In the professional space today, getting more done in less time has become a top priority for professionals, entrepreneurs, and even students. With distractions everywhere and deadlines piling up, working smarter, not harder, has never been more critical. Experts in time management have identified a few powerful techniques that help people maximise productivity without burning out. These five effective strategies can deliver results.

Pareto principle
Productivity experts swear by the Pareto Principle. This is also known as the 80/20 rule and the idea is that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. The key to working smarter is identifying the most impactful tasks and then prioritising them over low-value activities.

For instance, professionals often spend hours responding to emails, attending unnecessary meetings, or handling routine tasks. But research suggests that focusing on high-impact activities like client outreach, strategy development, or creative work, yields better results. Many successful executives schedule their day around these high-value tasks, leaving less important duties for later or delegating them entirely.

The two-minute rule
Most people procrastinate on simple tasks that could be handled in seconds, leading to unnecessary mental clutter. The Two-Minute Rule, made famous by productivity expert David Allen, tackles this problem head-on. The rule is simple: If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately.

A quick email response, filing a document, or jotting down meeting notes might seem trivial, but postponing them can lead to an overwhelming backlog. Many professionals who adopt this rule find their workflow becomes smoother, and their to-do lists shrink dramatically. Like the Publisher often say, don’t leave what you can do now for later.

Time blocking
Multitasking might seem productive, but studies show it can reduce efficiency by up to 40%. Instead of switching between tasks, experts recommend time blocking—setting aside fixed chunks of time for specific activities.

Take a typical workday: Instead of sporadically checking emails or jumping between projects, professionals who use time blocking allocate, for example, 9 AM to 11 AM for deep work, 12 PM for emails, and 3 PM for meetings. This method minimizes distractions and ensures each task gets the focus it deserves. Tools like Google Calendar, Notion, and Trello help users structure their schedules effectively.


https://guardian.ng/life/five-proven-productivity-hacks-to-get-more-done-in-less-time/