People are super careful with what they say when they know they are being recorded. It’s the same with email

The biggest factor that impacts how productive I am is my mood, along with the setting around me. I try to get a lot done when the “let’s get it done!” energy hits me.

A lot of what I do is growing business relationships and closing deals. When I get great feedback from a client or I close an important deal, I feel energized. So instead of celebrating my “win” by relaxing, I utilize that time to continue working. Then I can knock out most of my task list in one energized sprint session. This lets me control how I utilize my moods instead of letting my moods control me.

My other tip for fellow C-level executives is pretty basic: Learn to let go of perfection and delegate. You’ll achieve your “big picture goals” more consistently if you’re not bogged down by administrative tasks that could easily and happily be handled by another teammate.

—Jonah Blumenthal, Chief Marketing Officer, TypoDuctions

IN this busy, busy world we live in — where home has become the office and messages are constantly coming in from all corners — the work/life balance has become much more of a challenge. I’ve found a way to help me rise above the chaos.

Every day I leave my phone behind and head to a quiet spot, preferably in the woods, where I talk to Hashem for at least 60 minutes. I tell Him all my dreams, desires, needs, and problems. I ask him for guidance and clarity and success.

This 60-minute session has been the highest priority in my day for several years already. It’s what gives me clarity and productivity. The serenity I get from this daily meditation sessions helps me be far more productive for the next 24 hours.

If 60 minutes a day isn’t feasible, try it for 20 minutes, but not less. LEAVE YOUR PHONE BEHIND, take along your favorite drink, breathe in deeply, and talk with Hashem. Or just be quiet. Do this for a few days in a row, and you’ll see what happens.

—Avi Nussenzweig, Regional Sales Manager, Fidelity Payment Services

I start my day at the office at 7:30 before anyone else arrives. When I come in with everyone else, things get hectic quickly and I don’t have time to plan ahead for the day and take care of my own tasks. When I come in early, the time is mine. The days that I don’t make it in early, I feel it throughout the rest of the day.

—Eilish Wertheimer, Vice President Sales, The Slingshot Guys

It’s important to identify what you love most about your work. Usually this is something you connect with and look forward to doing. When you feel unproductive, doing what you love is a great way of getting back into productivity mode.

Breaks are also important. Even a 15-minute break to clear your mind is very helpful; this helps you reset and come back to the task with a clear head. Sometimes we push ourselves a bit too much and it works against us. Take a step back and you’ll be able to get back to whatever challenge you’re facing with a more coherent mind.

—Libbi Cohen, CEO Amber Media Group, Lakewood, NJ 

BE organized and systematic and you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish. As a CEO of a busy design firm and a mom of seven, every minute of my day matters and must produce results.

With so much on my plate, I had to come up with a solid system to keep me on track.

When I get into the office, I write a to-do list for the day with the estimated time it will take me to complete each task. (Over time, I’ve become better at estimating my time.) I then map out an hour-to-hour list and set an alarm on my phone for the end time of each task. When the alarm goes off, it gives me a jolt. If I’m nowhere near done, I know I need to work faster and smarter. When I see that I can’t complete an urgent task, I delegate more.

—Shany (Teller) Kaufman, CEO, ICO Design Group

Before You Press Send

Question

With work emails, texts, and WhatsApps seeping into our personal lives at all hours, boundaries can become blurred. Is there ever a place for casual — even sloppy — business communication?

Answers

There isn’t.

Habits grow quickly and you don’t want to get into the habit of treating your work email like casual email. How you communicate with your personal email and phone is your own decision to make. How you communicate when you are an employee is not.

Take the time and effort to review every email you send. Check it for basic grammar and spelling. Make sure it delivers the exact message you intend to communicate.

People are super careful with what they say when they know they are being recorded. It’s the same with email.

Emails are recorded in writing and can come back to bite you in the future. This is why you should never send an email to anyone when you are angry. Even drafting such an email can lead to sending it in error. You will regret it! Go ahead and vent if you must, but not in an email.

—Eli Garfinkel, President, PlaceMint Agency

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 950)