There are plenty of software solutions and tweaks that will make you more productive, but the things I do in meatspace have the biggest impact.
1) Always have a little notebook and a pen. This lets you get ideas and thoughts out of your head and onto paper so you can focus on whatever you’re doing. I always carry a Moleskin notebook and a free Commerce Bank TD Bank pen.
2) Get a whiteboard, or any surface you can write on that will be prominent and near you when you’re working. I have a whiteboard with a list of routines I check off as I go through the day.
3) Get a kitchen timer. An alarm clock or a phone timer are decent, but they’re too much work. Software is also too much work. A kitchen timer is $3-10 and lets you allocate an amount of time to a task quickly. Just twist. Make sure it’s not too loud, though I don’t recommend digital because of the added complexity. The ticking sound puts me in a hurry-the-hell-up mindset, like I’m diffusing a bomb. The perfect timer would be one that has 1 big red button that you press to countdown 1 hour.
4) Use your calendar. I suggest Google Calendar because it syncs easily with my computers, Blackberry, and it’s accessible from anywhere. The convenience outweighs the paranoia of an Internet based calendar.
5) If you drink coffee, dilute and sip it throughout the day. This is more effective than one heavy dose. If you aren’t a coffee drinker, then an energy drink will do, though the stronger ones do have a crash (despite what they tell you.) No matter what your Speed is, diluted is better than a shot. This applies to pills also. A crash will cause mental fatigue and irritation and ruin the rest of the day.
6) Print out papers you’re reading or plan to read online. This gives you a chance to catch up on your reading on the bus, and with ink so expensive, it will cut down on what you read – thereby increasing quality. I got this tip from Getting Things Done.
7) Get at least two monitors. I said no computer stuff, but this is tangible, and it’s something often overlooked. Getting a second monitor increased my productivity 10-fold. I can have my calendar or have a site, debugging tools or reference manuals open in one monitor, while I code in the other. You’d be surprised how much time you actually waste dragging shit around. Two smaller monitors are better than 1 bigger monitor.
8) Wake up at the same time daily. Staying up late feels productive, but it actually takes 2 hours to complete a 20 minute task. It’s also much harder to wake up early; Make it a challenge. We take it for granted, but did you know that if you wake up at 6 AM, you have 6 hours before afternoon? Crazy. I have a coworker that wakes up early and begins work at 5 AM. He finishes his work day at 12-1 PM.
9) If you don’t have your own office or a room dedicated for work, you need ear plugs. You can blame your wife, pet or family for bothering you while you work, but they aren’t doing anything abnormal. Distractions are to be expected, and it’s up to you to give the message that you can’t be distracted for the next N hours. This means no phone calls, no requests, no “one quick question”s, nothing they wouldn’t do if you were working in a corporate office 30 miles away.
10) Take frequent breaks. The 80/20 rule is hard to follow but will greatly increase productivity. I try to take a 10 minute break every 1-2 hours. I also try to do something completely off the computer every few hours. Work out, meditate, take a walk, etc. This helps your brain incubate and reduces headaches and eye strains you might get from excessive computer use.
Exercise and a proper diet are a given. If you feel you don’ t have enough time in the day, work on managing your time. Time management is damn hard and is something most people won’t learn until they have kids and a job.