Tanya Dalton built her first company in her thirties, working long days while raising her children. It wasn't long before she made some simple changes that allowed her to be more productive and work less than half of the time. 

What To Know: According to a CNBC report, Dalton used to manage her day-to-day tasks with long to-do lists and jam-packed calendars, but she started realizing she was hurting her own productivity by overdoing it. 

"I was wearing myself out, exhausting myself and then wondering why I was so tired but still so unsatisfied," she said.

She was too focused on "old systems" of time management, which ultimately hinder creativity and productivity, she explained. Now, she works just 30 hours a week, takes Fridays off and gets more done. 

Dalton learned from her own mistakes and now helps others to avoid the same traps she found herself caught in. Here's a look at Dalton's top three pieces of advice for time management and productivity.

Ditch The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro method is a widely-used time management strategy that involves using a timer to implement hard breaks at regular intervals. After taking four consecutive short breaks in between 25-minute work blocks, you reward yourself with one longer break before repeating the process. 

Related Link: Tom Hanks Harnesses Powerful Productivity Method In Writing First Book: Here's How You Can Use The Same Tool

Dalton believes the process is fundamentally flawed because it's difficult to flip focus on and off. Instead, she recommends working for longer periods of time while ideas are flowing and then taking longer breaks. 

She doesn't believe in a "magic formula" but suggests working somewhere between one and two hours before taking a break from your workflows. Don't work longer than two hours without taking a break, she added.

"Rest is actually a requirement for great work to happen," Dalton said. 

Measure By Tasks Not Hours

Society tells us that we should work 40 hours per week. For most people, once you complete 40 hours of work, you get a weekend-long break, but that's not how you should be measuring productivity, Dalton said. 

"There is nothing magical about the number 40. Stop focusing on the time our team spends in their seats and instead focus on the quality of their work," she said.

Dalton used to work well over 40 hours a week, but she found she can be more productive working just 30 hours. She got rid of her to-do lists and started creating what she calls "priority lists." 

"It goes back to the whole idea of moving from being time-focused back to being task-focused," Dalton said. 

Regularly Check In With Yourself

Dalton recalled that she never stopped to process what she had done and what she was doing next during her 70-hour work weeks. She was full throttle at all times, which led to burnout. 

Now she schedules time for personal reflection where she assesses her life and whether she's happy with where she is. When you stop to think about what you are doing and where you are going, it can help to identify areas of imbalance. 

"It’s powerful because that allows you to be more in charge of your life. It lets me feel like I’m more the driver of the bus rather than just the passenger," Dalton said.

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This story is part of a new series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.

Photo: Philip Neumann from Pixabay.