How to stay focused and productive without getting burnt out

How to stay focused and productive without getting burnt outHow to stay focused and productive without getting burnt outAfter growing my business to nearly 7 figures and managing over a dozen employees, I have realized that mastering the art and science of focus and productivity is far mora counter-intuitive than one would expect.Despite the advice that you hear on social media to Hustle, Grind, and Work 16 Hours a Day, the science, and my personal evidence show that this advice is horseshit (pardon my French).When you boil it down to the basics,focus and productivity require two things Time and energy.If you have 16 hours of work to complete but only 12 hours in which to do it You are screwed.Likewise, if you have 16 hours to complete 6 hours of projects but you dont have the energy to get out of bed You are alsoscrewed.With this in mind, here are my 5 tips for staying focused and productive without burnout.*Note There have already been some great responses to this question so I wil l do my best to provide unique insights that extend beyond the Pomodoro technique, eating that frog, etc. However I STRONGLY recommend all of the tactics mentioned in the Answer Wiki*1. Stop over extending yourself a.k.a. DO LESS WORKOne of the biggest ironies of productivity and success is that achieving more often requires that you doless.But before you ignore this point and roll your eyes at the computer screen, I want you to hear me out.Doing GREAT work requires that you are selective about WHAT work you do.Productivity requires that you have sufficient amounts of time to do everything and like I said, you cannot cram 16 hours of work into 12 hours No matter how hard you try.Not too long ago, I noticed that one of my employees (who at the time was a subcontractor) performance was slipping.When I confronted him about the issues with his work, he told me that he was exhausted and overextended.And when he showed me how many projects he was juggling I wasnt surprisedHe had become ca ught in the trap of doingtoomuch to doanythingeffectively.I told him to relax and suggested that he cut back on his obligations and remove any clients who werent paying him what he was worth.He followed my recommendations and doubled his income by doinglesswork but doing that work at a greater level.Most people, especially entrepreneurs and freelancers tend to bite off more than they can chew because they want to make quick cash.Sure this might be a great tactic if you need to make up rent money or pay the IRS, but in the long term your work will always suffer, your clients will leave you, and you will be more stressed and less productive than ever.The bottom line?Do less work and do it better until you are paid more for your time.2. Focus on your happiness before you focus on your productivityNew York Times best-selling author ofThe Happiness Advantage,Shawn Achor reveals some interesting data in his book.The one that caught my eye the most is that happiness and fulfillment are the best predictors of success and productivity NOT the other way around.So what does this mean?It means that if you want to be more productive and successful, you should focus on your happiness firstI know that this probably sounds completely backwards to many of you, but the science is in and one of the quickest ways to boost your productivity is to boost your happiness.So how do you actually go about doing this?Personally, I recommend the followingWrite down 5 things you are grateful for professionally and personally every single morningStart meditating for at least 20 minutes a dayWatch standup comedy and other funny content during your free timeSpend more time with people you like and cut out toxic individualsGet out in nature3. Exercise, eat clean, and sleep hardLookSht happens and sometimes, you will need to work overtime and push hard in order to make ends meet and achieve your goals.These times are just a part of the human experience and shouldnt be seen as something negative. HoweverWhen times like thisdohappen, your health and diet are normally the first things to sufferWhich is ahugemistake.Remember earlier how I said that all productivity and focus require more time and energy?Well, almost ALL of your energy is derived from your activity, diet, and sleep.Which means that they should be one of your biggest priorities.Even though these activities take moretime,they give you moreenergyallowing you to operate at a higher level throughout the rest of your day.Here are a few tips to optimize each.Just eat real food Cut out the processed crap, gluten, sugar etc.Sleep at least 8 hours a night in a blacked out room with the thermostat set to 67 F (if you have trouble falling asleep drink a glass of decaf tea with one TBSP of raw honey and 2 TBSP of apple cider vinegar)Exercise for 60 minutes 3x a week, preferably lifting heavy weights and doing HIIT cardio. Every day you should walk for 30 minutes and get in a brief7 minute workoutDrink 3 cups of coffee a day but do so before 2 p.m. and cycle off of it every 2 weeks so you dont build a tolerance.4. Do the RIGHT things with your down timeWhile I was looking at some of the other answers in this thread, I noticed a common theme Almost everyone suggests that you take more breaks to maximize your down time.HoweverI also noticed that very few responses tell youwhatto do when you take these breaks.Heres the thingIf you are taking regular breaks (as you should be) but you are spending them surfing on social media, watching porn, playing video games, or pounding beers, your productivity and health will suffer.You need to do the right things to make the most of these breaks.What are the right things?Glad you asked.ExerciseMeditateReadConnect with someone else (not social media)Walk outside in natureTake up a hobby or arbeitsgertDo things that will force you to grow and keep your mind and body active, the goal here isnt total relaxation (thats a necessary thing but different from a break)5. Compare backwards not forwardsMost people I know who suffer from high levels of burnout, stress, and anxiety have one thing in commonThey compare themselves forwards instead of backwards.What do I mean by this?Well, when these people have a bad day at work, say they lost a deal, were forced to fire an employee, or struggled to meet a quota They compare their performance to how they think itoughtto be (their future ideal) instead of comparing themselves to how theyusedto be.Now you might be thinking, Andrew, what the hell does this have to do with productivity but hear me out.Your productivity and focus, as we have already talked about, is largely determined by your energy levels and the amount of time that you have for a task.Now how much energy and time can you expect to have when you are constantly beating yourself up and comparing yourself to unrealistic ideals and expectations?Ill answer for you Very Little.And when you regularly entertain these thought patterns, you start to slowly ch ip away at your happiness and general contentment in life (which fucks up point 2) resulting in even less energy and motivation to get things done.So if you are serious about your productivity, then you need to stop wasting time comparing yourself to who you think you should be.Instead Be grateful and look at how far you have come.When you take a step back and look at your journey, you will be filled with gratitude and you will put your problems into perspective, eliminating burnout and increasing your ability to perform and focus.Hope this helps.Andrew Ferebee, the founder ofKnowledge For Men, is a 3x Amazon best-selling author and host of a top ranked podcast with 4.5 million downloads. Hes interviewed 400+ top experts like T. Harv Eker, Robert Greene, Steve Harvey, Grant Cardone, Bob Proctor and Gary Vaynerchuck to help men reach higher levels of success, freedom and fulfillment.Thiscolumnfirst appeared atQuora.