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Hey there,
Last week, I was on a call with Sarah (alias), a solopreneur from my Whatsapp community.
She was pulling 14-hour days, juggling client work, admin tasks, and trying to balancing her side-hustle along little time left for family and personal time.
“I’m working harder than ever,” she told me, “but I feel like I’m getting nowhere. How do you manage to get so much done and still have time for yourself?”
Sound familiar?
Sarah’s story is one I hear all too often.
And it’s one I lived myself not too long ago.
But the truth is – true productivity isn’t about doing more.
It’s about achieving more of what moves the needle.
Today, I’m sharing the 3 game-changing strategies that helped Sarah (and me) double our output while actually working less.
No hacks. Just solid, proven methods you can start using today.
1. The Power Block Method
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Identify your 2-3 peak energy hours (for Sarah, it was 9 AM-12 PM).
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Fiercely protect these hours. No meetings, no emails, no distractions.
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Use this time for your most important, high-impact work only.
Pro Tip: You can a tool like Pomodoro timer or an alarm to keep you focused for 25 min increments with 5 minute breaks.
2. The Batching and Theming Technique
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Group similar tasks together (e.g., all email responses, all client calls).
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Assign specific days or time blocks for these batches.
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Theme your days (e.g., “Marketing Mondays,” “Finance Fridays”).
Why it works: You’re minimizing context switching, which can eat up to 40% of your productive time.
I helped Sarah implement this technique and she now batches all her client calls on Wednesdays and Thursdays. She’s freed up three full days a week for deep work and strategic planning.
3. The Shutdown Ritual
1. Review tomorrow’s calendar and to-do list (5 mins)
2. Choose your top 3 priorities for tomorrow (2 mins)
3. Clear your desk and close all browser tabs (3 mins)
4. Write down any lingering thoughts or ideas (5 mins)
5. Say a specific phrase to signal the end of work (Sarah chose “Time to recharge!”)
Why it works: You’re giving your brain permission to disconnect, leading to better rest and a more focused start the next day.
Here’s what to do next:
For the next 5 workdays:
– Implement the Power Block method
– Choose one category of tasks to batch
– Follow the Shutdown Ritual
After 5 days, you’ll have concrete data on what’s working for you.
These strategies work, but the magic happens when you adapt them to your unique rhythms and needs.
The goal isn’t to fill every minute. It’s to make every minute count.
Now, go make it happen.
Till next week,
Noemi
P.S. Got questions? Struggling with a specific productivity challenge? You can join our free whatsapp community here and get help from others on the same journey (and myself!)
