Top Productivity Hacks

By Jan RezabSerial Entrepreneur, Founder of

Time is relative. How we experience time is also relative. And what we can manage in given time is completely up to us.

That’s why try hard to learn do everything faster and get done more in less time.

How to Approach Work?

My actual calendar internalexternal

Think in “Blocks”

5 840 blocks365

days

1 hour = 1 block

16 a day =x

As people, we are short on time…

+365 extra blocks per year

If you give up 1 hour of sleep, you get

I try to plan my day perfectly so every block counts

800 hrs external meetings

(with a lot of overlap!)1300 hrs internal meetings

1100 hrs working online

500 hrs traveling

3700 hrs worth of work

My Overview in 2015

Why do I live according to these principles?

“We have a certain limited amount of productive years on this planet.”

20 years

20 years

20 yearseducation

making money

giving it away

I started my first company when I was 14. Messed it up, learned a lot and started over.

I’m 29 and have been working for 15 years now.

Distribution of my Online Time

1 420 hrs online in 2015

Communication

Entertainment

Business

Social Networking

Design

30 %

21 %

11 %

9 %

7 %

... and I try to make as productive as possible

Communication

Entertainment

Business

Social Networking

Design

My business relies on perfect communication.I make sure to have inbox zero.

COMMUNICATION

Managing 800 Pesky Emails a Day

DELETE “SPAM” FIRSTDelete all the emails that are clearly irrelevant straight away.

USE FILTERSI’ve built my own set of filters, identifying urgency, responsibilities and ownership etc.

PRIORITIZEI always handle the external messages first. The client goes first.

SET THE RULESIf someone is CC’s you in an irrelevant email, remind them not to do that.

COMMUNICATION

Using Productivity Tools

I use email extensively, but it’s only one of the channels I use for communication.Plain text in general does not always convey the enthusiasm or urgency.

This is why I think internal social networks and social messaging platforms are going to replace email.

COMMUNICATION

Wunderlist Podio Slack

Social Networks is another great channel for communication.

But don’t get too carried away. Focus.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

How to Manage Your Social

Find 5 minutes every 2 - 3 hours to check for updates.

Turn off all notifications. They just keep you from working.

If you have an important announcement to make, dedicate more than 30 minutes

Don’t mistake social messaging for social networking. I believe social messaging and internal social networking are key - and it will eventually replace email.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Sometimes you need to handle things in person.

MEETINGS

Design a Productive Meeting

Agenda: focus on the goal.

Always try to give more than you take.

Make sure next steps are clear.

Do an immediate follow-up.

I think of every meeting is a time investment. Make sure you invest it effectively.

The best live by this: I had a meeting with a CEO of one of the largest advertising companies in the world and as I was writing the follow-up, he beat me to it just 46 minutes after the meeting.

MEETINGS

There are some activities you can combine.

ACTIVITY COMBO

My Favorite Activity Combos

TV Shows & Workouts Driving & Phone Calls

Flight Time & Emails Walking & Emails

ACTIVITY COMBO

Find a great Executive Assistant. Someone you can trust!

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Give your EA full access to your email account and calendar, and allow them to send emails and other messages on your behalf.

Set the rules very carefully (e.g. emails must be approved before they’re sent).

Make sure your EA has your back. (If you are in a meeting, your EA has to be able to reply urgent things).

Stellar EA Workflow

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Business travel doesn’t have to be a pain.

BUSINESS TRAVEL

Flying 1 000 000 km in 5 years...

...taught me to squeeze maximum work into my schedule. This means I try to do as much work when I am away from my family as possible and leaves me more time to spend with my dear ones when I am back.

BUSINESS TRAVEL

Travel Scheduling Tips

Prioritize. First take the meetings you really want and need – for those, move your schedule around.

International travel time is a problem – if you live in Europe, try and make trips to East Coast, West Coast, and maybe Mexico City in one go.

BUSINESS TRAVEL

Sometimes, it can feel exhausting.So find time for relax & creativity!

CREATIVITY

Time for Creativity!

Planes and conferences work great for me. Inspirational talks do too, but they don’t give the same kick and vibe.

When at home, leave the office by 6 PM at the latest. Be with your family and friends, and start working again after the kids go to bed. It will help clear your head, and more ideas will come in the 8PM+ work session.

CREATIVITY

I love TV shows but watching those would take up to much of my time. So I watched all the TV shows last year at double play speed.

In the end I watched around 600 hours worth of content, saving 300 hours = 28 productive 12 hour work days.

Need an Extra Month while Having Fun?

CREATIVITY

Work-life balance is challenging at times. Having a supporting family and co-workers

is crucial.

TAKEAWAY

Don’t forget your health. Find time to relax and exercise.

TAKEAWAY

And most importantly, be productive so that you can spend

more time with the ones you care about.

TAKEAWAY

Thank you!Follow Me

@janrezab

janrezab

janrezab