Imagine a life where you can work less but get more done.
So many of us waste time on things that don’t matter or lack efficiency when doing the things that do matter.
Brendon Burchard has shared what he calls the 5×50 productivity formula, which explains how you can get more done in less time. We’re going to give you a summary of what he shared to help you become more productive.
1. 50-Minute More Sleep
There’s no right amount of sleep that each individual should get. Some people can thrive off 6 hours, while others may need 7 to 8 hours per night.
According to the Sleep Foundation, 45% of people in the U.S have said that lack of sleep has affected their daily routine in the past week. Which means that chances are, 1/2 of you reading this could use more sleep.
Try squeezing in an extra 50 minutes of sleep on a consistent basis by either going to bed earlier or waking up later (for those of you that can afford the luxury!).
2. 50-Minute Morning Blocks
There are many studies that show that the morning is when we’re the most creative. This is because willpower is limited, and we should take advantage of this by doing our most important work first in the morning.
Instead of rushing to respond to your emails, we should treasure our mornings to reflect on what’s coming up for the day, and create a strategy around how we can be the most effective.
3. 50-Minute Block Times
One of the biggest reasons why we’re not able to find time to learn something new or work on our passion projects is that we’re still relying on “to-do lists.” According to Kevin Kruse, a bestselling author who studied billionaires, entrepreneurs, and Olympic athletes, the one thing these top performers have in common is: they schedule their priorities.
Putting things on your calendar and setting a specific timeline to it allows you to focus on just one thing that’s important to you, instead of being in reaction mode.
We can only get so much done when we’re constantly putting out the fire instead of strategizing for the long term.
4. 50-Minute Breaks
How often are you taking breaks while you work?
There’s a diminishing effect that we all experience after a certain period of time. If you’re a Type-A person then it’s natural to want to push through it, thinking that you can get more done without taking breaks.
But our creativity, focus, and willpower will suffer if we don’t stand up once in a while and walk around.
One tool that we recommend using is the Pomodoro Technique.
Here’s how it works:
- Choose a task to be accomplished.
- Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
- Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
- Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
- After four Pomodoros, take a longer break (15-30 minutes)
5. 50-Minute Renewals
At the end of the day, leveraging strategies to become your most productive self can only go so far.
All of us need to schedule time to renew ourselves on a daily basis. Some of us can do this through meditation, for others it could be working out, or it could even be done through journaling to reflect on your day.
There’s no perfect solution for renewing yourself, you’ll need to experiment to figure out what works best for you.
Bonus: The 1-Page Productivity Planner
Another tool that Brendon has created is the 1-page productivity planner. It’s a one-page template that helps you prioritize what’s most important during your day. Screenshot this planner and try it out for the next week.
