Ok so maybe I can't quite measure my productivity that accurately but I'm recently discovered a highly effective yet totally counter intuitive way to improve productivity. Over the current week I've gotten so much more done and actually ticked about twice as many things off my todo list as normal. I'm even about to tick off those important business building items that usually get buried by urgent problems and fire fighting.
Before I start a lot has to be credited to Simpleology and how it's helped organise my life. I started using it about 6 months ago and haven't looked back. You can read my previous Simpleology review here if you want to find out more.
The new technique that sounds stupid till you try it
I got this nugget from Eben Pagan of Get Altitude and Wake Up Productive fame. If anyone knows about productivity it's a guy who built a 20+ million a year company starting in his bedroom on a laptop. He surprisingly also has some good ideas about making money as well but we won't go into that.
Anyway... the technique. It's based on working within what's called your ultradian rhythm. This is a natural rhythm that determines how long your brain can stay active without rest (at least in my layman's understanding).
Basically it insists you have to take regular breaks from your work to be more productive. Now it may sound stupid... work less to achieve more? But after trying it this week (and then not doing it properly) I've found it's incredibly powerful.
Here's how you do it
You work for 2 hours and then take a 30 minute break. In that break you eat a small meal and totally switch off from work. That means no checking email, reading, studying marketing materials 
or anything.
This gives your body and mind time to recharge so you're much more productive during those 2 hours. Of course you also have to choose the right tasks to complete during the 2 hours and ensure you stay focused on them (turn your email and phones off!). This is where I find Simpleology comes in useful and these systems work well together.
Get hydrated
Something Eben also talks about is how dehydrated most people are. He suggests drinking 2 glasses of water immediately after you wake up to rehydrate yourself and start the day off well. I've found this has got me through the "OMG I want to go back to bed I'm so tired!" phase and I assure you I'm not a morning person.
I've also been drinking a glass of water at every break and sometimes more in between. I kept notes in my diary to make sure I got up to 8 glasses of water a day which is the suggested amount (generally). It'll send you to the bathroom a lot in the beginning but your body will adjust quickly.
Ensure you're in a peak physical state
At the end of the day our businesses rely on one person for their results... us! If we're not performing at our peak then no one else is going to either. So we need to focus on increasing our effectiveness.
I've heard for years I should exercise in the morning and have done it in little spurts. However I've never really committed to it... until now (at least exercising every day at this point). By exercising in the morning we let out those natural happy drugs and ensure we can reach our peak state.
It doesn't have to be hard exercise either... a simple walk around block is a good start. My goal has been to go to the gym in my building every day. Note I didn't say work out every day... I said go to it 
Because I know once I put my foot inside the door I'll at least do something. And if I start doing something then I'll probably do more. Just take it in baby steps and you'll naturally grow to love your exercise time (take your iPod and make it fun).
The results
On Monday and Tuesday I followed my schedule exactly and felt great. On Tuesday I actually ticked every single thing off my todo list which never EVER happens. I so greatly improved productivity and was sold on the system.
On Wednesday and Thursday I had some phone calls I needed to make in the morning to the US which threw me off my schedule. I also didn't go to the gym in the morning and decided to go later while also skipping breaks. The results showed in my todo list at the end of the day.
Late on Thursday afternoon I realised what had happened and how I'd been skipping my breaks. Feeling fatigued I made myself take a 30 minute break. After 10 minutes I was feeling much better but held out for the full 30. I ended up leaping back into work and getting a lot more tasks ticked off.
But don't take my results for it. Try it for yourself and see what happens. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
What you do next
Break your work day into 3 or 4 blocks of 2 hours each with a 30 minute rest in between. Spend your rest period relaxing, eat a little bit and drink some water. Also start your day with 2 glasses of water and see how you feel.
Once you've set this part up consider adding exercise. But the important thing is to make some positive changes and not to overwhelm yourself. Also don't beat yourself up if you miss a break... just try to remember next time.
