{"id":27609,"date":"2014-09-21T20:42:06","date_gmt":"2014-09-22T04:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=27609"},"modified":"2014-12-23T13:32:23","modified_gmt":"2014-12-23T21:32:23","slug":"8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

As a hopeless daydreamer, I often laugh at my past<\/strong>. For instance, not long ago, I placed ‘Organization<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>‘ under my list of strengths<\/span>. Once I jumped into the world of entrepreneurship<\/span>, I hit the ground with a spine-shaking thump.<\/p>\n

Let me guess, you're nodding right now, aren't you?<\/em><\/pre>\n
Oh yes, we come up with the darndest things when we’re younger. I no longer consider ‘organization<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em>‘ a strength, neither in a working or personal sense. I try to be (thank you iCal<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>, Evernote<\/a>, and Wunderlist<\/a><\/em>), but each day slips through my fingertips.<\/p>\n
Yet, I’m more organized<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> today than ever before. Why? Because of my book, The Successful Mistake<\/strong><\/a>, and the 150+ wise entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed along the way.<\/p>\n
If you want to improve in this fast and furious world, surround yourself with like-minded people further along the road than you. It’s as simple as that.<\/span> Each time I chat with these wonderful individuals, I gobble up their wisdom. They’ve taught me a lot, and productivity is high on the list.<\/p>\n
I won’t say I’m organized<\/span><\/span><\/span> per se, but these 8 Productivity Tips may save your day:<\/p>\n
1: USE FOLLOW-UP REMINDERS<\/h2>\n
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from contacting 1,000 successful <\/span><\/span>entrepreneurs<\/span>, it’s the value of following<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>-up. A single email rarely works, but a second often does.<\/p>\n
Remembering who<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> to follow-up, and when is tricky, so be sure to use a tool like FollowUp<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>cc<\/a>, Boomerang<\/a>, or Sanebox<\/a>. Not only do you save time, but sanity, too.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
2: EMBRACE TEMPLATES, BUT…<\/h2>\n
If you send virtually the same email over-and-over again (like I do for The Successful Mistake<\/em>), create a template and save it in your ‘draft folder<\/em>‘. This saves precious time, and helps you avoid silly typing errors, too.<\/p>\n
BUT,<\/strong> be sure to personalise<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> every email with a short and snappy introduction. You’re not a robot, and the other person isn’t an idiot.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
3: REPLY TO EMAILS IN SHORT BURSTS<\/h2>\n
Marianne Cantwell<\/a> only checks her email once or twice a week, and Srini Rao<\/a> deleted most of his Smartphone Apps so they wouldn’t distract him throughout the day.<\/p>\n
You may not be ready for such a leap, but focussing on email in a few short bursts is something we can all do. Since doing this myself, I’ve saved so much time and stress.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
4: LESS IS ALWAYS MORE<\/h2>\n
When I first emailed these busy individuals, I felt obliged to explain who I was in great detail. I figured I had to convince them to take me seriously with a long list of reasons why.<\/p>\n
First of all, they don’t have time to read your rambling email. Second, you don’t have time to write one. Keep it short and get to the point. Greg Hickman<\/a> uses the 5 Sentence rule<\/a>, treating email like a text message. I love this, not only for email, but life in general.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
5: UNDERSTAND YOURSELF BETTER<\/h2>\n
When Ari Meisel<\/a> discovered he had Crohn’s Disease, he monitored and analysed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> his entire life. Within months, he cured himself, all because he developed a better understanding of who he was.<\/p>\n
If you want to become more productive, track what you do and don’t do, how long it takes, and how much money you spend. The better you know yourself, the more you can tweak, improve, and grow.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
6: VALIDATE EVERYTHING<\/h2>\n
Successful people spend their time wisely. Clay Collins<\/a> introduced me to validating<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> ideas, but I know many people who do it (Tom Morkes<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, Danny Fein<\/a>, Danny Iny …<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>).<\/p>\n
Before dedicating time to<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> a new idea, ensure people want it, will buy it, and that it brings value to their lives. After all, you wouldn’t arrange a meal with a friend without asking them first, would you?<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
7: RUN AWAY<\/h2>\n
Most people assume the harder and longer you work, the more you get done. True, to an extent, but sometimes you need to run away.<\/p>\n
When he lost his business, Corbett Barr<\/a> took a six-week trip to Mexico. When the property implosion hit, Desiree East escaped to Bali for six months. As crazy as it sounds, running away often helps, because it breeds new ideas and ensures you focus on the right things. In the long-term, this saves time, stress, and money.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
8: LEARN TO SAY NO<\/h2>\n
I have trouble saying no, and I sense you do, too. Successful people, on the other hand, tend to be good at it. Take Erin Blaskie<\/a>, for instance, who said yes far too often.<\/p>\n
Spiralling out of control, her business got away from her. Saying no gave her the power to take it back. It’s not to say you shouldn’t embrace opportunity, but you have to feel comfortable with turning down that invitation… that<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> coffee… that<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> Skype chat<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>…<\/p>\n
_____________________________________________<\/p>\n
I’m not organised<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> enough, but compared to a year ago… DAMN<\/strong>, life’s easier!<\/p>\n
Today, I appreciate my\u00a0time<\/span> more than ever, and hope these 8 tips help you regain some of it. What about you?<\/span><\/em> Add your best productivity tip in the comments below, and let’s see how many we can create \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
TURNDOG<\/p>\n
————–<\/p>\n
Hi, my name is Turndog<\/strong>, and I\u2019m an Author, Brand Storyteller & Speaker who spends each day Discovering, Creating & Sharing Inspiring Stories. I keep busy with lots of storytelling goodness, but at the minute I\u2019m writing THE SUCCESSFUL MISTAKE<\/a>: a book about overcoming your #GreatMistake and transforming it into your best idea yet.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve already interviewed 100+ Successful & Inspiring Entrepreneurs (click the link to see who), but I invite you to Join This Band of Merry Misfits<\/span>, and be part of the entire process: sneak peek content, weekly updates, your suggestions encouraged at all times\u2026 Oh, and if you like Free Books and a chance to mingle with other quirky entrepreneurs, be sure to say hello and Join The Fun<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Each time I chat with these wonderful individuals, I gobble up their wisdom. They’ve taught me a lot, and productivity is high on the list. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":27636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32,9,17,112,6,31],"tags":[1908,66,4639,4629,728,1270,3814],"yoast_head":"\n8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Productivity is high on my list. I won't say I'm organised per se, but these 8 Productivity Tips may save your day...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Productivity is high on my list. I won't say I'm organised per se, but these 8 Productivity Tips may save your day...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-22T04:42:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-12-23T21:32:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/8-Productivity-Tips-I-Learned-From-Interviewing-100-Successful-Entrepreneurs.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/8-Productivity-Tips-I-Learned-From-Interviewing-100-Successful-Entrepreneurs.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/8-Productivity-Tips-I-Learned-From-Interviewing-100-Successful-Entrepreneurs.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":750,\"caption\":\"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/\",\"name\":\"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-22T04:42:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-12-23T21:32:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"Productivity is high on my list. I won't say I'm organised per se, but these 8 Productivity Tips may save your day...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"Productivity is high on my list. I won't say I'm organised per se, but these 8 Productivity Tips may save your day...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"Productivity is high on my list. I won't say I'm organised per se, but these 8 Productivity Tips may save your day...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2014-09-22T04:42:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-12-23T21:32:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":750,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/8-Productivity-Tips-I-Learned-From-Interviewing-100-Successful-Entrepreneurs.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/8-Productivity-Tips-I-Learned-From-Interviewing-100-Successful-Entrepreneurs.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/8-Productivity-Tips-I-Learned-From-Interviewing-100-Successful-Entrepreneurs.jpg","width":750,"height":750,"caption":"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/","name":"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2014-09-22T04:42:06+00:00","dateModified":"2014-12-23T21:32:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"Productivity is high on my list. I won't say I'm organised per se, but these 8 Productivity Tips may save your day...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/8-productivity-tips-learned-interviewing-100-successful-entrepreneurs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"8 Productivity Tips I Learned Interviewing 100 Successful Entrepreneurs"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}