Successful leaders don’t waste time — they maximize it.

If you want to be more successful (in your job, your business, your side hustle or even in between roles), staying focused on what matters most is critical.

Stop Getting Distracted

Distractions are the enemy of focus, but between your smartphone and your inbox, it’s difficult to stay on course and avoid multitasking.

• Do you find yourself browsing the Internet aimlessly at work? There’s a hack for that.
• The best leaders don’t do less. They just reduce decision fatigue by making smaller decisions faster and easier to make, saving hours of time every day.
• If you can’t avoid multitasking, at least train yourself to multitask smarter.

Delegate the Small Stuff

Don’t waste valuable time on things an assistant could do — or an app.

• Ditch the calendar and Post-Its and try these tools for mapping out strategic goals.
• Hire an assistant — virtually, if need be — and hand off your small-but-critical tasks.
• If you have too many emails, the problem might be you, not them. Send action-only emails and multiply your free time.

Focus on Innovation, Not Repetition

Masters of productivity tend to have one big advantage: they know how to manage their own willpower, not just their time.

• Brainstorming time is key; it helps your brain rest and churn out better ways of looking at problems. Maximize your brainstorm sessions for the best results.
• Develop work habits that will make you happier (and in turn, more productive).
• When you do find yourself losing steam, get creative about getting better.

For our latest productivity advice, check out all of our productivity posts on BusinessCollective.