newbie
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Here are the tools I use.
I have a weekly to-do list, and I rewrite it every week. Imagine drawing a line down the middle of a page from a legal pad. At the top is the date - "Week of: _____". On the left is all the stuff I want to do this week. I'll put a star in front of the really high-priority stuff. On the right I draw a line roughly midway down the page. In the top quarter is stuff I may need to buy in order to move forward. In the bottom quarter is my "parking lot" - stuff that needs to get done, but not this week. The goal is ANYTHING that is on my mind goes on the to-do list, either for this week, or in the parking lot. NOTHING slips through the cracks. I should NEVER wake up at 3 a.m. gasping, saying "Crap! I totally forgot about X!" Because when I FIRST thought about X, I added it to my to-do list that very moment, so I wouldn't forget.
Google calendar for all deadlines and appointments. Mine is set up to give me 40 minute reminders, and I will add in one-week and 2-day email reminders too.
Pomodoro Technique. First, do your little stuffy-stuffs, like go to the bathroom, get a drink, the things that will have you popping out of your chair every 5 seconds if they're not done. Then, sit down, and set a timer for 25 minutes. That's it, just 25 minutes, not 4 hours. You can do ANYTHING for 25 minutes. So, work for 25 minutes. When the timer goes off, set your timer for 10 minutes. Refresh your water, do a few stretches, let the dogs out, then sit back down and set your timer for 25 minutes again.
TURN YOUR PHONE OFF. I mean it. I run a business, and I have not answered my phone in about 6 years. WE HAVE VOICEMAIL! You are NOT expected to be on call. Every single person can go to voicemail 100% of the time. This does 3 things. Firstly, it sets their expectations that you are NOT at their beck and call. Trust me, I used to have clients calling me at midnight (and like a fucking chump, I took their calls every time, thereby training them that I WAS at their beck and call). So train that shit right out of them NOW. They can leave a voicemail like everyone else. Secondly, when they leave a voicemail, now you can prepare. They are giving you an idea as to what they are calling about, so you can pull their file or get the answer to their question - you're not totally blindsided. You look like a well-prepared superstar. And thirdly, you get to work without interruption. The same goes for texts and emails. DO NOT ANSWER right away. Check messages, texts, and emails 2 to 3 times a day. That's it. That is PLENTY. If you are doing more than that, you are being totally inefficient, wasting your time, and managing your business poorly. Yes, the little notification on your phone is annoying. But if you have to drop everything to get that little number off the corner of your messaging app, then the machines have won, you are subservient to a fucking phone, sell your business because you are a prisoner to a little message icon on your phone and you can't move forward in your day. Come on, break the habit!
I'd say "stay off Reddit" but here I am... heh... so I guess my advice is that we have to be realistic. Let's set our timers. 25 minutes of Reddit, then boom, back to our bursts of 25 minutes of work. It helps to customize your subreddits so you don't have as many front page distractions.