4 Methods for Being More Productive at Work

We live in The Age of Dramatic Distraction. Many shiny toys to chase every waking moment yet so few of those pursuits create real value and grow a life brilliantly lived.

Too many of us are overscheduled, overconnected and overstimulated by all the noise, interruptions and complexity of current society.

The cost of this way of operating? You’ll arrive at the last hour of your final day and realize you spent your highest potential on your lowest leverage activities.

Epic performers, A-Players and World-Builders play a very different game. The Elon Musks, the Mark Zuckerbergs, great artists and top scientists all run their days under completely different mindsets and rituals than those who get trapped in the groove of “being busy being busy.”

As the founder of The Titan Summit, which brings together ultra-performers from more than 43 nations for four days of elite training on productivity, business acceleration and lifestyle optimization every December in Toronto, I’ve observed firsthand how human beings who get more done in a week than most get done in a quarter realize their results. I’ve also developed a complete methodology for exponential productivity that I teach participants at this event.

Here are four of the game-changing elements of my approach:

1. The 20/20/20 Formula.

The way you start your day powerfully shapes how productively you live it. Reserve the first 60 minutes for personal preparation. As the Spartan warriors said: “Sweat more in training and you’ll bleed less at war.” Spend your first 20 minutes in intense exercise. Sweating releases BDNF, a brain chemical that actually grows neural connections. Working out also releases dopamine (the neurotransmitter of motivation) and serotonin, which makes you feel happy.

For the next “20 minute pocket,” review your annual plan and reflect deeply on your quarterly goals. Clarity precedes mastery and this practice will deepen your focus through the day.

Invest the final 20 minutes of this morning routine on learning (i.e., read autobiographies of great humans or listen to a leadership podcast or download the lessons of yesterday into your journal).

2. The 90/90/1 Rule.

This habit alone has delivered vast value for my clients. Simply stated: for the next 90 days, dedicate the first 90 minutes of your work day to your single most important opportunity, the one thing that if you executed on it flawlessly, would cause everything to rise.

Average performers get to work and check their email or surf the net. For the true leader, reaching the office is the start of showtime. They understand that developing a monomaniacal focus on their vital few priorities unleashes legendary results.

3. The 60/10 Method.

Good research confirms that what makes the best athletes the best in the world was not what they did in their sport but how effectively they recovered. For example, it was the rituals that star tennis players did in between points that made them stars. What made the Russian weightlifters so undefeatable was their “work-rest ratios.”

So, set a timer for 60 minutes and during those intervals, turn off your technology, shut your door and dive — with massive intensity — into the project that matters. Then, recover with a pristine break like walking, listening to music or reading. Just try this protocol for a month and witness the gains.

4. Find Your Circle of Genius.

Behavioral scientists have discovered the phenomenon of “emotional contagion.” This describes the fact that, unconsciously, we adopt the beliefs, feelings and behaviors of the people we spend most of our time with.

Want to get ultra-fit? One of the finest ways is to join a running group or make friends with athletes. Ready to be happier? Then remove the energy vampires and complainers from your life. Set to build a truly world-class company? Then start spending far more time with those who have been there and done it. Their mindsets and ways of being will automatically influence you, over time. And associating with people whose lives you want to be living shows you what’s possible. And once you know more, you can achieve more.

Finally, please allow me to remind you about the shortness of life. Even the longest one is a relatively short ride. You owe it to the talent you were born into, the team you lead, the family you love and the world that longs for you to display your greatness to do whatever it takes to reach exponential productivity.

Hopefully, you’ll embrace the methodology I’ve shared to fulfill your leadership potential.

As always, I hope this message has delivered real value to you and sets you up to finish what remains of this year “in the rare air of outright mastery.”

Robin Sharma is an author of 15 international bestselling books on leadership.

This article originally appeared on Medium and Robin Sharma’s blog.