Many of us would like to be more productive in our lives and accomplish more daily. Well, it certainly is possible. Here are 10 tips to help you become more productive and get more done every day.
1. Have a plan for the day
Having a to-do list helps you tell the right strategy to accomplish everything that you have in mind.
It seems like a very simple thing but it goes a long way to make your day productive and happy.
2. Write down your plan
The second most important productivity tip is to have a notepad and write down your plan on it.
You could also use digital formats like notepad or any other program that's available.
Writing down the plan will make it clear to you how exactly you will accomplish your work for the day.
During the day if you feel lost, you could always go back to your plan and realign your mindset and efforts.
So a to-do list written down is very very important.
3. Break down your plan into several small parts
Basically what you are doing here is prioritizing your tasks. You are distinguishing between what needs to be done first and then what needs to be done second, third, and so on.
Breaking down your plan into priorities will help you to know what is important and what can be done later on.
This will help you to focus on the most important tasks first and then give your attention to the lesser important tasks. Again, this looks very basic but I tell you it is instrumental in accomplishing all my tasks daily.
4. Work on the hardest looking goal first
Working on the hardest-looking goal right at the beginning will make things easier.
Some people talk about getting the easy things done first but in my experience, I have seen that it is good to accomplish hard things first.
One of the main reasons for this is that when we start, we are more energetic and creative but as the day goes by we become more lethargic and lazy.
So the best thing to do is to get hard jobs done first and then when we are less energetic get the easier jobs done.
Another reason to get the hard tasks done first is that when you finish a task, it boosts your self-confidence. And once your confidence is boosted you get an extra kick to finish all the remaining jobs.
So always start with the hard jobs first.
5. Take regular breaks
One way to increase your productivity is to take regular breaks during the day.
It has been proved by science that the human body can take only so much at a time. The body needs to rest for a little while before it is ready for the next task.
You must have heard about the productivity technique called Pomodoro. According to this technique, you could work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minutes break.
You keep doing this throughout the day and it will increase your productivity and output.
There is a story about two woodcutters who went to the forest to cut wood. At the end of the day when both the outputs were measured it was seen that one woodcutter was better than the other one.
When they asked the woodcutter whose output was larger about his secret, he said that it was very simple.
He did not work continuously throughout the day. At regular intervals, he would stop to sharpen his ax.
Two things happened because of these intervals during the day. 1st, he conserved his energy due to not chopping the wood for some time. Secondly sharpening the ax ensured that he would get more wood with fewer blows of the ax. Thus, he was able to cut more wood than the other woodcutter.
We can increase our productivity in the same way by taking regular intervals to rest and so use our energy in an optimum way.
6. Turn off all distractions
One way to be productive is to turn off all distractions so that you can focus completely on the task you are doing.
In this age of technology, we want to do many things at the same time. It is called the curse of multitasking.
Multitasking has its own benefits but the problem with it is that it causes us to lose our focus. Increased productivity is inversely proportional to true multitasking distractions.
When you are doing something, focus your full attention on that one thing and you will get it done faster. The more distractions you have, the more time it will take for you to accomplish your job.
An example of distractions is when we are working on our laptop or computer, we have many tabs open that are actually distractions. We are all guilty of this including me.
Social media plays on these very human weaknesses. They try to get our attention on many things as the name of the game is to capture our attention.
We must be very intentional about what we give our attention to. The more focused we become, the more productive we will become.
So try to get rid of all distractions and focus on what you are doing at the moment. This will increase your productivity greatly.
7. Put on gentle instrumental music in the room
Many people find it beneficial to put on gentle instrumental music in the background.
This music helps you to concentrate on your job and to be more productive. Of course, the music needs to be gentle, smooth, and low-key.
We must discover the power of music to make us more productive. There are many different genres of music. Put on the genre that suits you and see how it will increase your productivity.
8. Batch tasks and set a day for each batch
Some people find it easy to do their tasks in batches. If they have 5 different types of things to do they will dedicate one day for one batch, the second day for another, and so on.
This helps them to get the job done faster because it is repetitive.
Because they are doing the same thing throughout the day, it increases the speed of work.
So this is another way to increase your productivity and speed of work.
9. Use the power of daily positive affirmations
You must realize the power of daily positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are a very powerful way to increase your confidence and productivity.
Spend a little time every day, especially early in the morning by affirming certain positive things about yourself.
Affirm things like
I am confident
I am able to do this
I am a conqueror
I have the power to finish my job
The internet has many such affirmations for various aspects of life. Find a few of these affirmations, write them down, and speak them out daily before beginning your work.
It will make a huge difference in your life, in your work, and in your productivity.
10. Keep your workplace neat and tidy
Last, but not least, one practical way to increase your productivity is to keep your workplace nice and clean.
It is a proven fact that a neat and tidy workstation increases the desire to work longer and harder. A workplace that is neat and tidy has a psychological effect on your work.
You feel pleased to work in a beautiful workplace.
On the other hand, if the workplace is messy with papers thrown around, you don't feel like working.
Make it a point every day before you retire for the day to keep your workstation clean and tidy.
So these are the 10 ways to increase your productivity and get more things done in a day.
I hope that you got something positive out of these 10 ways. If you implement all or a few of these in your daily work life, I believe that it will make a big difference.
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