If you’re a business owner, you probably feel there’s always something more to do.
Your to-do list never seems to end, and every day, you wake up with tasks that demand your attention, whether you want them or not!
What if you could turn productivity into a habit? Not just something you do when you feel motivated, but a routine you’re addicted to — like that morning cup of coffee you can’t function without? What if productivity felt good?
The key is to start each day as if you owe a debt to productivity. You wake up in the red, and your job is to pay it off before you go to sleep.
The trick is knowing how to measure that ‘productivity debt’ and making sure you clear it daily. Here’s how you can build a lasting productivity habit and become addicted to getting things done.
Start each day owning that ‘debt’
Think of your productivity as a financial balance sheet. When you wake up every morning, you are in the negative.
Your debt is the work that needs to be done. Your goal? End the day at zero — or even better, in the green by achieving more than you planned.
How do you figure out how much you owe? Look at what moves your business forward — sales calls, marketing, product development, or customer service.
Assign a rough value to each activity and set a daily minimum. Maybe you decide that answering five customer emails is worth two points.
An important phone call with a new vendor is worth five. Completing your upcoming marketing plan is worth ten points.
Set a goal of ‘paying off’ twenty-five debt points and measure each activity accordingly. When you mentally frame your day as a debt to be repaid, procrastination feels like falling behind on bills, and no one likes being in debt.
Set a non-negotiable daily minimum
To make productivity a habit, you need a non-negotiable daily minimum.
This isn’t your stretch goal — it’s the minimum productive work you must complete before calling it a day.
Have a baseline that absolutely must be met. Whatever it is, commit to it — no excuses. Over time, this minimum will become automatic, just like brushing your teeth.
Make productivity measurable
Vague goals kill productivity. “I want to get a lot done today” is a worthless ideal.
Instead, track real numbers such as emails sent, sales closed, social media posts scheduled, and hours spent in deep work.
Use a simple tracking system. It could be an app, a whiteboard, or even a sticky note where you check off completed tasks.
The key is making sure you can see, at a glance, how much of your ‘productivity debt’ you’ve paid off for the day.
Gamify your productivity
If you want to get addicted to productivity, try turning it into a game.
- Set daily streaks and see how many consecutive days you can hit your minimum productivity goal.
- Reward yourself when you hit milestones. Perhaps a nice dinner when you complete 10 days straight.
- Compete with yourself by trying to ‘beat’ yesterday’s numbers.
Your brain loves rewards, and if you make productivity feel like winning, you’ll crave the next success.
Eliminate decision fatigue
Every morning, you waste valuable mental energy deciding what to do first.
To eliminate this guesswork, create a morning productivity ritual.
One advantage of wearing a uniform is eliminating the need to consider what you will wear!
Start each day the same way—maybe you review your top priorities over coffee, tackle the most challenging task first, or dedicate the first hour to focused work.
The less you must think about getting started, the easier it becomes to dive into work automatically.
Use the Two-Minute Rule
Procrastination loves small tasks. You see an email but think, “I’ll reply later.”
We've all experienced it at one point or another - later turns into never.
The two-minute rule helps break that cycle. If a task takes two minutes or less, do it now.
Don’t overthink it; clear it off your plate.
These tiny completions add up, keeping your productivity momentum going throughout the day.
Treat productivity like a muscle
Like working out, productivity is about consistency. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Start small and build up. If you struggle to focus for long stretches, begin with 25-minute productivity sprints.
Over time, push yourself to go longer and get more done. Also, just like muscles, your productivity needs rest.
Burnout is real, and working nonstop isn’t sustainable. Take breaks, get enough sleep, and recharge to return stronger.
The goal isn’t to work yourself into the ground—it’s to build a system where getting things done is second nature.
Starting each day ‘in debt’ to productivity, setting measurable goals, gamifying the process, and staying consistent can turn productivity into a habit you can’t live without.
Before you know it, getting things done won’t be a chore — it’ll be your new addiction. And in the world of business, that’s an addiction worth having.
Should you get started a little earlier?
I’m sure those of you who are night owls will immediately be turned off by this suggestion; however, most research does show that rising early contributes hugely to both your results in life and your health.
Armed with those facts, I recently read ‘The 5am Club’ by Robin Sharma. The fable details the story of an entrepreneur and an artist who learn the benefits of planning their day effectively from a business tycoon and his mentor. Through the story, diagrams and charts included in the book detail how starting early and planning your day can deliver huge results across many areas of your life.
Although primarily focused on an early start to the day, the book also offers other suggestions for maximising one's life results. It strongly advocates preparing for sleep correctly, including reducing electronic devices in the evening.
How you prepare for sleep will enormously impact the sleep results you get once your head hits the pillow. In addition to how you start the day, the book delves into how to work effectively during the day.
A productive day works best with 60 minutes of intense, focused work and a 10-minute break to rest and recharge, walk around, or deal with other issues, such as fellow staff members or emails. This process can then be repeated.
For long-term planning, the suggested structure is the 90/90/1 method: For the next 90 days, schedule the first 90 minutes each day on the one task that will have the biggest impact on your results.
Too often, we are distracted, attempting several tasks at once, and achieve nothing. This method determines your outcome and keep it top of mind until it is completed.
The book also discusses the need to tightly protect your five primary assets – mental focus, physical energy, personal willpower, original talent, and daily time.
Use time wisely by taking the opportunity while commuting to listen, watch or read educational content rather than mindless social media or confrontational talkback.
Protecting what goes into your brain is crucial, particularly in this modern world where social media can encourage extensive periods of time-wasting and constant online outrage can negatively affect your mental well-being.
In addition to a 90-day focus, the book discusses the ‘daily five’ concept, identifying the five achievements that would constitute a successful day. By defining this each morning, you can establish a quantifiable definition of success for the day ahead.
Contrary to the ‘old formula’ that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, the book advocates that creating a new habit will take 66 days. This consists of 22 days to destroy the old habit, 22 days to install the new one, and 22 days to integrate it as part of the routine.
I’m not in the habit of preparing book reviews; however, I found this one to be particularly valuable in terms of the message and the practical tools it provides.
If you’re looking to improve results in various areas of your life, put this book on your reading list.
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