Want to be more productive? Get more done with less effort? Read on…
Time Management
1. Slow down time
Breath more, slowly and methodically. Get more air in your lungs, steady your pulse rate, and time will seem to go slower. You’ll also feel more relaxed.
2. Always Double Check
When you complete a task, always double-check it to avoid sloppy mistakes or oversights. You’ll not waste time unnecessarily going over your work again.
3. Turn The Boob Tube Off
If you calculate just how much time we spend watching television, there’s so, so many productive hours lost per week where you could be spending on other more worthwhile pursuits.
4. Early Rise
Wake up earlier every morning, giving yourself more time to waken, get some breakfast before starting work with a rested mind and body. Start earlier, finish earlier.
The article “Stay Awake! 5 Ways To Beat Drowsiness At Work” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
5. Keep A Journal
Keep a time journal of your day every day. You’ll soon spot areas of time wasting that can be tightened up and thus increase your productivity..
6. Waiting Time Can Still Be Doing Time
If you’re waiting in line for something, you can still be productive. Go through your emails, schedule your next day, order needed groceries online, etc.
7. Make A List
Don’t try to keep a mental note of everything. Keep a list of essential tasks to do so you don’t have to continually exert mental energy and valuable time trying to recall.
8. Do Some Tasks Now To Avoid Them In Future
You can save time later by doing things now. Perhaps cook more food than you need to, freeze the remainder. Clean things around the house as you go instead letting it all build up for a protracted cleaning session later. Invest in time now so it pays off later.
The article “Stopping Self-Sabotage in Wealth Building – Five Ways to Overcome a Poverty Mindset” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
9. Faster Decision Making
They say procrastination is the thief of time. Train yourself to weigh up and make decisions faster, you need to train yourself to do it, but you can.
10. Manage Your List Effectively
You’ve made your list, right? You now need to manage it effectively. Check off tasks done, underline priority tasks that need doing imminently, remove tasks perhaps not needed right now, etc. Prioritize and organize.
11. Combine Similar Tasks
If some tasks on your list are broadly similar, then either combine them or put them under a single heading so they’re all in one place.
12. Short Messages Work Better
Keep messages pithy. Say only what you need to convey.
13. Elimination
Keep checking over your list to see what’s relevant. If you deem something not so anymore, strike it off.
The article “Working in One Place Makes You Stagnate or Why Is it Important to Change Jobs” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
14. No Multitasking
One task at a time and every task a success. Don’t stretch yourself thin, retain focus and stick to one task at a time.
Productivity Techniques
1. Adopt The Pomodoro Technique
This involves you working straight for 25-30 minutes before taking a short break. But it’s best to use that interval wisely, so avoid major distractions if you can.
2. The Chain
No, not the Fleetwood Mac song, but rather your checklist! Stroke off each task as you complete it and soon you’ll have a ‘chain’ of finished tasks. It will give you motivation and impetus to keep going.
3. The Two-minute Rule
If you can get a task done in two minutes or less, do it NOW! Get it out of the way and don’t push it off.
4. Must, Should, Want
Ask yourself every morning three things; “What must I do before the end of today?”; “What should I do to advance my career today?”; “What do I want to do in order to enjoy today?”
5. Flight Mode
Imagine you’re on a plane and disconnect the internet. Without that distraction, you’ll achieve more in 1 hour than you would in 2 or 3.
6. Ultradian Rhythms
It may sound like something out of Star Trek, but it’s basically your body’s natural energy rhythm, repeating every 90-120 minutes. Be mindful of your natural energy patterns; if you start feeling a little tired, take a break for 5 minutes, if you feel energized, go for it and get more work done.
The article “How To Write A Business Plan When Starting Your Own Business” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
7. Cancel The Meeting
If you are in a position of management, set aside one day without meetings so you can focus exclusively on work. If you’re not, then suggest it.
8. Pre-week Review
Take an hour on Sunday evening and review the week ahead. What needs doing? If you’re prepared for the new week, you’ll be better equipped for productivity from the outset
Improving Your Focus
1. Disable Тotifications
When you’re working and want to focus without distraction, disable notifications on your email and phone. Instead, set aside some time afterwards to check them.
2. Anticipate Distractions
You’ll always get some distraction from something or someone, so bake this into your schedule, allow some wiggle room so you’ll not feel too stressed.
3. Set An Early Deadline
When you set yourself a deadline for a task, make it a little shorter than expected. See if you can hit it, it will make you work faster.
4. Make Procrastination Useful
If you know you’re going to procrastinate during the day, make a list of things to do while procrastinating; tidy your desk, organize documents, etc. Turn a negative to a positive.
5. Not-do List
You have a list of things to do, well also make a companion list of things NOT to do, things you know will distract, hinder, and delay your workflow.
6. Password Manager
If you have multiple accounts for different software apps, use a password manager so you don’t have to struggle to recall your different passwords.
The article “8 Tips To Help You Climb The Career Ladder” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
Recharge Your Batteries
1. Physical Exercise
An obvious one this, but regular physical exercise will help you work faster, better, and longer. Simple as that.
2. A Nutritious Diet
Look after your body and your body will look after you. And eating well with proper nutrition will lead to increased energy and better productivity.
3. A Cup Of Joe
Caffeine takes approximately 40 minutes to take full effect in your bloodstream, so if you wish to ‘perk up’ on a cup of coffee while working on a task, time it beforehand so you’ll get the full effect just as you start said task.
4. Meditate
Believe it or not but it works. We’re not talking mystical mumbo-jumbo here, but simply close your eyes, clear your mind, and just practice breathing in and out.
5. Appropriate Temperature
If the room you’re in is either too hot or too cold, it can be uncomfortable and thus distracting. Ensure your working area is comfortable for you and fellow workers, with an average temperature of 21-22°C (70-72°F) being the optimum.
Getting The Correct Mindset
1. Define The Outcome
Before starting a task, assess what you wish the outcome to be and how to achieve it. Once done, check the task and see if it’s what you wanted… and if not, why not?
2. Learn A Growth Mindset
We can all learn new skills to improve ourselves and our productivity. Figure where you can do that and set about growing in those skills needed.
3. End Of Week Assessment
At the end of each week, assess what you’ve achieved this week so far, what needs to be done next week, and also if there are tasks that need to be eliminated or small tasks that can be finished prior to the weekend.
4. Gratitude Journal
One way to stay positive is to have a journal where, at the end of each day, you write three things you’re grateful for that very day. Positivity helps productivity.
The article “10 Tips On How To Avoid Burnout” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
5. The ‘n’ Word
As much as you wish to increase and maintain being productive, sometimes you need to know when simply to say “no” to more tasks if you can. If you get overburdened, you could risk burnout.
6. Rest Time
Unless you’re in certain professions (like medical, for example) then turn your phone off on weekends and evenings so your personal time is undisturbed, you need rest like everyone else.
7. Process-oriented Goals
In short, these are mini-goals you set out to achieve furtherance to the main goal. Set yourself a checklist of these smaller goals for each task and stick with them.
8. We All Make Mistakes
There’s only ever been one perfect human in history and you’re not Him, so just relax if you make a mistake. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Accept blame where needed, learn from it, and pledge not to repeat it.
Streamlining Your Workflow
1. Too Many Apps
We know that software apps are an essential part of modern work, but try to limit them to simply the essential ones like email, internal communication, tasks, etc. Too many will distract you and hinder your productivity.
2. Share Your calendar
This will allow fellow workers to see when you’re available so will mitigate competing meetings or miscommunication, saving you valuable time for other tasks.
3. Limit Major Tasks
You can’t do everything in a day so limit major tasks to 2 or 3 a day accompanied by smaller tasks. This will save you from potential burnout.
4. Pen And Paper At The Ready
Always have a pen and paper near at hand. So if you have an idea about something, you can immediately write it down and leave it for later instead of trying to remember after the fact.
5. Time In-between Tasks
Don’t plan your daily schedule back-to-back, you never know what delays could happen between or during. Always allow room for changes should any unforeseen happenstance occur.
6. Get A Mentor
If you know someone of greater experience than you in your profession, seek advice from them regularly. They may help you avoid pitfalls you may encounter and avoid as a result.
7. Take Each Task On Its Own Terms
Don’t start obsessing over the entirety of a task at the beginning. Look at it as a series of smaller tasks to complete, each one bringing you closer to completion of the overall task.
The article “50 Tips To Increase Your Productivity” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
8. Perfection Is The Enemy Of Good
No-one is perfect, so you can’t expect perfection in your work. Just do your very best and move on. And level this same thinking to fellow workers also.
9. Reward Yourself
Once you complete a major milestone at work, allow yourself some rewards. Treating yourself will provide motivation and ensure your productivity has an enticement to aid it.
