pocket in a backpack. With your list at hand, there are fewer excuses for procrastination, even without WiFi access.

3. Stay Away From Red

Color coding the to-do list is another great way to categorize tasks, but stay away from red. Studies show exposure to the color red has a negative impact on performance and can make some tasks seem more intimidating.

4. Divide It Into Quadrants

Use the Eisenhower matrix for decision making to determine which quadrant each task goes into, and don’t neglect the ever-important NOT To-Do quadrant.

5. Estimate How Much Time It Will Take

This step will both make you accountable and give you future data about how long certain tasks take to accomplish.

6. Take Pleasure In Crossing Off Items

Make a ritual out of crossing things off your list, and enjoy the catharsis.

7. Jumpstart Your Brain

The To-Do list exists to help you accomplish tasks, but it’s not a throw-away exercise. Make sure your brain is primed before you write down the day’s items; a clear head will make a much better and more efficient list with well-prioritized tasks. Consider priming your brain or doing some thought exercises to get the blood flowing before putting pen to paper.

The thing to remember is that practice not only makes perfect, but it also turns making to-do lists into a habit. A well-structured to do list will undoubtedly raise your productivity and efficiency and may even free-up some time in your day.

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