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New Year, New You

If you’re like many fundraisers, in 2016 you pledged to get more done. And, get a better work/life balance. But, where to start?

First of all, recognize that you don’t have to be a superhero of organization. You just need to embrace a few super habits to make your productivity soar.

•   Declutter your workspace. If a clean slate to a more productive you is what you’re after, a clean desk will help. A study cited in the Harvard Business Review found that a clean desk helps you stick with a task more than one and a half times longer.

•   Devote 20% of your day to your most important tasks. If you spend just 90 minutes of an 8-hour day on pre-selected priorities, you’re likely to accomplish more than if you hadn’t planned ahead. 

•   Work less. Consider a study by Stanford professor John Pencavel that found that output was proportionate to time worked — but only up to 49 hours. Beyond that, it decreases. Those who put in 70 hours had the same productivity as someone who worked 56 hours.

•   Limit your agenda. Meetings should always have an agenda, but it should be limited to three items or fewer. Meetings should be followed up with minutes and action items.

•   Take a catnap. Researchers from the University of Michigan found that taking a daytime nap counteracts impulsive behavior, boosts tolerance for frustration and increases productivity.

To learn more about boosting your productivity, read “15 Habits That Will Totally Transform Your Productivity.”

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