The Productivity Hacker Tim Ferriss Shares His Tips

We recently had the opportunity to interview Tim Ferriss, one of the most productive people on Earth and author of The 4 Hour Work Week, The 4 Hour Body, and The 4 Hour Chef. Since we all could use a little more productivity in our lives, here are some pro tips from the master himself:

Tim‘s tips on how to be more productive have been published extensively. You’ve probably heard the basics (don’t check your email too often, put down your phone, avoid interruptions, etc.) but here are some concrete tips and recommendations he shared with us:

• Operate on Paul Graham‘s “Maker Schedule.” Block off large portions of your schedule for concentrated time to work.
• Prioritize the things that make you uncomfortable or uneasy. They’re usually the most important thing, and you should get them done.
• Use Evernote. Offload the mental tax of having to remember stuff to your “external brain.” Evernote lets you store notes, handwritten documents, videos, audio or almost anything and lets you easily search it.
• Use Boomerang for Gmail to make email follow-up a breeze.
  • If you send an email and need a response that isn’t coming, this web app automatically reminds you when it’s time to send a follow-up. Offload more mental tax and make sure your email doesn’t fall on deaf ears.
  • When you know you’re going to get lots of responses to an email, but you can’t handle them immediately, Boomerang allows you to schedule an email for the future.

If you’re interested in more productivity tips from Tim, check out his book, The 4-Hour Work Week.

Watch Tim’s New Show

Tim has a new show, The Tim Ferriss Experiment, premiering this Sunday, December 1st, at 8PM on HLN.