Samantha Quist (Twitter: @samanthaquist) www.samanthaquist.com If you use Gmail, use the keyboard shortcuts feature
relentlessly. I'd estimate this saves me 5-10 minutes of mindless clicking per
day, which adds up fast. I've been eating the same protein-packed energy bar
every morning as "breakfast" for the past 16 years. It makes me feel full, gives
the the nutrients I need for the rest of the day, and best of all saves me from
having to think about what to do for breakfast each day or run on no fuel. Wear
the same clothes every day. Ok, well not the exact same clothes every day. But
the fewer decisions you need to make in the morning, the faster you'll get out the
door, so standardizing your wardrobe helps a lot. When I find pants I like, I buy
multiple pairs and have been known to wear them every day for a week. This
works especially well on weeks when I meet with different people each day.
Work when you feel inspired. Stop working when you feel your productivity
lagging. Otherwise you'll waste a lot of time trying to work when in fact you're
too tired to be productive (such a huge time sink), or you'll miss opportunities to
produce your best results by doing something else at a time when you are having
great ideas about your work. Surround yourself with productive people. Try to
remember that sending any response to an email (even just a couple words) is
better than no response. Try to remember this: done is usually better than
perfect. Few things need to be perfect, so you can get a lot more done at the
expense of perfection. (Easier said than done; I'm still working on this one
myself.) Samantha Quist is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and advocate for women in technology. Dan Radcliffe (Twitter: @ivhq) www.volunteerhq.org Use your inbox in tandem with your diary to ensure you
stay on top of work and always know what you're doing tomorrow.
Dan Radcliffe is the Executive Director of the world's leading volunteer travel organization, International Volunteer HQ. In 2014, Dan was named New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year in recognition of the impact that IVHQ has made globally.
