Eight Business Leaders Share Their Views on Unnecessary Productivity 'Tips'

There is a lot of good trading advice, but there is also an equal amount of useless advice. While many people think they have the answers, only you can know what's right for your business. However, sometimes it can be difficult for new business owners to know which tips are helpful, leading to costly mistakes.

Below, eight members of the Young Entrepreneur Council each describe a productivity tip they disagree with and why, and instead offer alternative tips they think are more worthy of your attention.

1. One-size-fits-all tips don't fit all

I personally don't support most universal advice. We are wired very differently when it comes to motivation and productivity, and this is especially true for leaders and entrepreneurs who exist to buck trends. My big breakthrough came when I stopped trying to listen to specific advice. Instead, I started treating my productivity much like meditation. I have a goal in mind that I am committed to. At all times, I am either working effectively towards that goal or I am not. When I realize I'm not, I slowly refocus, keeping track of what derailed me. I'm always distracted, but I'm very good at grasping that and refocusing. This skill is much more important than how I keep my lists of goals and tasks. - Alex Furman, guest

2. Working on your hardest task first isn't always the most effective

Working on a difficult task means you put aside a lot of other tasks just to complete the most important (and possibly the only) task you will do that day. On the other hand, completing the most difficult task could mean completing smaller tasks that would actually lead to completing the difficult task. While it's rewarding to finally accomplish a big task in a day, it could lead to procrastination, like giving excuses for not doing anything at all, knowing that you're only aiming to finish the one big project. Then you are missing details because you just did it all in one go. It's best to work on the most difficult task one day at a time to see if you can still add, fix, or tweak things. While doing this, also find ways to manage other smaller tasks. - Daisy Jing, Ban

3. Work-life balance trumps old-school standards

The pandemic and globalization have shown us that people can be very efficient when working outside the office and not always during the old nine-to-five hours. Employees with a better work-life balance will always perform better than those who are stressed, feeling like they are working in a box. However, it will take flexibility, transparency, and proper project management tools between manager and employee to do it right. - Andy Karuza, NachoNacho

4. Outsourcing doesn't always save time

Outsourcing can be ideal for many tasks; How? 'Or' What...