10 Habits that will 10x your productivity in under 10 minutes

For most of you, your teams are back or they will be coming back soon.  I love this time of year!!!

What I know from experience is that your daily schedule will be chaotic and “busy” in the fall if you don’t follow some basic productivity principles.

Here are 10 quick hit tips to keep in mind as you dive into the fall. 

1. Make long-term goals.

You won’t make much progress if you don’t know your North Star. Decide what you want your ideal coaching life to look like, make that your guiding star, and remind yourself of it often. 

2. Make lists of short-term tasks.

You should have a to-do list and results lists for each project you’re working on.  

Similar to taking a big hike step by step, short-term lists help you break up your big goals into manageable days. 

3. Shorten your to do lists otherwise you will end up doing nothing.

A list with 20+ tasks on them rarely gets finished and leaves you feeling not much was accomplished.  

Cut out as much of the fluff as possible and focus your time on things that move your program and recruiting forward fastest. 

4. Manage distractions.

If you’re working on a computer, keep your phone as far away from you as possible.  

If you have trouble staying off social media, use Freedom or another app that blocks websites.  

Minimize distractions, you’ll focus better, improve the quality of your work, get your work done faster, which will free up your time to coach your athletes more. 

5. Have a similar schedule every day.

Most successful people have repetitive schedules.  

Writers write at the same time and place every day.  

Coders often do the same.  

Design your perfect day, then execute it almost every day. 

You might think that as a coach that isn’t possible.   

You should structure certain parts of your day for productivity, and leave the rest to allow for the flexibility you need to work with your student athletes.   

6. Eat the frog.

This term refers to doing your most painful and important tasks early in the day.  

Doing so makes you work when your mind is freshest and makes it so you’re not anxious throughout the day from dreading doing your most crucial tasks. 

7. Exercise and eat healthy.

Your body is a machine. It needs regular tune-ups and high-quality fuel.  

Never sacrifice your health for a goal.  

Make it a priority, and you’ll be significantly more productive. 

8. Take breaks.

Everyone’s mind works differently, but working in spurts and then taking breaks seems to be effective for most people.  

Try the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off), then adjust it based on your preferences and results. 

9. Follow the 80/20 principle.

For most people, roughly 80% of the results they get come from 20% of the actions they take.  

This applies to coaching, recruiting, fitness, and many other things.  

Find that crucial 20%, double down on it, and explode your results. 

10. Reflect at least once a week.

Sometimes, coaches get lost in their daily tasks and forget to take a high-level view.  

Don’t fall into this trap.  

Create time to reflect, analyze, and improve so that when you get back to daily execution, your effort has a higher ROI.

As always, I am here to help if you want to go over how to set up these principals for yourself. 

To your success this fall, 

Mandy Green