--- title: 6 Things the Most Productive People Do Every Day description: Ever feel like you’re just not getting enough done? Know how many days per week you’re actually productive? About 3: People work an average of... canonical: https://time.com/2951173/6-things-the-most-productive-people-do-every-day/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-04T04:01:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:33.819Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 6 Things the Most Productive People Do Every Day og:description: Don't check email in the morning. og:url: https://time.com/2951173/6-things-the-most-productive-people-do-every-day/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Things the Most Productive People Do Every Day twitter:description: Don't check email in the morning. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 6 Things the Most Productive People Do Every Day > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=5effcef4-f93a-48be-9c40-34b094445aba&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Some of The World's Most Powerful Women Share Their Best Advice [Watch (HLS stream): Some of The World's Most Powerful Women Share Their Best Advice](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LF8Rmcmf.m3u8) (1:11)  _Published 2016-02-02_ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jul 4, 2014 4:01 AM UTC by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jul 4, 2014 4:01 AM UTC Ever feel like you’re just not getting enough done? **Know how many days per week you’re actually productive?** [**About 3**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/11/how-many-days-per-week-are-you-actually-produ/)**:** --- > “” --- We could all be accomplishing a lot more — but then again, none of us wants to be a workaholic either. **It’d be great to get tons done** **_and_** **have** [**work/life balance**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/03/work-life-balance/)**. But how do we do that? I decided to get some answers.** **And who better to ask than Tim Ferriss, author of the international bestseller,** [**The 4-Hour Workweek**](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WE46UW/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002WE46UW&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20&linkId=EBJJXUY3B2QTGEVD)**?** (Tim’s blog is [here](http://fourhourworkweek.com/blog/) and his podcast is [here](http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/04/22/tim-ferriss-podcast/).) **Below are six tips Tim offered, the science behind why they work, and insight from the most productive people around.** ## 1) Manage Your Mood Most productivity systems act like we’re robots – they forget the enormous power of _feelings_. **If you start the day** [**calm**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/05/decision-making/) **it’s easy to** [**get the right things done and focus**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/09/stay-focused/)**.** But when we wake up and the fray is already upon us — phone ringing, emails coming in, fire alarms going off — you spend the whole day _reacting_. **_Eric Barker:_**[_How To Achieve Work-Life Balance In 5 Steps_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/03/work-life-balance/) This means you’re not in the driver’s seat working on your priorities, you’re responding to what gets thrown at you, important or not. Here’s Tim: --- > “” --- Research shows how you start the day has an [enormous effect on productivity](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/04/does-your-mood-in-the-morning-affect-your-ent/) and you procrastinate more when [you’re in a bad mood](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/improving-mood-productive/). **Studies demonstrate happiness** [**increases productivity**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/08/does-happiness-boost-productivity/) **and** [**makes you more successful**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/does-success-make-us-happy-or-does-happiness/)**.** As [Shawn Achor](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/improving-mood-productive/) describes in his book [The Happiness Advantage](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307591549/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307591549): --- > “” --- So think a little less about managing the work and a little more about managing your moods. (For more on how to be happier, go [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/here-are-the-things-that-are-proven-to-make-y/).) So what’s the first step to managing your mood after you wake up? ## **2) Don’t Check Email In The Morning** To some people this is utter heresy. Many can’t imagine not waking up and immediately checking email or social media feeds. **I’ve interviewed a** [**number**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-author-cal-newport-on-how-you-can-become-an-expert-and-why-you-should-not-follow-your-passion/) **of** [**very productive**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-wharton-business-school-professor-teaches-approach-give/) **people and nobody said, “Spend more time with email.”** **Why is checking email in the morning** [**a cardinal sin**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/10/how-can-you-stop-e-mail-from-taking-over-your/)**? You’re setting yourself up to** **_react_** **.** **An email comes in and suddenly you’re giving your best hours to someone else’s goals, not yours.** You’re not planning your day and prioritizing, you’re letting your objectives be hijacked by whoever randomly decides to enter your inbox. Here’s Tim: --- > “” --- Research shows email: 1. [Stresses you out](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/is-email-killing-us/). 2. Can turn you [into a jerk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/does-email-turn-you-into-an-asshole/). 3. Can be [more addictive than alcohol and tobacco](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/01/which-is-hardest-to-resist-alcohol-cigarettes/). 4. And checking email frequently is the equivalent of [dropping your IQ 10 points](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/how-do-frequent-emails-and-texts-affect-produ/). Is this really how you want to start your day? (For more on how to avoid the email trap and spend time wisely go [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/spend-time-wisely/).) Great, so you know what _not_ to do. But a bigger question looms: _what should you be doing?_ ## 3) Before You Try To Do It Faster, Ask Whether It Should Be Done At All **Everyone asks, “Why is it so impossible to get everything done?” But the answer is stunningly easy:** **You’re doing too many things.** Want to be more productive? **Don’t ask how to make something more efficient until after you’ve asked “**[**Do I need to do this at all**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/insights-management-book/)**?”** Here’s Tim: --- > “” --- It’s funny that we complain we have so little time and then we prioritize like time is endless. Instead, **do what is important… and not much else.** **_Eric Barker:_**[_Too Busy? 7 Ways To Increase Leisure Time, According To Science_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/04/busy/) But is this true in the real world? Research shows CEOs don’t get more done by blindly working more hours, they get more done [when they follow careful plans](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/spend-time-wisely/): --- > “” --- (For more ways to save time go [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/12/7-research-based-time-savers/).) Okay, you’ve cleared the decks. Your head is serene, you’ve gotten the email monkey off your back and you know what you need to do. Now we have to face one of the biggest problems of the modern era: how do you sit still and focus? ## 4) Focus Is Nothing More Than Eliminating Distractions Ed Hallowell, former professor at Harvard Medical School and bestselling author of [Driven to Distraction,](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GFII62/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005GFII62&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20) says we have [“culturally generated ADD.”](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/04/busy/) Has modern life permanently damaged our attention spans? **_Eric Barker:_**[_8 Things The World’s Most Successful People All Have In Common_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/12/successful-people/) No. What you do have is more tantalizing, easily accessible, shiny things available to you 24/7 than any human being has ever had. **The answer is to lock yourself somewhere to make all the flashing, buzzing distractions go away.** Here’s Tim: --- > “” --- **What’s the best way to sum up the research? How about this:** [**Distractions make you stupid**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/10/productivity-ninja/)**.** And a flood of studies show that the easiest and most powerful way to change your behavior [is to change your environment.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/whats-the-most-effective-way-to-change-you-be/) **Top CEOs are interrupted every 20 minutes. How do they get anything done?** **By working from home in the morning for 90 minutes** [**where no one can bother them**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/spend-time-wisely/)**:** --- > “” --- (For more on how to stop procrastinating go [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/chronic-procrastination/).) I know what some of you are thinking: _I have other responsibilities. Meetings. My boss needs me. My spouse calls. I can’t just hide._ This is why you need a system. ## **5) Have A Personal System** I’ve spoken to a lot of insanely productive people. You know what none of them said? --- > “” --- Not one. Your routines can be formal and scientific or personal and idiosyncratic — but either way, **productive people have a routine.** Here’s Tim: --- > “” --- **Great systems work because they** [**make things automatic**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/how-to-get-more-done/)**, and don’t tax** [**your very limited supply of willpower**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/increase-self-control/)**.** What do we see when we systematically study the great geniuses of all time? Almost all had [personal routines that worked for them](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/genius-work-habits/). (“[Give and Take](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0670026557&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20&linkId=53U2SSX2DUH2QGDF)” author [Adam Grant](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-wharton-business-school-professor-teaches-approach-give/) consistently writes in the mornings while Tim always writes at night.) How do you start to develop your own personal system? Apply some [“80/20″](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/03/work-life-balance/) thinking: 1. **What handful of activities are responsible for the disproportionate number of your successes?** 2. **What handful of activities absolutely crater your productivity?** 3. **Rearrange your schedule to do more of #1 and to eliminate #2 as much as possible.** (For more on the routines geniuses use to be productive click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/genius-work-habits/).) So you’re all set to wake up tomorrow with a system and not be “reactive.” How do you make sure you follow through on this tomorrow? It’s simple. ## **6) Define Your Goals The Night Before** Wake up knowing what is important before the day’s pseudo-emergencies come barging into your life and your inbox screams new commands. Here’s Tim: --- > “” --- Bestselling author [Dan Pink](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/interview-nyt-bestselling-author-dan-pink-explains-secrets-influence/) [gives similar advice](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/08/work-smarter-not-harder/): --- > “” --- **Research says you’re more likely to follow through if** [**you’re specific**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/06/how-can-you-stop-procrastinating-and-make-pla/)**and if you** [**write your goals down**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/what-little-thing-can-increase-the-chance-peo/)**.** Studies show this has a secondary benefit: writing down what you need to do tomorrow [relieves anxiety and helps you enjoy your evening](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/10/how-can-you-stop-worrying-about-projects-at-w/). (For more information on setting and achieving goals click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/the-last-damn-thing-youll-ever-need-to-read-a/).) So how does this all come together? ## Sum Up Here are Tim’s 6 tips: 1. **Manage Your Mood** 2. **Don’t Check Email in The Morning** 3. **Before You Try To Do It Faster, Ask Whether It Should Be Done At All** 4. **Focus Is Nothing More Than Eliminating Distractions** 5. **Have A Personal System** 6. **Define Your Goals The Night Before** The word “productivity” sounds like we’re talking about machines. But the irony is that much of being truly good with time is about _feelings_. **How should you strive to feel when working?** [**Busy, but not rushed**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/02/busy-happiness/)**. Research shows this is when people are happiest.** I couldn’t have written this without the help of Tim Ferriss and Adam Grant. Both volunteered their very valuable time. Was that a waste on their part? They definitely won’t get those minutes back. **Helping others takes time but research shows it** [**makes us** **_feel_** **like we have more time**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/09/two-things-that-can-increase-the-hours-in-you/)**. And it makes us** [**happier**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/helping-happier/)**.** Once you are more productive, you’ll have a lot more hours to fill. So why not use them to make others and yourself [happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/here-are-the-things-that-are-proven-to-make-y/)? (I’ll be sending out more tips from Tim Ferriss in my weekly email so make sure to [sign up](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD).) **Join 45K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). _This piece originally appeared on_ [_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/)_._ ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Don't wait for people to give you your power. Just take it. Think of yourself as a thermostat. You do have to have situational leadership. Sometimes you have to dial things up. And sometimes you have to dial things down. Best piece of advice? Sing every day. Resist the temptation to hire in your likeness. So the best piece of advice I've ever gotten is super simple. Work harder than everybody else. Hire people that think differently than you do. That add something different than what you have to offer. From my father before I went to basic training just to keep my sense of humor. Make it a great place to work. And you'll attract talent. You can develop talent. And great products come from great teams. Being patient. Don't be so restless. You're not the smartest person in the room. It's okay to take risks. Play nice. It'll always come back to you no matter what happens. You need to collaborate with your colleagues and make them as successful as yourself. There are very few decisions, career decisions, that you make that are irreversible. Always be yourself. 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