30-second Hacks for Career & Finance

Hack #1
    As soon as you wake up in the morning, think about the top three things on your priority list for the day.  "Once you've identified what's important, you'll often find it's not many things," says Josh Davis Ph.D. and author of "Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done."  This also helps with accomplishing those tasks because you've already singled them out.  Also, since you can easily get bogged down the entire day by the small stuff, like email etc., you have to make sure to block off at least two hours for accomplishing these three tasks.
Hack #2 
    As soon as you get out of a meeting or jump off a conference call, spend 30 seconds writing down the most important points.  Even if you took lots of notes during the meeting, spending these few seconds after the meeting will help you pinpoint the most important takeaways-and prioritize what you must do next.  If you need help training yourself to do this in 30 seconds, you can use "30 Second Habit", an app where you can jot down those important habits with a timer built in.
Hack #3
     We've all heard the expression time is money.  You can truly figure out what your time is worth by visiting the link below.  It's a calculator designed by mathematician Spencer Greenberg, cofounder of Rebellion Research hedge fund, to specify what your time is truly worth.  This calculator also provides you with tips on how to spend your time more effeciently based on your personalized value.  "Knowing the value of your time allows you to make better decisions and helps you make them much faster," Greenberg says.
Hack #4
    The next time you're caught oogling some cute animal pics on the internet, tell your boss you're actually increasing your productivity.  According to Hiroshi Nittono, Ph.D and director of the cognitive psychophysiology laboratory at Hiroshima University in Japan, cute animal pics evoke positive emotions which make you want to lean in and see the fine details of such pics.  This heightened attention to detail can carry over to your work. 

References:
1. Bender, R. (2015, September 17). 30-Second Hacks For Boosting Your Career And Finances. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
2.http://programs.clearerthinking.org/what_is_your_time_really_worth_to_you.html#.VhQBIPlVikp