If I conducted a survey on a random sample of about 30 people aged between 18-60, asking whether they would like to be more productive or not, you can guess the majority would say yes. Being productive gets you places, it helps you grow, build, and create. There’s a common misconception where people think that being productive is about doing things quickly, this isn’t 100% true. Productivity is about completing tasks, or working on certain things in the most efficient way possible, completing the task quicker may be an outcome of this, but not always.
I’ve listed 10 steps below that I use everyday to be more productive:
1. Have a Clear Goal of What you Want to Achieve
Far too often, people work, or start something – with no idea of what they want to achieve. For some people this isn’t a bad thing, but I see goals as being essential to success. In the morning when you wake up, have a clear vision of what you want to achieve during the day, and ask yourself if you’ll be happy when you achieve it. You can go even further into this by having goals for what you want to achieve in one hour, or on one task. For example: You need to finish an essay in three days, so in 60 minutes you’ll write 800 words.
The more simple a goal is, the easier it is to achieve. It’s better to have a number of simple goals instead of a few complex goals.
2. Work in YOUR Environment
If you work in an office, or job that requires you to travel or work outside, you may not be able to implement this – but read it anyway.
Working in a comfortable environment will do wonders to your productivity. First of all, you have no distractions, and second, it helps you focus. When I write, or work on a project, I make sure my desk is clean apart from my water bottle, and I have my music turned up. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and focused!
3. Wake up Earlier
I’m not encouraging you to wake up 3 hours before normal, that’d be extreme. But I do encourage you to wake up slightly earlier, not because it gives you more time, but because it motivates you. I used to wake up at 7am every morning, to get the bus at 7:55am. Although I got done what I needed to do in this time, I was frantic and rushed. I decided I’d wake up at 6:30am instead, and that first morning when I woke up earlier, I got all my tasks done in less time, it took me 45 minutes max, which was a 10 minute improvement on waking up later.
4. Take Regular Breaks
You can use the Pomodoro technique if you’d like, or take breaks after each task like I do. It doesn’t matter what you use, just make sure you take breaks often. A lot of people see breaks as a waste of time, 10 minutes doing nothing, where they could instead be working. Let me tell you, working straight with no breaks may work for some, but it’s generally a bad idea. Taking an active break, walking around for a bit, will refresh your brain and help you stay focused throughout your project.
5. Eat Properly
Eating bad foods will only make you more tired. Protein rich foods will help you feel fuller for longer, studies have suggested that protein can make people more alert and attentive.
6. Work Smarter, Not Harder
This is a classic mantra, and one that I live by. If there’s an easier way to get the same desired result, then go the easier way. Don’t create the illusion of hard work just for the sake of working hard.
7. Reward Yourself
I’ve talked about the reward cycle before when writing about developing habits. It works the same in this case, each time we reward ourselves for completing something, our brain takes the hint and enables us to want to work more, or be more productive. Make sure you reward yourself in one way or another, it could be checking a social network after completing a task – or sitting in the sun for 5 minutes. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you enjoy.
8. Ask for Help
Sometimes we as humans (males especially), have a strong need to work things out for ourselves, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s situations where we can save a LOT of time by asking someone else to help us, or do it for us. It’s not productive spending two hours trying to fix a problem with your computer when there’s someone else more capable than you in your workplace.
9. Break your Tasks up into Big, Medium, and Small Tasks
It can be much easier to finish small tasks that lead up to the completion of a bigger one. Separating your tasks is a great way to get a different perspective on things and also to stay focused.
10. Repeat Every Day!
Related Posts:
- Why Learning a New Habit is Good
- Boost your Productivity by Cleaning!
- 10 Inspirational Simple Living and Productivity Pictures
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