Working Late? Here Are 21 Tips to Make Your Nights More Productive

This post originally appeared on HubSpot's Sales Blog. To read more content like this, subscribe to Sales.

Research has shown sleep might be the most important factor influencing our productivity. In fact, not getting enough sleep is similar to being drunk, according to studies.

Every so often, though, you’ll have a counterproductive day at work and need to pick up the slack before bed. But this situation raises an important question: If you’re going to stay up late working, how do you stay productive?

Below are 21 tips to help keep you productive into the early hours of the morning.

21 Tips to Stay Productive When You're Working at Night

1) Practice yoga or meditation.

Practicing yoga helps alleviate both stress and mental fatigue, resulting in improved productivity and a relaxed mindset. Studies have shown that stress can make us less productive. In light of the data, spending a mere 15 minutes meditating can make an immediate difference in nighttime productivity.

2) Take a break before starting.

Research has revealed that taking regular breaks prior to starting a new project can result in improved productivity. After the work day is over, a small 20-minute relaxation period can play a major role in your productivity during the next few hours.

3) Set a hard deadline.

According to Contently, working on large goals with a tight deadline results in our best work. For example, starting a project at 7 p.m. and establishing a hard deadline of 1 a.m. will improve productivity versus saying, “I’ll get this done tomorrow.”

4) Write down your goals.

Writing down our goals, according to research, immediately makes us more likely to achieve those goals. Prior to your long night, jot down the two to three most important tasks ahead of you for improved productivity.

5) Have a well-timed meal.

While caffeine can give us a mental boost, it’s food that has a direct impact on our cognitive abilities during the last stretch of a day, according to studies. Not eating can set us back cognitively, resulting in less-than-excellent work due to lack of energy.

(Here is a list of foods to eat for max productivity.)

6) Create a productive playlist.

Several studies have found that music can play a direct role in our productivity as it makes repetitive tasks less annoying, and drowns out the distracting noises of our offices and homes. There are several options for a playlist, but classical music is most likely to improve cognitive functions.

(Check out our six productivity playlists here.)

7) Don’t work in your bedroom.

Working in your bed can make your brain associate your bedroom as a place for work, not sleep, according to Lifehack. This association can result in lost sleep in the future and an inability to turn off when we go to bed.

8) Avoid watching television while you work.

Watching television while we work requires our brain to multitask, which can lead to decreased performance and an underwhelming project. Our brains work best when we’re focused on one thing at a time and giving the task at hand our complete attention.

9) Exercise before beginning.

Not a yoga person? Studies have shown that all forms of exercise can increase our cognitive abilities and overall energy. With more energy and a clear mind, we’re likely to produce better results and be more productive.

10) Drink water.

While caffeine might be tempting, a recent study found that drinking water can increase our productivity by as much as 14%. The study found that drinking water helps expand the grey matter in our brains which is key to being more productive.

11) Leave your low effort, low impact goals for the evening.

Instead of trying to accomplish an extremely challenging task at night, focus instead on knocking out small goals as you build up momentum for the day ahead. Prior to your day, run your tasks though an impact versus effort analysis to determine which tasks require little energy but add up in value.

12) Be honest about what you can achieve.

Setting overly ambitious goals can put us on a path for failure, which results in lost productivity and drained willpower. Setting realistic goals allows us to accomplish the tasks, resulting in improved morale and enhanced productivity. In short, don’t bite off more than you can chew at night.

13) Cut off the wifi.

While the internet can be enticing after a long day, blocking it will allow you to tune out distractions like social media and hone in on what matters. If you’re struggling with this, extensions like StayFocused and BlockSite can help.

14) Stand up.

Several studies have found that standing while working results in better concentration, more energy, and fewer headaches. By finding a place to stand and work at home, you can knock off your evening to-do list with ease.

15) Dress in work clothes.

Pajamas might be tempting, but studies have revealed that dressing for work actually heightens our attention and makes us more focused on the task at hand. Instead of sweatpants, try some business attire for max nighttime productivity.

16) Block out distractions.

Although it can be difficult, it’s important to stay in a work mindset to produce the best results. By avoiding the regular things we do at home for the night -- i.e laundry, cleaning the bathroom, watching TV with family -- we’re able to stay in the right mindset to be successful.

17) Have an established work space.

If you’re working late at night, it’s important to have an established work space so you don’t confuse home space with work space. Having a dedicated workspace allows our brains to associate the space with work, according to Wix, which makes us more productive.

18) Use the right kind of light.

Studies have found that our circadian rhythm can be triggered by blue light, increasing our awareness and giving us more energy. The circadian rhythm is what determines our body’s natural energy level. By looking at a blue light, we can give ourselves an energy boost.

19) Take a cold shower.

Although scary at first, a cold shower, according to research, can improve energy levels, help our body rebuild key muscles, and make us feel renewed and fresh. If you can’t bring yourself to take a cold shower right off the bat, try the 911 challenge.

20) Crank up the thermostat.

A study from Cornell University discovered that warmer temperatures decrease the amount of mistakes employees make while improving their output. Cold temperature is mostly associated with sleep, so by turning the heat up, you’re more likely to be alert at night.

21) Reach for some lemon tea.

If all else fails and life hands you lemons, make lemonade (or lemon tea). Studies have shown that the aroma of lemon improves our mood, and stimulates our bodies.

Every once in awhile we can have a slow or distracted day, requiring us to work late. While this isn’t ideal, there are a multitude of strategies we can use to ensure we retain our productivity even after the work day is over.

Have you tried any of these out? Tell us about what keeps you productive when you’re working late in the comments.

7 Powerful Ways to Make Your Emails More Persuasive

This post originally appeared on HubSpot's Sales Blog. To read more content like this, subscribe to Sales.

Communication is the lifeblood of sales and marketing. Successfully closing deals, providing value, explaining complexities -- they all rely on your ability to express yourself clearly and persuasively.

The outreach email is a special breed of writing. You only have a very small window of opportunity to capture your reader’s attention and convince them to move one step closer toward a purchase or intended action. Use these writing techniques to ensure your emails pack the most punch.

7 Powerful Persuasion Techniques to Use In Your Next Email

1) Know your audience.

Okay, so this isn’t exactly a writing tip. But it’s the foundation upon which your email’s effectiveness is built. If you don’t understand your audience -- whether it’s someone who’s hesitant to buy, or a happy customer you’d like to upsell -- you won’t be able to write persuasively.

2) Leverage social proof.

Why it works: Social proof describes the tendency to make choices based on other people’s decisions, because we believe those decisions reflect the right choices. You're already leveraging the concept of social proof through customer case studies and social proof, why not extend these efforts into your emails?

How to use it: Reference high-profile customers or the size of your customer base. If you're trying to move a potential customer towards a purchase, try pointing out how many of their competitors and peers use your product.

Examples:

• The McDonald’s slogan “Billions and billions served” calls out the company’s giant customer base.


• Yelp’s success is a result of its user-generated content: Crowdsourced reviews that leverage the power of social proof.

3) Get your foot in the door with a small ask.

Why it works: Once someone says “yes” to a small ask -- the proverbial foot in the door -- they’re more likely to agree to future requests.

How to use it: Ask your recipient a question that they are unlikely to say no to.

Examples:

• If you sell software that tracks target accounts’ trigger events, an easy way to get a first “yes” is to confirm that their sales team wants to improve their prospect outreach.

4) Include a headshot in your email signature.

Why it works: When we make eye contact with people, we feel a subconscious sense of connection. In one Cornell University study, researchers edited images of the Trix rabbit mascot, then asked adults to pick between several cereal boxes bearing different versions of the image. Participants most often chose the box where the rabbit was directly looking at them.

How to use it: You can’t make actual eye contact through email, and by no means should you include a massive photo of yourself in the body of an email -- that’ll just make people uncomfortable. But it can be easy to forget that there’s a person on the other end of your emails. Including a small headshot of yourself in an email signature is a subtle way to remind people that you’re human, too.

5) Agitate and solve the problem.

Why it works: Even if the person you're emailing is already aware they have a problem in one area or another, it doesn’t mean they’re prepared to solve it. But emotion is a powerful thing. Whether it’s subconscious attachment to the old way of doing things causing inertia, or fear of making the wrong decision, your prospect won’t always warm to your product immediately.

To convince them, you’ll often have to talk about the problem in emotional terms, then swoop in with a solution to demonstrate how you can help.

How to use it: While you should never attempt to over-exaggerate a business pain or spin one out of thin air, use the agitate-and-solve technique when it’s clear they haven’t fully conceptualized the cost of inaction.

Find out what matters to them. Is it personal professional achievement that drives them forward? A desire to grow the business’ bottom line? Then show how inaction will only worsen their current situation, and demonstrate why your product would help.

Example:

• An office supply salesperson could seek out its competitors' clients who had been impacted by late shipments. She should probe into the significance of these delays, getting prospects to talk through the immediate and ripple effects. Then, she can describe her own company's efficient service and customer support.

6) Include a reason.

Why it works: Giving people a reason why you need something -- no matter how ridiculous -- makes it far more likely they’ll do what you ask.

Psychologist Ellen Langer conducted a study in which experimenters asked to skip ahead in line at a Xerox machine. When they asked, “I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?", they were allowed to skip the line 60% of the time -- not a bad outcome.

But when they asked, “I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?”, 93% were allowed to skip the line.

Despite the fact that everyone else in the Xerox machine line needed to make copies, they complied with the request simply because the experimenters provided a reason.

How to use it: We wouldn’t recommend making up ridiculous excuses to get your prospects to sign a contract -- that’s not good for anybody. But even providing a simple explanation -- “I’d like to set up a meeting with you because I can help with X strategy” -- could pay huge dividends.

Example:

• Instead of writing, "I'd like to set up a conversation so we can discuss your project management software strategies," try this instead: "I'd like to set up a conversation to discuss your marketing strategy because we've seen similar companies increase their lead generation by 40%."

7) Remind prospects it’s their choice.

Why it works: Nobody likes to be told what to do. And even if you’re not being pushy or aggressive, many people will still chafe at the suggestion that you know what’s best for them.

A simple reassurance that you’re not attempting to push your preferences or worldview onto them is powerful. Across 42 psychology studies involving 22,000 subjects, it’s been demonstrated that using a phrase like “But the decision is yours” could double the chances that someone would say yes to a request.

How to use it: You don’t want to overuse this one -- tempering every recommendation you make by reminding prospects they have no obligation to listen to you isn’t a great idea. But when you’re asking for a larger commitment or are dealing with a jumpy prospect, dropping in a reminder that you’re not here to force them into anything can be a powerful technique.

Example:

• A software salesperson could write this message to a prospect skittish about switching platforms:

When we last spoke, you mentioned that you were worried about migrating your system from your current tool to ours. Sales Engineer Sally put together this this high-level overview of the process, which is designed to be as easy on our customers as possible -- we can discuss this on our call tomorrow. In the meantime, based on our previous conversations I strongly believe this switch is the best long-term solution for your company -- but of course, the decision ultimately rests with you. Let me know what you think."

How do you make your sales emails more persuasive? Let us know in the comments below.

How Storytelling Helps Business Connect With Customers and Drive Growth

Learn from the excellent recent campaigns from Always, Patagonia and Spanx.

Mobile Payments: Awesome or Overhyped?

So, we’re firm believers that your buyers should have several different options when it’s time to pay for their purchases. You don’t want to lose a sale just because you only take credit cards and your buyer only uses PayPal. What happens when buyers have way too many options for mobile and online payments?

The Walmart of Mobile Payments

No, really, Walmart decided to release their own mobile payment program called Walmart Pay. Who wants to play second fiddle to Apple forever? Not Walmart, that’s for sure. And with a retail app that boasts 22 million active users, a mobile payment option seems like the right way to go, right? If buyers are on board enough to download and use your app, then they’re probably all in on the payment options, too.

Well, buyers weren’t quite so impressed with the Walmart Pay option. It’s not that it didn’t work or that it didn’t offer a viable payment solution. Buyers simply had their payment plans worked out already. Why make the switch from the payment option they’d always used just because Walmart introduced something new?

Apple’s Not So Awesome, Either

We know that 4.9% of Apple Pay eligible sales were actually paid with Apple Pay during the holiday shopping period of 2014. It was new technology, and surely the idea would eventually catch on. That optimism should have led to a higher number of Apple Pay purchases on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but it didn’t.

This year, during the holiday shopping period, Apple Pay eligible transactions actually almost halved. Instead of growing, only 2.7% of eligible sales were completed through Apple Pay. Isn’t this supposed to be the answer to all online sales? Seems consumers disagree.

Growth in Awareness and Use

With over half of online purchases made this past year on mobile devices, it’s obvious buyers love the convenience of mobile shopping. Of those buyers, 52% only recently realized that their phones could be used as a payment device. Did they jump immediately into using Apple Pay or another mobile payment option?

Nope.

Since its introduction, the use of mobile payment has only increased by 1% year over year. That’s a pretty clear sign that consumers just aren’t that into it. What’s not entirely clear is why buyers have been slow to adopt mobile payment options.

What Would Change Things?

In the face of overwhelming proof that consumers need to feel safe when making online purchases, mobile payment options consistently take that secure feeling out of the payment process. Yes, sellers need to remove as much friction as possible between the “want” and “own” stages, but some friction is necessary. When buyers don’t need to enter passwords or PINs, they may feel as though the payment process is too easy. And if it’s too easy for them, it’s easy for someone who might attempt to steal their financial information.

Then again, maybe the market is just too saturated as it is. Those who enjoy using online wallets may just stick with their years-old PayPal account, while the rest are fine entering their credit card information any time they want to make a purchase. To interrupt the status quo may require a great deal more innovation than we’ve seen so far.

What are your thoughts about the slow adoption of mobile wallets?

Dive Into Your Fear

I know you're afraid of things in life. Some of them are BIG fears.

Me too.

Growing up, I dealt with a lot of fear.

I was afraid I would die alone. I was afraid no one loved me or cared. I was afraid of being rejected. Of speaking in public. It's a long list.

I am still afraid of plenty.

But as I've been on my own journey towards greatness, I've discovered that running from fear and the things that scare me keeps me controlled by it.

The times that I have faced it head on and dived into it have allowed me to overcome the fear.

This week on The School of Greatness I'm inviting you to do the same in Episode 283 on 5 Minute Friday.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn

The School of Greatness Podcast

"You've got to get to the point when you enjoy the fear."

Continue Seeking Greatness:

• 
  

  HAVE YOU READ THE SCHOOL OF GREATNESS BOOK YET? ORDER A COPY AT HTTP://LEWISHOWES.COM/BOOK

  
  


• Music Credit: Alive by Itro & Kontinuum

Did you enjoy the podcast?

What is your biggest fear?

The post Dive Into Your Fear appeared first on Lewis Howes.

A Satisfied Customer Is the Best Possible Way to Network

Of course you think your company is the greatest. It's when somebody else thinks so that you gain credibility.

3 Ways to Use Customer Behavior History to Predict the Future

Look, no one has a crystal ball at the ready to tell you who’s going to buy what, and how much, and when. Does that mean you have to wait around to see what a customer’s going to do? Of course not. You can learn a lot about your customers by studying their habits—past visits to your site—to predict what they’ll do next. It’s just a matter of knowing what information you need and when to use it.

From Search to Landing Page

One of your best friends when determining customer behavior predictions is your Google AdWords account. This program determines all the keywords your buyers searched, which of those searches resulted in clicks through to your site, and which of those clicks through resulted in a sale.

Once the buyers have clicked through from AdWords to a landing page on your site, you can use that information to lay a path from start to purchase. After all, you already know what they’re looking for. They told you when they searched Google for it. Should you slow them down in their search by leading them to a generic landing page? By creating more clicks instead of directing them right to the shopping cart and checkout? Of course not. When a buyer tells you what they want to buy, you remove all obstacles.

From Social Media to Website

It’s harder to pin down a visitor’s reason to stopping by when they come through social channels. The hardest of all is a click to the address in your company profile. You can assume that social proof is important to that buyer and react accordingly, but you won’t get much more information than that.

Clicks through from specific social posts, however, can tell you a lot more about the buyers’ thought process. Did they visit to read a particular blog? You might surmise they’re looking for more information. Did they click through an image of your hottest products? Maybe they’re in the market for one of those products, or maybe they just like to know what the trends are.

Every action on social marketing channels will help you narrow down the information you need, so don’t give up. The more information you have about your visitors’ past behavior, the easier you can predict where they’ll go next.

From First-Time Buyer to Loyal Shopper

Past purchases give you the greatest insight into buyer behavior, don’t they? That’s why you can’t consider the transaction complete once you’ve received payment. Now you know more about that buyer than you ever had, so you can’t just let them walk away forever.

The information you gather after this purchase will tell you what you need to know to move forward. Was the purchase a gift or something necessary to the buyer? Did he or she purchase accessories? Did the buyer spend a lot of time making a decision—evidenced by multiple visits to your site, comparisons between products, and perhaps even conversations with customer service?

What you learn will help you determine if you should continue providing gift ideas to the buyer or if they need more information about similar products for their own use. If they often buy the accessories needed to make your products bigger and better, then they’re probably going to appreciate upselling and cross-selling information.

You never want to make your use of past information creepy, so be careful when showing your hand. Buyers will appreciate a PPC click leading to a landing page, but they may not want to see ads for that exact product following them around for days after their initial search. They might enjoy their social media clicks leading to the right information on your website, but they may get a little freaked out if you strike up a Twitter conversation out of the blue. Your goal is to smooth the path between want and own, to provide the information buyers need as soon as they need it—not to be a stalker.

Dr. Peter Osborne on the Honest Truth About Gluten and Your Health

Ever since I tried eating no gluten as an experiment a few years back, I've been really interested in what's up with it.

I've heard doctors and nutritionists go back and forth about it.

I've heard friends' stories about how it destroyed their health.

And I've seen the effects it's had on my own body as an athlete.

But at the end of the day, I'm still a good old Ohio boy who was raised on pasta, pizza, and doughnuts and I still want to eat those things sometimes.

So I brought an expert on The School of Greatness to get the facts straight about what gluten actually is, whether it's as bad as people say, and what the best workaround is.

Dr. Peter Osborne knows what's up when it comes to gluten.

He is trained as a chiropractor and nutritionist and is passionate about getting to the bottom of auto-immune diseases and helping people get their health back.

I asked him every question I could think of about gluten and what his recommendations are – and he delivered.

If you've been having the same questions about your diet, or just thinking about cutting out gluten as an experiment, this episode is a gold mine.

Here to pull back the covers on gluten and what it does (or doesn't) do to our bodies is Dr. Peter Osborne in Episode 282.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn

The School of Greatness Podcast

"If you put in garbage, your outcome is going to be garbage."

Some questions I ask:

• What should we be eating to get an optimized body, mind, soul?


• If you're not gluten sensitive, should you still stay away from eating it?


• What about Asian cultures eating rice for centuries?


• What grains should we eliminate completely from our diet no matter where we live?


• How can people test to see if they have food sensitivities?


• What about "cheat days?"


• Can you talk about legumes and your take on the Paleo view of them?

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• The number one diagnosed condition in the U.S. is auto-immune disease (often linked to gluten consumption)


• What gluten actually is (and what it is found in)


• That there are actually many types of gluten people eat without knowing (ex. corn, rice, etc.)


• All the factors that contribute to us getting sick from eating grain (from farming to storage, etc.)


• Eating gluten, if you are gluten sensitive, can take 26 years off your life (on average)


• That you may not be eating as big a variety of foods as you thought


• How choosing to eat healthily mirrors success in business


• The top leading causes of death in the U.S. are food-induced


• How to get your mind on board with switching to a no-gluten diet


• Plus much more…

Continue Seeking Greatness:

• No Grain, No Pain: A 30-Day Diet for Eliminating the Root Cause of Chronic Pain


• Spiralizer


• Gluten Free Society


• FOLLOW PETER

Website | Twitter | Facebook

• Check out Trim and their awesome shirts for fit men. Use the code greatness20 to get 20% off your next order:

• Check out Onnit and their optimal performance products. Use the code "greatness" to get 10% off your next order:

• 
  

  HAVE YOU READ THE SCHOOL OF GREATNESS BOOK YET? ORDER A COPY AT HTTP://LEWISHOWES.COM/BOOK

  
  


• Music Credit: Daze by Thomas Vx

You may also like these episodes:

• How to Double Your Energy (the HEALTHY Way)


• How to Eat and Live Healthy (plus Myths on Red Meat, Paleo, and the Health Food Industry)


• Eating Raw and Living Your Passion with Fully Raw Kristina

Did you enjoy the podcast?

Are you open to trying Dr. Osborne's 30 day no-gluten challenge?

The post Dr. Peter Osborne on the Honest Truth About Gluten and Your Health appeared first on Lewis Howes.

Take Advantage of These 6 Hidden Gems to Instantly Hijack More Leads

What your business needs are clear sources that will generate more leads in activities you already engage in.