You can easily get side-tracked and do menial tasks or check emails, most of which are not important, or you can tend to phone calls, which veer away your focus from the most important things.
How many interruptions do you experience every day? And by the end of the day, do you find that you are exhausted just from disruptions and disturbances?
Your time is your life, and the most valuable asset you have. Success is not measured necessarily by doing a lot of things, but rather in doing fewer things which are the most important, and doing them well. Once you complete such tasks, you often experience an extra burst of enthusiasm that drives the rest of your day.
Unplug for a period of time daily – A combined study conducted by UC Irvine and U.S. Army researchers found that spending time away from work email significantly reduces stress and enhances one’s ability to focus. So unplug from your social connectivity for at least 2-3 hours, a couple times daily. Use that unconnected time to plan and execute your most important tasks of the day or simply find some peace and quiet in meditation.
Work in 90-minute cycles – Your brain can only focus for 90 to 120 minutes before it needs a break. Hence, work in cycles of 90 minutes with short breaks in between to maximize productivity.
It is not how much you do, but what you do. Less is more.