It’s easier than ever to connect in today’s world. At the same time, all of these social media channels can quickly become a distraction. Between the hundreds of emails we receive, the daily blog posts we like to read, and the constant stream of information from Facebook and Twitter, we can easily become distracted and have nothing to show for our time at the end of the day.

Michael Hyatt is brilliant when it comes to leadership, productivity, and influence. He is a guru of sorts because he has accomplished great things. So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw his post about getting super focused to accomplish great things popped up in my feed.

In the post, Michael shared tactics that enable him to be better focused, especially when important work needs to be done. Several of his ideas resonated with disciplines I have established. I thought I’d share a few I’ve found to be beneficial.

Here are three key insights from Michael’s post that I’ve found to be helpful as I work toward becoming more productive in my own work.

1. “Block off time on your calendar.” This is really good advice. If I don’t fill my time, someone else will. I never thought this was true until I started intentionally blocking time off. Suddenly, I had more time for the things I needed to get done.

2. “Take email and social media offline.” As hard as I try sometimes, I get distracted when new mail arrives or see a social media update on my phone. It immediately takes me out of “my zone” and slows me down. It’s better if I just shut all of those things down. I’m amazed how much more productive and focused I become.

3. “Set mini-goals.” I get overwhelmed by big tasks. Sometimes that makes me delay or procrastinate. When I take a big project and break it down into steps, it becomes possible and doesn’t seem as scary. I know as long as I’m checking those mini-tasks off the list then I will eventually complete the project.

Accomplishing something great every day isn’t easy, especially if your days are busy meeting and connecting with others. But once you get in the routine of disciplining yourself to focus it becomes easier and easier.

What other productivity tips do you have for accomplishing great things?