10 Great Achievers - 10 Productivity Tips

In order to be an effective and successful individual, you need to be able to produce and deliver excellence and quality in everything. The only way to do this is to invest heavily in your personal development. According to businessdictionary.com, productivity is

A measure of the efficiency of a person.

In this post I am going to be sharing some productivity tips from 10 well known great achievers. It’s great to be able to connect with and learn from people that have a measure of success in their lives, and hopefully imbibe one or two things that will help encourage, motivate and push you on your journey.

1. Productivity Tip from Oprah

Focus on and give full attention to each task or project. Oprah’s approach is to complete one task at a time, and be fully present and focused on that one task.

Here’s an excerpt from her interview with writer J.J McCorvey. The full interview is a long read, but well worth it.

I have learned that your full-on attention for any activity you choose to experience comes with a level of intensity and truth,” she says. “It’s about living a present life, moment to moment—not worrying about what’s going to happen at 3 o’clock and what’s going to happen at 7 o’clock.” In other words: focus. “That whole thing about multitasking? That’s a joke for me. When I try to do that, I don’t do anything well.

2. The productivity tip from Bill Gates is in the area of decision making.

Bill advises that you should work towards making the right decision the first time, and not have to revisit it again.

The idea is to put in the work at the beginning of the decision-making process. Do your research, gather all necessary information required to make an informed decision, weigh all possible options, and receive counsel as necessary.

After the leg work is complete, then you will be in a better position to make a decision.

The quote below is from the book “The Essence of Bill Gates Life” by Isa Singh, and it sums it up nicely.

Don't make the same decision twice. Spend time and thought to make a solid decision the first time, so that you don't revisit the issue unnecessarily.
If you're too willing to reopen issues, it interferes not only with your execution but also with your motivation to make a decision in the first place. After all, why bother deciding an issue if it isn't really decided?

3. One of Lori Greiner’s tips is simply ‘do not give up’.

Nothing great comes easy. Whether is with family, at work or school. If you want to live a meaningful and impactful life, you have to also be willing to put in the work.

Below is a quote from Lori

As an entrepreneur, you can always find a solution if you try hard enough.

4. Be ready to change your approach when necessary

The Peebles principle #4 from R. Donahue Pebbles book “The Peebles Principles” is

If the key is not working, be prepared to change the lock. If that lock does not work, try the window.

You have to be willing and prepared to change your approach, and not spend more time than necessary on an idea or approach that is not yielding results.

– R. Donahue Peebles (from the interview with Brett Graff of Ocean Drive Summer 2007 edition)Never quit. That's the overriding strength of the successful entrepreneur. Sometimes things don't go well, but you don't necessarily have to change the idea, but rather your approach to the idea.

5. Live a balanced life

In order to be truly productive and efficient, we have to learn how to live a balanced life. One of Michelle Obama’s productivity tips is to stay organized.

~Michelle Obama (cnbc.com)I have to be as organized about my life as I am about my work.
I have to plan my happiness.
That's the thing, we think happiness just happens and it can,
but you've got to work in some happiness too,

6. Stay Focused

Tyler Perry encourages us not to spread ourselves too thin, in an attempt to juggle too much at any one time. In order to live a balanced life and to be productive, you have to prioritize, and let go of some things.

~ Tyler PerryIf you spread the water across many, many seeds you don’t have as much water for one seed. So focus on one thing. Make it your priority. Stick with it, no matter what.

7. Never stop learning

Indra Nooyi reminds us to never stop learning.

An important key to remaining a productive individual is to never stop learning. Never get to a point where you think you have finally arrived, and that there is nothing else to learn or no improvements to make. There is always, always, always room to improve and be better.

~ Indra NooyiJust because you are CEO, don't think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization. I've never forgotten that

8. Avoid distractions

Mark Cuban’s number-one productivity tip is to minimize phone calls and meetings whenever possible, and stick to email because it is more efficient.

Here’s a quote from his interview with Entrepreneur

~ Mark CubanI don’t like to do a lot of meetings and phone calls because of the productivity hit,” he tells Entrepreneur. “Only if you’re writing me a check, I’ll do a meeting. If there’s a problem and we need to solve it, I’ll do a call. Other than that, I keep communication limited to email. It’s more efficient.

9. Think and plan on paper

One of Brian Tracy’s productivity tips is to think on paper. The idea is to plan your day ahead, and write down your goals on paper, then assign priority to each item on your list.

~Brian TracyTake a piece of paper and write down everything you intend to do. Include everything, even your plans to eat a healthy lunch and workout, prepare dinner for you and your family, every detail.

10. Stay physically active

One of Richard Branson’s greatest productivity tip is exercising.

One of the benefits of regular exercising is that it improves your mental health and mood, which makes a difference in your productivity level.

~ Richard Branson (From his blog) Keeping active is a huge part of my life. I seriously doubt that I would have been as successful in my career (and happy in my personal life) if I hadn’t always placed importance on my health and fitness.