Productivity is one of those things that seems easy, but it's actually hard. We’re humans, and we suck at getting stuff done sometimes. So let’s talk about the keys to insane productivity that can work for you.

The KEYS to INSANE productivity

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My history with productivity

I’ve never been formally diagnosed with ADHD, but I’m 99% sure that I have it. And because of that, I’ve struggled with productivity my entire life. If I don’t do the things I’m about to tell you to set myself up for success, then I am NOT productive.

Last week, I was so productive that I had to really re-evaluate what I needed to put on my calendar for the upcoming week. Because I got SO MUCH DONE.

My sister-in-law has been a stay-at-home mom for 17 years now. And sometimes I’ll call her and she’ll tell me that she hasn’t been able to sit down all day but also doesn’t know what she got done. And the truth is, you can be working ALL DAY all the time and feel the same way if you don’t set out specific goals.

Productivity isn’t just “doing the things” – it’s doing the RIGHT THINGS, and figuring out what you can do that actually matters.

Productivity is working toward the RIGHT things that move us toward our future goals – and help us live more and work less.

We shouldn’t have to work 60 hours a week because that’s how long it takes to get us to move toward our goals. There’s a way to streamline the process.

I put out a bajillion pieces of content every week. I also manage a team and work towards other goals for my business like programs and products. And I NEVER feel like I have to work an insane amount of hours to get it done because I have these keys to insane productivity.

Let’s compare two people really quick. If you have a self-employed person A who is working, working, working all day but doesn’t know what their actual goal is for that day versus person B who knows exactly what they’re working on and toward that day… Person B will work less AND meet their goals faster.

5 Keys to Insane Productivity

1. Reverse Engineer Your Goals

This is the one where people fail, and it gives you the exact steps to know what you need to do that day.

Reverse engineering your goals is all about setting a GOAL where you want to be in a certain amount of time and then breaking down all of the steps that you need to accomplish to get there.

Maybe you want to make $100,000 next year. Then you need to break down what that looks like every quarter, every month, and give yourself SPECIFIC instructions week to week.

If I want to make $100,000 this year, then I need to make $25,000 per quarter and about $8,300 per month. Now ask yourself HOW you’re going to make that much money in a month. Are you going to launch a product, get a new client, create a service, or something else?

Then, you need to figure out what THAT takes. If your $8,300 next month comes from bringing on two new clients, what does it take for you to get those two more clients? Maybe you should follow up with people you’ve spoken to in the past, looking to clients for referrals, or networking.

Now you can break that down even further so you know EXACTLY what you need to be doing each week and even each day to reach your goal. That can help you prioritize what’s important for your goals and set aside the things that aren’t.

If I was going to leave you with just one tip, then it would be reverse engineering your goals. This one is a massive key to spending your time appropriately.

2. Live more, work less style of working

This is the tagline to my YouTube channel and a big belief of mine. Live more, work less.

I love working. That doesn’t mean you’re only working two hours per week. Sometimes, I spend my free time planning stuff for my business! But I NEVER want my work to stop me from living my life.

The live more, work less method is all about prioritizing the non-negotiable, personal things. Those should ALWAYS go into your calendar first.

If I know I spend the first hour every morning journaling, mediating, and stretching, that goes in my calendar first. If I know that at least 4 days a week when my kids get home, I’m not working, THAT goes in my calendar first. Maybe it’s my kid’s birthday and I’m taking the day off to get ready for their party, that’s going in my calendar first.

You have GOT to embrace this live more, work less schedule. I don’t want you to sacrifice the life that you want for the sake of productivity. Because you don’t HAVE to do that.

3. Find another hour somewhere

Find one hour that you aren’t currently using on your calendar and use it.

This isn’t as hard as it sounds! Just one more hour. That additional hour is going to be different for everybody, and it might be different every day.

Having my kids home threw my entire schedule off-kilter for awhile. My normal day was getting up when my kids got up, doing breakfast with them, scrolling on my phone for an hour, exercising, and then working from like 10 AM – 3 or 4 PM.

Above and beyond anything else I could have done, I could have just cut out that morning phone scrolling time. But what I have decided to do is wake up about an hour earlier (at 5:30 AM) and let myself have those early morning hours to prepare for my day.

So I didn’t find that hour and then use it to get all the tasks done. I’m using that hour to serve me in a way that sets me up for success the rest of the day. Because I’m awake, then I’m ready to be productive the second my kid’s walk out the door.

Waking up that extra 45 minutes early is giving me back about 3 WHOLE HOURS in my day. That’s a massive return on investment.

Your extra hour could be in the afternoons, evenings, or even on the weekends. Maybe you spend 45 minutes every Saturday and Sunday morning to week, and now you’ve got an extra 1.5 hours back in your week.

4. Plan your days and weeks AHEAD of time

Instead of just jumping into each day and thinking about which tasks you need to do, plan those out in advance. Take some time on Friday afternoon, Sunday evening, or even Monday morning and schedule out your week.

When you’re planning, you need to revert back to key number 1 and reverse engineer your goals to figure out exactly what tasks you need to accomplish weekly and daily.

Things will ABSOLUTELY happen that throw off your plans. And that’s okay. You can totally move things around when you need to. But the act of planning them ahead of time is KEY to actually getting stuff done.

5. Feel your best

Letting yourself feel your best impacts your productivity majorly.

This means PRIORITIZING SLEEP, people. Get those recommended 8 hours every night and it’ll make a massive difference.

And eating right also makes a huge difference in how you feel. I have started eating a lot better and paying attention to what my body needs. If you’ve ever done that, then you know that your body takes a minute to catch up and figure it out. So you might drag for a few days, but the change as a whole is worth it.

When you aren’t feeling your best, then your productivity level is going to be way lower. And without a shadow of a doubt, when you’re feeling your best then you can accomplish ALL the things.

If I sleep well, eat better, move my body every day, and drink enough water, then I feel SO good. And when I feel good, I can bust through all of my to-do lists super quickly.

I hope this was MASSIVELY helpful for you! You are totally capable of being more productive using these keys to insane productivity. And if you want more content just like this, then you should 1000% join my Hustle & Grit Club membership.