Why do some people seem to get the most out of their day while others don’t? Learn how you can get more out of your day, smash your to-do list without burning out at the end of the day.

Do you know you can increase the number of hours in a day, every single day?

No, it has nothing to do with the supernatural or anything of that sort.

But it has everything to do with getting much more out of your day than you used to.

How do you mean, you ask?

It is astonishing how much time is wasted every day, engaging in fruitless activities.

Let’s be honest with ourselves: how much time do you spend on Instagram or reading up on the day’s news or checking your notifications and status on Facebook?

Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes?

Sure, you may not spend that much time at a stretch. But, remember “A little here…a little there…?” I’m sure you know how that sentence ended.

Check the total amount of time you spend on social media, and you will be shocked at how much time you have wasted.

And the next day, the circle repeats itself. Day in, day out.

What about replying every email that pops into your inbox?

There’s nothing wrong in replying to all the emails you receive but check how long it takes you to do that.

If you are an employee and all your colleagues go through the same daily rigmarole or ritual, your boss will soon be out of business, and you will be out of a job.

Note though that not all these tactics will work for you but pick one or two that do and apply them in your daily life.

Smart Tricks to Get More Out of Your Day

However, if you want to get more out of your day, you can take leverage on these productivity hacks.

You’re here because you want to get more out of your day. Let’s get to it:

Wake Up Early

“Hey, only farmers who want to milk their cows wake early!”

But there is no law against a corporate official waking up early to tend to one or two things before others wake and begin to demand for your time.

It is all about self-discipline that will yield results. And if results are what you’re seeking, then you need to start your day by waking up as early as possible.

So, set your alarm to 4:30 am; that’s right; it’s not a typo. This is not something that will happen overnight but make conscious efforts by working at it.

You may start by waking up by 6:00 am; then after two or three days, try and get off your bed by 5:30 am, and so on.

Don’t Check your SmartPhone First Thing in the Morning

Do not be reactive to your smartphone. The first hour of your day is likely to be the most productive and will set the tone for the rest of the day.

So, start your day from a place where you control what you do.

This will help you to liberate a lot of cognitive energy that will help you to enhance your focus on activities that will yield quantifiable results at the end of your day.

So, ignore any texts that may have come in overnight and make sure that the first hour of your day remains highly productive. But that can only be possible if it is a distraction- and interruption-free.

Spend No More Than 15 Minutes Per Day on Social Media

Getting immersed and lost on social media is too easy these days; all you wanted to do is to send that birthday message to a friend’s Facebook timeline.

Then you saw a notification that piqued your curiosity on Instagram, and a what about the new movie trailer uploaded by MovieAccessTrailers on YouTube?

Wow! And before you know it, you have spent a considerable chunk of your time, hopping from one social media platform to the next.

As great as social media sites are in this day and age, no one can argue with the fact that they can waste a tremendous amount of time and you won’t even feel it.

Block some social media platforms from your smartphone and computer. You can search for and use an app for that.

If you must visit any social media platform, set a time limit of 15 minutes max. So that you can be more productive, you can always visit the platforms on your way home at the end of the day.

Disable All Notifications on Your Smartphone

This point is so important; it had to be mentioned separately. The world will not end if you don’t respond ASAP to that WhatsApp message or return that call you missed when you visited the john.

Turn off or disable all notifications – including push notifications – on your smartphone so that you will not be distracted by that “ping” sound it makes when someone posts a message on social media.

Do the same on your tablet and computer. If you must leave a few notifications on, let them be those for appointments or meetings.

Schedule Time for Emailing

Emails are important; that’s why you have an email address. However, you need to make up your mind when to send or respond to email as this will give you more control over your time.

This is more effective and useful if you are a remote employee. Nevertheless, even if you are not, you can still apply the principles of scheduling at least 30-minutes to 1-hour blocks of time to attend to your email.

Doing this will give you more time to focus on what is needful at all times.

Final Thoughts on How to Get More Out of Your Day

On a final note, give no room for screen time in bed, i.e., no phones, no tablets, no laptops or even TV for at least 30 minutes leading up to your bedtime.

These smart tricks will do wonders for your productivity – but only if you follow them religiously.