I know, this is crazy. If you can create the most important rule, why are you reading so many books, blogs and even any more tips on this site?
The reality is that more than ten years ago when I begin using tricks to be more productive, the most important and significant where all those tricks that I create and put in place.
Doesn’t matter how you do it, what you do, when you do. Doesn’t even matter if that productivity rule is not that productive. The important is that works for you and make you more productive.
i.e. I think it was around 2004 when I decided that I wasn’t going to skip lunch anymore. If you need to meet with me at lunch time, you need to invite me for lunch. The first time I told my boss that I do not have meetings at my lunch time unless he paid for lunch, he look at me like I was insane. The first time was hard, as where the ones after that. I don’t have that problem anymore, if you want to meet with me at my lunch time, you need to provide me with lunch, otherwise, begin the meeting before (and make sure is done by lunch time, otherwise, I will leave the meeting) or after lunch. This is one of those really important rules, that I create and without a doubt had make me more productive.