Here’s a simple tip that I’ve used over the years to increase my productivity:

Do absolutely, positively, whatever it takes to break your routine for one week.

It’s amazing – as soon as I break my routine up a bit, my creativity soars.  All of a sudden, taking a step back or away from the things that are constantly in my face afford me some perspective.

For some people this could mean taking a vacation.

Maybe it’s just taking a different path to or from work.

Quite often for me, this happens when I travel for a seminar.

Once I start to break those patterns, I immediately gain some clarity or insight into something that’s been bugging me.

Here are two practical examples:

1 – When I traveled to Australia this past February, I had almost two full weeks to reflect on the first six months of IFAST:  What we were doing right, what we were doing wrong, and most importantly how to improve it.  Obviously it helps being surrounded by great minds like Simon and Paul from Centrality, but the “space” helped me clear my head and really get focused on the tasks at hand.

2 – This week, I’m taking a week off from training and the gym to focus on some projects that I’ve been putting off.  Most importantly, I’m working on a presentation that examines the differences between single-leg and bilateral lifts.

If I was in the gym everyday, or in my normal routine, there’s no way I’d be able to get this done.  But by affording myself some free time, and lifting the restrictions that a routine imposes, I think I’m going to pull something together that’s not only insightful, but hopefully improves the coaching/training profession as a whole.

So that’s my productivity tip for the day – you guys have anything you’d like to share?  If so, leave it in the comments section below!

All the best

Mike