Forget about your job title or profession everyone is looking for ways to be mor e productive at work.

. Its time to set down your gallon-sized container of coffee, toss out your three-page to-do list, and put an end to those ridiculously long emails youve been sending. Experiencing a highly productive workday can feel euphoric. But contrary to popu lar belief, simply checking tasks off your to-do list isnt really an indication o f productivity. Truly productive people arent focused on doing more things; this is actually the opposite of productivity. If you really want to be productive, y ouve got to make a point to do fewer things. Recently I spoke with project management and productivity genius Tony Wong to fi nd out the secret to a more productive workday. He provided me with some excelle nt insight into what he and other like-minded productive individuals do during t heir work week. Harness your productivity by taking note of these eight things: 1. Create a smaller to-do list. Getting things accomplished during your workday shouldnt be about doing as much as possible in the sanctioned eight hours. It may be hard to swallow, but theres nothing productive about piling together a slew o f tasks in the form of a checklist. Take a less-is-more approach to your to-do l ist by only focusing on accomplishing things that matter. 2. Take breaks. You know that ache that fills your brain when youve been powering through tasks for several hours? This is due to your brain using up glucose. To o many people mistake this for a good feeling, rather than a signal to take a br eak. Go take a walk, grab something to eat, workout, or meditate give your brain some resting time. Achieve more productivity during your workday by making a po int to regularly clear your head. Youll come back recharged and ready to achieve greater efficiency. 3. Follow the 80/20 rule. Did you know that only 20 percent of what you do each day produces 80 percent of your results? Eliminate the things that dont matter du ring your workday: they have a minimal effect on your overall productivity. For example, on a project, systematically remove tasks until you end up with the 20 percent that gets the 80 percent of results. 4. Start your day by focusing on yourself. If you begin your morning by checking your email, it allows others to dictate what you accomplish. Set yourself in th e right direction by ignoring your emails and taking the morning to focus on you rself, eat a good breakfast, meditate, or read the news. 5. Take on harder tasks earlier in the day. Knock out your most challenging work when your brain is most fresh. Save your busy work if you have any for when you r afternoon slump rolls in. 6. Pick up the phone. The digital world has created poor communication habits. E mail is a productivity killer and usually a distraction from tasks that actually matter. For example, people often copy multiple people on emails to get it off their plate dont be a victim of this action. This distracts everyone else by cr eating noise against the tasks theyre trying to accomplish and is a sign of lazin ess. If you receive an email where many people are CCd, do everyone a favor by BCCing them on your reply. If your email chain goes beyond two replies, its time to pick up the phone. Increase your productivity by scheduling a call. 7. Create a system. ty, create a system ay? Plan a morning, herwise, youll get If you know certain things are ruining your daily productivi for managing them. Do you check your emails throughout the d afternoon, and evening time slot for managing your email. Ot distracted from accomplishing more important goals throughout

the day. 8. Dont confuse productivity with laziness. While no one likes admitting it, shee r laziness is the No. 1 contributor to lost productivity. In fact, a number of t ime-saving methods take meetings and emails for example are actually just ways t o get out of doing real work. Place your focus on doing the things that matter m ost as efficiently and effectively as possible. Remember, less is more when it comes to being productive during the workday.