Everybody experiences the same problem at one time or another. The challenge of how to get as much as possible done in 24 hours. Some people are twice as productive as others in the same time period. They have magical ‘Mary Poppins’ powers that means they can get everything and more done in one day without dropping the ball on any of their projects.
After an ultra-productive day you leave the office with an immense feeling of satisfaction. What 
if you could have that every day. With the right guidance this can be totally achievable. The simple trick is not longer hours or trying to cram more into one day, but working smarter and more efficiently. Here at Adzuna HQ in South Africa we put our heads together to come up with 11 ultra-productive career hacks that can transform you from zero to hero.
1. Never Deal With Things Twice
A huge-time waster is starting a task then coming back to it later. Ultra-productive people deal with it as soon as it comes to their attention. Either handle it right then and there, pass it on to someone else, or delete it.
2. Leave The Office With Tomorrow Prepped
Always finish each day with the next day ready prepped. This is hugely productive as it draws a line under what you achieved today and sets tomorrow up to be a productive day. It doesn’t take long but is very effective.
For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned. —Benjamin Franklin
3. They Eat Frogs
This might sound very weird but it’s a great ultra-productive hack for avoiding procrastination. “Eating a frog” means tackling the most undesirable, least interesting tasks done first thing each morning, then the rest of the day will be freed up to do your favorite, exciting tasks. Sayonara procrastination!
4. Fight off the ‘Urgent’
There is always going to be something super urgent that has to be done right away. But if you’re not careful, days or weeks can pass with the really important stuff left untouched. Productivity ninjas prioritize the completion of important tasks and a forward momentum. They work with blinkers on and do not get distracted by putting out fires which can be ignored or delegated.
5. Create a Meeting Schedule
Meetings can be a black hole for productivity and time efficiency. Creating a clear plan of topics and time-based schedule will act as a huge motivation for people to stay on track. This way so much more can be achieved in a much shorter time.
6. Just Say No
Everybody loves a ‘Yes Man’ but sometimes ‘No’ is a much more powerful word. If your the type of person who says ‘yes’ in an attempt to please everybody, you are likely to increase your stress and burnout; a huge no-no for productivity. Saying ‘No’ allows you to stay focused on your existing commitments and really excel at them.
7. Avoid E-mail Interruption
Productivity wizards do not allow themselves to be interrupted every 2 minutes by their email. Create an email checking schedule and use features which prioritize emails from your most important clients or superiors. This way you are not distracted from your projects and you can make replying to emails more efficient my tackling them all in one go.
8. Say No To Multitasking
A study by Stanford University reveals that those who pride themselves for being multi-taskers are actually are not as productive as those who tackle one task at at a time. This is because they find it more difficult to filter out relevant information, are slow to switch from one task to another and are easily distracted. Those who really excel at productivity take one task from start to finish before starting the next task.
9. Go Off The Radar
Don’t be afraid to go off the radar if you have to. Sometimes a really important project demands that you go totally off the grid so that you can focus. Give you number to someone you trust, make them your filter and instruct them you are not to be contacted unless it is an absolute emergency.
10. They Delegate
Ultra-productive people are not afraid to delegate. Trust your team and get to know everyone’s strengths and qualities. You cannot do everything yourself.
11. Ultra-Productive Technology
Technology is guilty for being one of the key distractions at home and at work. However there are many genius apps and platforms that can help your productivity. Evernote is great for synchronizing everything from your to-do lists to you calendar and much more on all your devises. Apps like IFTTT, ‘puts the internet to work for you’ and alerts you when something important happens.