Have you ever said ‘there are never enough hours in the day?’ Do you ever feel like you just can’t get it all done, even while working 12+ hours? Well you are not alone. We need to increase our impactivity™ through super-productivity.

Productivity is NOT about doing more, it is about doing less. Less of the things that don’t matter and more of the things that energize us and help us achieve our goals.

When we wake we are all given the same amount of time every day. Time doesn’t care how old, how rich, where your farm is, what you grow or how long you have been farming; time doesn’t care. Time doesn’t decide how it will be spent, you do.  We need to make great choices around time and the real secret to super-productivity is the 15 minute rule.

Michele has great strategies for using the 15 minute rule for social media and I want to build on that concept. Here are some additional ideas of things that can be achieved when you begin to think in 15 minute increments!

Create time. While we often can not find an additional hour in our day we can definitely find 15 minutes. Choose to create time by rising 15 minutes earlier or going to bed 15 minutes later.

Make time in time. Review the activities you are currently completing that can possibly be combined with other related activities or delegated to someone else. Some may call this multi-tasking; I prefer to think of it of cleverly using all aspects of time. If you are waiting for an appointment, take reading material with you or write a letter while you wait.

Decide now. Choose to work on one task or activity for 15 minutes only. I bet you will be amazed how much you can achieve in 15 dedicated, concentrated (not multi-tasked) minutes. Your life is so full, our attention so scattered that we don’t often apply focus for a full 15 minutes on many tasks! You might surprise yourself and complete it!

Eliminate time robbers. Identify activities that ‘fill up’ your day. Each time you waste your time on an activity, phone call or lack of system or process, it is another 15 minutes you could be investing somewhere else.

Arrive early for appointments. This allows you to catch up on reading journals, papers, write thank you notes, make a business call or just review your quarterly targets. You already need to be at the meeting so try arriving 15 minutes earlier to focus on activities that don’t require you to be on the farm or in your office. In your personal time, try arriving at the gym earlier to do your abs routine or collecting kids from school as a time to sort through your mail.

Phone free. Switch your cell phone and/or desk phone to voicemail for 15 minutes and allow callers to leave a message while you complete an important task.

Ignore email. If you are going to be in the fields for extended time or away set an out of office message for people to help manage their expectations. Email is best checked in 15 minute increments 3-4 times per day.

Clear your inbox. If your email feels out of control, dedicate 15 minutes daily for one month to clean it up, file it, sort it, delete it and unsubscribe.

Designate time. Schedule weekly time in your calendar to complete certain tasks; filing, paying bills, unsubscribing from junk mail, checking online accounts, ordering supplies, or contacting a family member.

Here is a list of activities you could achieve in 15 minutes:

• Clear emails
• Make a business phone call
• Write a hand written note
• Exercise
• Make a healthy meal
• Talk to a friend
• Update your blog
• Get involved in social media conversations
• Thank a team member
• Unsubscribe from unnecessary emails
• Order supplies
• Assess your goals
• Play with a child
• Send a birthday wish
• Tidy your desk
• File
• Catch up on reading
• Scan newspapers and journals
• Write an article

Every day we get to choose how to invest our time. By increasing your consciousness of investing in 15 minute increments you will feel super-productive and achieve impactivity™ … now what can you do in 15 minutes?

Neen James, MBA CSP, is the President/CEO of Neen James Communications, LLC. An international productivity expert and native born Aussie. Neen’s grandfather was a dairy farmer and she has fond memories of time with him and on his property. Neen delivers engaging keynotes that have educated, and entertained audiences with real-world strategies that apply in all roles, whether at work or in life. Neen also provides one-on-one consulting and mentoring to women on a variety of business issues and topics. To find out more about Neen, visit her at www.neenjames.com/bio and @neenjames on Twitter.

* Sidenote from Michele: Neen is a professional speaking colleague that I am honored to call a friend. Beyond inspiring me to buy, wear and tweet cute shoes, she lives an example of making more out your time so that you can live a life in accordance to your personal priorities. I struggle with finding enough hours in the day, just like you do. These tips work – take a minute (or 15) to apply them to your own world.