22 Marketers Share Their Favorite Tactics That Help Them Stay Productive

Staying productive at work all day is not easy. We all have found ourselves getting distracted or feeling not so motivated on a work day. However, we all want to stay focused and maximize our productivity to achieve the most from our workdays. So, we have curated a list of advice from 22 marketers who will share their one favorite tip that helps them stay productive. 

 

Raluca Toma, SocialBee

What helps me stay most productive at work is actually the Pomodoro Technique (because tomato slices are easier to stomach than the actual tasks, right?).

I often find myself caught up in those little distractions that often derail my whole workday (don’t we all…). This gamified goal-setting method helps me stay productive and optimistic regarding my efficiency and productivity at work.

I think that the secret to accomplishing more lays in our ability to reward ourselves with little breaks, without letting the guilt of not being productive enough overwhelm us. In fact, I find greater joy in being able to focus solely on the task, then enjoy a 5 minutes break and then go back to my task again. This method also helps me break down complex projects into smaller tasks, allowing me to feel relaxed at work. It also helps me pair up my tasks and focus on what has to be done.

Lastly, this method helped me become more mindful of how I invest my time.

 

Anna Mroczkowski, MASV

Energy levels are essential when staying productive and continuing a flow state.

I listen to my body’s energy levels by following the 90/20 rule. The 90/20 rule helps maintain my energy throughout the day. Spend 90-minutes on a specific task, followed by a 20-minute break. During the 20-minute break, you can choose an activity that relaxes your mental state. For example, as a remote worker, I will often sit outside. 

We work best when we listen to our body’s energy levels. That is why I also pair the 90/20 rule with scheduling my heavier tasks at the beginning of the day when I have the most energy. So, for one week, why not test out the 90/20 rule for a week and see if it works for you!

 

Uwe Dreissigacker, InvoiceBerry

With an ever-increasing choice of options to waste your time, it became a major skill in recent years to actually stay productive and produce good output. 

For me, my main focus is on my evening and morning routine. Whenever I nail those two, I know that I am going to have a very productive day. My evening routine involves avoiding all screens for at least 60-90 minutes before bed, reading for a minimum of 30 minutes and going to bed at a similar time every evening. This helps me to optimize my sleep, which in return allows me to have a great morning. My morning routine starts by drinking a glass of water to rehydrate, then I do a few small exercises to get the blood pumping and improve mobility. I then will go on to meditate, journal, read about stoicism and take my vitamins. 

Ensuring that my morning and evening routine is executed every day helps me to then have more energy and clarity throughout the day.

 

Corina Leslie, ZeroBounce

I find that the best way to stay productive is to recognize when I feel stale and step away from my computer for a while. It sounds counterintuitive that taking a break from work would help you accomplish more, but it’s true.

Many times, we only think we’re being productive while in fact, we’re tired, bored, and not doing much. We keep tinkering with different projects, but can’t focus on getting any work done, so we’re not making any progress. That’s when I realize it’s time to stop and do something else.

My favorite way to disconnect is by going to the gym. Switching to intense physical activity after sitting at my desk for hours gives me a total reset. I get back to my computer in a better mood. My mind is fresh, I have energy and I’m ready to tackle the next big thing on my list.

Taking a walk or talking to a friend (or doing both at the same time) also helps. But working out never fails – it’s my secret recipe for long, demanding days.

 

Samantha Hops, MarketSplash

When I am faced with a hard task at work and I am trying my best to stay productive I opt for a 10:50 approach. 

With this approach, I work for 50 minutes flat-out with no distractions and then I rest for 10 minutes. However, this isn’t your ordinary 10 minute rest. During this rest I try to go outside, or at least, get up from my desk and walk around. I try to clear my mind completely of work so that my mind refreshes and is ready to go once the 10 minutes ends. 

However I never allow my mind to go blank, on the contrary I keep it active by trying to complete a Sudoku or the latest crossword. This way, even during my break I am staying productive. How? I am enhancing my problem solving skills – a skill that is particularly vital for work.

 

Helga Moreno, andcards

The best way to stay productive as a marketing manager is to keep your team organized and on track. Make sure you delegate tasks and set deadlines so that everyone knows what they need to do and when they need to do it. 

Additionally, staying on top of the latest marketing trends will help you come up with fresh ideas and initiatives to keep your team moving forward. Finally, don’t be afraid to take a break when you need it – both you and your team will be better off if you’re well-rested and can approach work with fresh eyes. Also, you should try to work in short bursts rather than trying to power through for hours at a time. This can help reduce fatigue and improve productivity overall.

 

Santiago Safdie, InvGate

-Get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep per day

-Play sports at least 2 times a week

-Have your work tools organized and in an proper way

-Be clear about your monthly and weekly goals and try to set daily goals

-Do not abuse caffeine

-Create a healthy workspace (whether digital or face-to-face) with clear communication

 

Madhurima Halder, Recruit CRM

My favourite hacks to stay productive while working are:

Create a Checklist: A to-do list of your tasks helps you with planning your day and keeping a track of the work that needs to be done.

Don’t Multitask: There must be work piling up but doing it all at once is not the solution. Take one step at a time.

Take Breaks: Don’t overburden and exhaust yourself. I believe in taking short breaks at regular intervals so that I can re-energize myself and work with a fresh mind.

 

Dhara Tuvar, Meetanshi

Setting quarterly goals and celebrating when achieved

Being the Marketing Manager at Meetanshi, I strongly believe in defining goals and celebrating when achieved. Based on the market research, past achievements and expertise, I set the individual as well as team goals for revenue, sales, learning, implementation, output, ideas and what not! Also, at Meetanshi, we have set up performer of the month award for employees. When an individual or team goal is achieved, we recognize the awardee with prizes and teams with the dinner. 

Celebrations and appreciations keep the team motivated and productive throughout the year and push them to work dedicately and productively.

 

Tufan Erdogan, Jotform

My favorite way to stay productive is by setting realistic, short-term goals for myself. Setting short-term goals allow me to keep on track with my daily/weekly schedule. Accomplishing these short-term goals one by one motivates me to complete the entire project I’m working on by focusing on different steps along the way. Although they don’t replace long-term goals, short-term goals help me break down general projects and work on them one by one.

Breaking a long-term goal into smaller tasks is very effective in terms of staying motivated and getting the job done. This way, you can focus on different aspects of your project easily and stay productive in the process. Since sometimes long-term goals may be overwhelming, dividing them into smaller tasks is a great way to keep everyone motivated and focused on the project.

 

Luca Ramassa, LeadsBridge

Personally, I find it very useful to have a list of things to do during the workday, like a to-do list for example.

Knowing how to properly prioritize the tasks that need to be done and the projects that need to be pursued, helps me a lot in staying productive at all times.

Unfortunately, some tasks can be very time-consuming if not organized with the right strategy. I also find that the communication is very important. Making sure that not only me, but also my team is productive to the best of their abilities.

Communicating clearly, project goals and deadlines is super important to keeping the team’s productivity and organization always on an high level.

 

Sawaram Suthar, TheNextScoop

I focus on the following things.

1. Write morning notes – what needs to do the whole day and check at the end of the day.

2. Always check emails after 2 hours intervals so – I should not skip any important emails, but at the same time, I have to focus on other tasks.

3. Use productivity tools to avoid wasting time on repetitive work.

4. Always set reminders or schedule events on Google calendar so I should not miss them.

 

Miklós Kovács, OptiMonk

First, and foremost it is necessary to get rid of time management. 

You need to manage your energy and not your time to stay productive. Eat healthy food, meditate (just for 20 min a day) and workout. When your body feels good, your mental energies will rise. Consistency is crucial to productivity, start every day with 3 tasks that you need to do and if you did them be happy. If you do 3 tasks in a long run you will be way ahead of everybody.

 

Nidhi Agrawal, LeadSquared

There are a lot of distractions when we work online. Even an email notification can break the train of thoughts and take you to a completely new dimension. And result? Delays in deliverables.

To minimize distractions, I prefer working async. I.e., I reply to emails and messages on Teams and WhatsApp only once every 3 hours.

I also follow the Pomodoro technique to focus on the task at hand. For instance, 2 back to back Pomodoro sessions help me focus and finish off a piece of content easily.

I also plan tasks for the next day while wrapping up the current day. It helps me stay on track, and important tasks don’t get delayed infinitely.

 

Amanda Michaels, Referral Marketing School

Our team is always moving in different directions. Which means we are all working on multiple things at once. 

The best way for me to stay productive, is to knock out 1 thing at a time. I find it much easier to stay focused and get really good work done, when I’m not spreading myself too thin. I also really like using tools to stay on task. Asana has been a life saver for getting me in the loop keeping me productive.

 

Blair Williams, MemberPress

If you want to stay productive, just walk away – literally. If I feel a slump coming on, I get up and go for a walk. The key is to get outside. Sometimes all it takes is a 10 minute stroll around the block. The movement, the fresh air, the change of scenery – for me it’s like a magical recipe for efficiency. Plus it’s free, and it’s good for you. What could be better than that?

 

Steve Hawky, Get Results Link Building

In order to stay productive, I never work more than 1 hour without pauses on a single task, however complex it might be. If you work too long on a single tasks, you start working automatically and don’t take the time to actually think about the stuff you are doing. This way, you actually end up wasting your time, and not performing your tasks as efficient as you could be performing them. 

Taking a short break now and then can have a huge impact on your efficiency. Also, organizing your work day, both time wise and priority wise, is an absolute necessity if you plan to be as efficient as possible. For me, calendar and simple sticky notes are all that is needed to keep the productivity during the day and keep me organizing, and not wandering around my tasks aimlessly.

 

Katie Appold, Nonprofit Hub

Knowing your overarching strategy is the best way to stay productive regardless of any tactics employed. Without knowing your strategy, you can make a lot of trial and error with different tactics as different things work for other individuals. Productivity has much to do with personal preferences concerning time, space, and tools. The tactics I use to stay productive are checklists, project boards, and calendar blocking. These tactics complement each other and help me prioritize my work while providing a visual of how things will come together.

 

Ashley Cheng, Usersnap

“Is this valuable?” is a question I ask myself when I’m creating tutorial videos for users, giving feedback to my team, and prioritizing my to-do list. Asking this question helps me to gain clarity on what I need to do or say (and if I should do or say anything!)

As a product marketer in a SaaS scale-up, there are always a ton of new campaign ideas and new use cases to promote, so to stay productive and “get to the point” requires a clear mind and a clear goal. For me, one way to filter out the less important, impactful things is to do, as well as be more efficient in crafting the key message of each content piece, is to ask “Is this valuable?” And then you have to be brutally honest with yourself, if it’s a meh or donno… drop it, move on. Quality is always important, regardless of quantity.

If you can not answer the question by yourself, ask others – your teammates, your boss, and even your customers! On your landing page, you can ask the visitors “is this page helpful?” or “did you find what you’re looking for?” with an exit intent pop-up. (How? Check out Usersnap :)) You will be much more productive when you have clarity on the true value of your actions.

 

Addison Goff, Hive

As someone who works remotely most of the time, I have to be intentional about taking breaks and finding ways to refresh my brain and change up my environment throughout the day.

I find that taking a couple of 20 minute walks outside, where I am totally disconnected from work chats and calls, helps me reset and allows me to return to my desk feeling more productive and ready to focus on the task at hand. I also allow myself to take care of small things around the apartment as they come up. I may be taking 10 minutes away from work, but accomplishing a nagging task – or cleaning up around me – actually improves my mental outlook on the day. I always find it easier to focus on work when I’ve gotten those chores out of the way and don’t have to stare at dirty dishes or laundry all day.

 

Skirmantas Venckus, Sender.net

Our productivity as marketers is based as much on managing ourselves and our mindset as it is on managing our time. Here are some of the mantras that work for us more often than they fail.

Plan everything in advance. Add everything that is required to be done, to a to-do list or a calendar.

“Sharpen your axe” – upskill and study before approaching a new project.

Build a swipe file for inspiration and curation.

Consider investing in apps which make it possible for you to consume more information (books, and therefore ideas) in less time.

Follow James Clear’s 2-minute rule to break procrastination that can use up a lot of your productive time. Most things take more than 2 minutes to execute but you can almost always start doing anything for 2 minutes.

Once you start, you will almost never stop.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Break up challenging tasks into smaller, more digestible chunks.

Learn the art of saying NO when you are overloaded and you know it.

Finally, nothing helps us get really good at something new apart from putting in the reps. The fastest way to get great at something fast is to focus on showing up daily and putting in the “quantity” over “quality”, at least initially.

Hope that helps!

 

Oliver Stasinszky, LiveAgent

Marketing campaigns involve a lot of moving parts, so there is no shortage of advice on how to make the most of them, but sometimes the little things can make a big difference. 

One is to keep a positive outlook and be persistent. The day-to-day grind can make it easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, but it’s important to remember why you’re doing what you do. A positive attitude will help you push through the tough times and come out on top. 

Another favorite tactic is to focus on one thing at a time. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and unable to accomplish any tasks, complete one small task first so you can move on to two or three smaller ones. Breaking down large projects into smaller components is easier with a weekly or monthly plan. Establishing realistic deadlines for tasks brings about a sense of urgency and avoids procrastination. It also keeps everything neat and tidy so you know what needs to be done next. And lastly, taking breaks throughout the day to refresh and rejuvenate is important to maintain focus and productivity. For example, maybe after lunchtime you could leave your desk and go somewhere else for an hour or so. When finished, return to your desk refreshed and ready to tackle another chunk of work.

 

Photo: dreamstime.com