Maintaining some sense of work/life balance is crucial. Even the most successful Fortune 500 leaders and executives spend an average of an hour and 45 minutes each day on personal projects or tasks that are important to them, from gardening to gaming.

Taking time for personal projects

Early hours are important because they tend to be free of most distractions and give you an opportunity to get focused. An early start will allow you to squeeze in more time for reflection, breakfast, exercise, and getting a jump-start on communication.

Get an early start on the day

Handle email and communication to stay productive:<ul><li>Be concise in every response to reduce the time spent on communication.</li><li>If a response has the potential to require a discussion, make it a phone call instead.</li><li>Schedule time for emails. Leaving the email open all day creates constant distractions.</li><li>Only spend time on communication when it’s scheduled. Block out small windows throughout the day to respond.</li><li>Hire a full-time or virtual assistant to handle your communications for you.</li></ul>

The distractions of daily communication

5 words to live by for your next meeting: "Short, focused, and standing up."To kick things off and keep things on track, always provide an agenda in advance of the meeting.

Taking control of meetings

Breakfast is a crucial part of getting a strong start each day, especially if your morning routine includes exercise. Add a balanced, protein-rich breakfast to your routine and reap the health benefits, such as:<ul><li>Balanced blood sugar levels, which helps maintain your energy throughout the day</li><li>Improved short-term memory and mood</li><li>Faster recovery and renewed energy after workouts</li></ul>

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Some of the ways you can be productive during your commute include:<ul><li>Catching up on podcasts or listening to business-related audio books</li><li>Hands-free calling to get a head start on critical or time-sensitive issues</li><li>Reading and responding to emails (for those who use public transit)</li><li>Researching and preparing for presentations</li></ul>

Better use of the commute to work

The first few hours after waking is the time when your brain is at its sharpest and you’re more likely to stay on task. That’s why you need to focus during early hours on the highest-priority items of your to-do list.During that time, tackle important tasks and projects while holding off on emails, calls, and texts until lunchtime.

Eating the Frog

Teamwork is essential in meeting productivity goals.Team effort is important for any company with multiple employees to thrive, and it can significantly impact business strategies and productivity. The most effective leaders directly engage their teams and spend a good chunk of their time supporting employees and encouraging them to succeed.

Creating structure with a winning team

When you're in charge of a business, you're all too familiar with that feeling of racing to catch up. But no matter how hard you push or how much you work, you never seem to reach the finish line. There's always more marketing to do, more emails to send, another meeting around the corner, more prospects to qualify...