Technology is both boon and bane. No doubt that the Internet and smartphones, have given us incredible gifts: unlimited knowledge and connectivity at our fingertips anytime and anywhere.

In spite of these great technological innovations our lives seem to be getting harder and more stressful. The reason is our dependency on gadgets and technology to the point where it’s become the opposite of what it was intended to do – make our lives better. Certainly, it’s convenient, but for many people, it has become an addiction. And as the saying goes addiction of anything is not good.

Below are some statistics from a survey which are thought provoking.

• 66% of smartphone users said they sleep with their phone next to them.
• 21% of smartphone users would give up their shoes for a week instead of their phone.
• 21% of smartphone users said that they would rather go a week without seeing their significant other than give up their phone
• 34% of smartphone users regularly check their email at the dinner table.

Since as entrepreneurs we all are busy, connected and so deeply dependent on technology that we can’t go away without it, and somewhere it is building up stress, fear and anxiety. And so now we know that we have a problem and the first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging it and the second step is work on it to fix it.

Here are top four productivity hacks that are surprisingly simple, and yet incredibly effective.

1. The Email Trap: If you stop checking your emails first thing in the morning it would make you 30% more productive right from the day one? Stop checking at your email in the first 60 minutes of the day. 90% of entrepreneurs wake up, grab their phone, and check their emails. By doing this, you let other people’s needs and wants dictate your life. Stop doing this and better take out time for some yoga exercises and meditation which will help you stay focused and energized for the whole day.

2. Health: Staying healthy is very important, because a healthy brain resides only in a healthy body. Health can be divided into three separate areas: Food, water and exercise.

Food is fuel for your body. Fast food fills you up but it’s not healthy, so you should change your eating habits and switch to have a well-balanced diet full of vegetables, fruits and salad.

Drinking water, is one of the fastest productivity hacks around. Every high-performance coach talks about it. Instead of drinking alcohol, tea, coffee, soda, switch to water. Within a week, you’ll feel a difference in how feel yourself energetic and productive. You’ll have more energy, better sleep and more productivity than ever. Try it and see.

We all know the benefits of exercise, so why is it we find every excuse not to do it. A simple 10-15 minutes of exercise or yoga helps you stay in shape, feel energetic, stay active and feel better.

3. Confirmation email: We often think that the greatest pull on our time are clients, but what is often overlooked is the frenemy. Colleagues that are seemingly on your side, but are taking advantage of your time and energy. They are the ones who pawn off their most difficult, challenging tasks to others. They appeal to people’s kindness and ask them if they can “help” them with something. What they often mean is, “Can you do it for me?” But they know that doesn’t fly so they resort to sneakiness. Ask your such colleagues to put their request in an email and tell them that you will respond by a confirmation email and you will see that the tasks that had been thrown in your lap and taking up much of your time, suddenly getting vanished. People will eventually stop asking you to help them, because they couldn’t be bothered. It’s amazing just how powerful this technique can be.

4. Chunking: Essentially, it’s doing two tasks at the same time, but no, it’s not multitasking. Multitasking is dividing your energy between two or more tasks, which is counterproductive. Chunking is combining two activities together that don’t detract from the other.

Here are some examples of chunking that work for me:

–      Having a meeting while walking

–      Stretching while watching TV

–      Doing breathing exercises while sitting in front of your computer

–      Listen to an audio program while driving

And there you have it, the four most effective productivity hacks for the busy entrepreneur. Easier than you think, more powerful and effective than you realize.

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Also published on Medium.