Top productivity tips for really busy people

Write your to-do list in advance
At the end of each day, make a list of your must-do tasks in order of importance so you can get a jump on them the next morning. If you arrive at work without a list, you’ll probably get distracted.

Challenge your own habits
Have someone at your firm ask you “The 5 Whys”—a problem-solving method invented by Toyota’s founder, Sakichi Toyoda—about tasks that you perform frequently. Ask the questioner to pose a series of five “why” questions to dig down to the root reason why you carry out each task the way you do. You’re sure to spot several that you should stop doing, delegate or do a better way.

Look online to help set priorities
Assistance is readily at hand from websites such as teamly.com, where you’ll find software to help you winnow down your to-do list to the most urgent items and track your progress toward completing them.

Do the worst things first
Identify the most unpleasant item on your to-do list, then tackle it first. If you haven’t completed the item after 20 minutes, give yourself permission to return to it later. Having at least made a start on your nastiest task will give you an energy lift for the rest of the day.

Focus on what you thrive on
Compile an “activity inventory”—a tool devised by Dan Sullivan, president of Toronto-based The Strategic Coach—of everything you do during a day. Prune away as many tasks as you can that aren’t in your “unique ability” zone, which are those things that you love to do, that energize you and that generate the best results.

Make your inbox wait
Kicking off your workday, as most people do, by checking your email is not being productive. Instead, ask yourself, “Which things should I be doing that will have the most impact on my business?” Then, start with those.