How to Gain 2 Extra Productive Hours a Day

Written by Derek Pankaew

What if you could have two extra hours a day, to do whatever you want with? Two hours a day to write articles, to work on backlinks, to setup split tests, to film videos, to do whatever you need to do to take your site to the next level.

In a typical 8 hour work day, studies have shown that most people really get in just 4 hours of productive work in. That’s not including lunch breaks.

How can you take the hours you have in a day and squeeze out more productivity? Here’s how.

Richard Branson’s “Secret Technique”

Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Records & Virgin Airlines) was once asked what his #1 tip for increasing productivity is. His answer? “Exercise.”

Branson found that whenever he exercised, he added about four hours a day to his productivity. Anytime he doesn’t exercise, he immediately notices a difference.

In his book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” John Ratey states example after example, clinical study after clinical study showing exactly how exercise helps the brain reduce stress, improve memory, improve intelligence and improve overall productivity.

The moral of the story is this: Working out, even just for 15 minutes a day, can help add a significant amount of productive time to your bottom line.

Write Out Your Plan Before You Start Your Day

A technique advocated by motivational speaker Brian Tracey is to “Plan your day, then your week and plan your month.”

A day that’s planned out will always be more productive than an unplanned day, especially if you’re self-employed. When you’re working on your own, it’s so easy to get distracted, since you’re not accountable to others and there aren’t other people you’re collaborating with.

Planning your day will help you guide your day for maximum productivity.

Just 15 minutes a day invested in planning can help add as much as 1 to 2 hours of productive time to your day.

When you’re planning your day, make sure to plan exactly when you plan on doing your work and when you’re taking breaks. Make a list of all the things you intend to get into the day.

Eliminate Facebook, Email and Chats

If you’re interrupting yourself left and right to check your email 10 times a day, how can you ever expect to get anything done?

Pick a start time and an end time to your work day. Whether that’s an hour or eight hours, make it official. Then, when you’re in your “work time,” don’t check Facebook or your email at all.

You’ll be shocked at just how much more work you get done when you’re working straight through an hour, instead of interrupting yourself constantly. The difference is astounding.

These are three easy ways to add extra productive time to your day. If you apply all 3, you’ll easily gain at least two hours a day in productive output.

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