Thank you so much for viewing these 25 ways to be more productive. There is a quick list version right
here as well just in case you want to skip the explanations and just get straight to the tips. Or maybe you want to keep them for yourself. Again you can find that right
here.
Enjoy!
1. Wake up earlier then you need to
No I don't mean hours before because in reality, any amount makes a HUGE difference in how you start your day. You will be surprised at how much different just 7 to 15 minutes earlier will make the day feel. In the morning, those extra minutes go a long way to help prepare you and your brain for the day. Whether physically or mentally, you're gonna like having that little extra time to just stop and breath before you go to work, or on that morning run to start off your day.
Quick Tip: I personally like to wake up at a non-even time. For example, if I need to be up at 6:30 to get ready, I will set my alarm for 6:17. I could set it for 6:15, 6:20, or 6:00 but I have found that my brain correlates these times with "Ugh my alarm is going off" while it sees the clock saying 6:17 and goes "Oh, we got up on our own". This may not work for you, everyone is different, however, it is certainly evident that setting your clock for unusual times keeps you and your brain on the edge which helps further with productivity.
2. Set your clocks a few minutes behind
This one goes along the same lines as waking up a little earlier but it allows you to get that extra few minutes of breathing room throughout your whole day without putting in any extra work. Simply put, just roll your clocks behind 3-8 minutes and forget about it!
What this will do, is allow you to be whatever amount of time you set your clocks behind early to all your meetings, plans, etc. The greatest thing is, you don't even realize you're early until you get there! This eliminates so much of that stress to make it places on time because even when you're on time you're early.
"If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late"
3. Keep a calendar/planner updated.
I think you can figure this one out.
Keeping a planner or calendar up to date is key to staying organized and keeping your plans, projects, or work in line. Not only will this help productivity because you're able to move between tasks pretty much seamlessly as you know your schedule for the day, but it allows you to ensure that all work that needs to get done, gets done and done on time.
4. Order your tasks by importance.
Referencing back to the previous point, the way you organize your planner is as important as keeping one. If you have no way to know which tasks to do, you will spend time figuring that out when you could be doing!
One way to organize, which I prefer, is in order of importance and soonest due. If you have three things due in the next week. One on Tuesday (Little importance), one on Thursday (Max Importance), and one on Friday (Medium importance). What order do you do them in? Well obviously you would want to start with the one due on Tuesday, right?
Nah! You need to tackle Thursday's task a little bit each day and save Tuesday's for when you have time but still make sure you can get it done.
It is all about allocating your time to the right tasks to maximize your productivity and ordering your tasks will save you HEAPS of time and stress figuring out what to do when.
5. Add tasks to your planner AS. YOU. GET. THEM.
Oh man, I cannot stress this one enough...
No matter how sure you are that you will remember what you need to do. WRITE. THAT. SH*T. DOWN!!
It is worth it to take the four seconds now to write your new task in your planner than to wait and forget what it was. The reason you have a planner in the first place is to keep track of your plans... So use it.
6. Talk out your plans for the day.
This one often goes overlooked. Maybe because some people don't have someone to talk to or they can't find someone who listens or they think its weird to talk to themselves... I don't know. What I DO know is that talking over your plans, either with someone or by yourself, can help clear up what you really need to do for the day.
Saying things out loud simply has a way of making things easier to understand for many people, especially me, and It can really help you organize and see flaws or opportunities in your daily schedule.
The very same principle came come into play in a post I have been working on about Thinkers VS. Doers so I'll leave that link here for whenever that post goes live.
7. Finish a few small tasks to get the ball rolling for the big ones.
This tip has saved me so much time in my personal experience and it's so simple to do. Some things on your planner are just easier to do than others and some days are just harder to start. This tip will make your day easier to start and allow you to gain momentum rather than fighting tooth and nail with that one nagging project you've been dreading right from the beginning of the day.
This can help your day become so much more manageable and less stressful without costing too much valuable time you could be using on that big task.
8. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
Yes, just like Bear Grylls says, you need to improvise, adapt, and overcome to be more productive. Finding more efficient and effective ways to complete your tasks will streamline your daily schedule and help get your tasks done so much faster.
Whether you look up better ways to do something or come up with your own tricks, creating these useful tactics can make your day go so much smoother.
9. Put things away as you use them.
This one may seem more for people that use tools or work trades but it applies to all lines of work. Simply taking the extra second now to put that pen, stapler, screw driver, whatever it is back in its place, will save you countless minutes later in the day that would normally be spent cleaning up but could be better used to complete more tasks, or take a rest.
Quick Tip: Each time you put something away, it actually acts as a small break for your mind and body. Take that quick walk to the other side of the shop or office to decompress a little. Not only will this reduce stress, it will keep your mind sharp and alert for tasks to come.
10. Evaluate your process every so often.
The very same way that you came up with a more efficient way to accomplish your tasks, you need to keep that process fresh and make sure it is still operating at its full potential. Take a minute or two to just look at what your doing and see if you can improve it, see if it is, in fact, more effective, and decide from there whether or not you want to continue doing work that way.
Even if it is less efficient, it may produce more high quality results which is up to you to decide which is more important. Evaluating, will also allow your brain to recuperate as it is being used to think more critically and is allowed to get away from whatever task you were working on for a bit.
11. Think before you do.
It is all about planning once again. A poorly or sparsely thought out plan is not a plan at all and will most likely lead to bad results, or no results at all. You need to think before you act to be productive as well. The same way you had to find a more efficient way, you need to make sure what you're doing is even correct before you do it. Without thinking, you could be wasting precious time fixing your mistakes when you should be working to complete your tasks.
12. Think while you do.
No this is not just opposite of the previous tip, it is actually a great way to save time. If you can get to the point in your process where you can think about something else while still working effectively, you have taken another step in productivity.
Right now, as I write this post, I am planning future posts based off of what I'm writing and thinking while still creating content. This is the goal, if you can do that you will save SO much time and energy planning out your next moves because you don't have to waste any time. You'll be able to transition between tasks with little down time.
13. Don't be afraid to give yourself a break. (Be reasonable though)
Never be afraid to take a break when doing work. Taking brakes reasonably is absolutely key to staying focused and continuing to produce quality work. Without any break for your brain, you may fall into a creative or quality slump because you fall into a rut. Keeping your brain sharp will increase your productivity more than you may think.
14. Organization is key.
Many people think they are organized that aren't, while others are organized. Just not with productivity in mind. Simply putting separate files, tools, data, etc. in separate spots to keep them from being mixed up is one thing, but if you can't access that piece of information or tool quickly, it is going to kill you productivity.
By taking time to find your material, you're losing time you could be using to continue working. Keep your stuff together if you plan on using it in the soon future and keep it close so you can eliminate any time required to find it and utilize it.
15. Put your pants on one leg at a time.
Not physically obviously because if you can put your pants on both legs at a time you should totally go for it. But, in regards to productivity, you need to do one thing at a time to do it well and do it productively. Sure, you can think about other things while working on one project as I said in point #12, but you still need to focus on getting what you have to get done before you can start a new project.
You do not want to start a new project in the midst of another. Doing so may make you lose you progress in the original or just forget what you were doing meaning you have to start over.
Lets be real, nobody wants that...
16. Find enjoyment in your work.
Oh yeah, big key. Have fun guys. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, then you won't do it well, and you won't want to do it so it likely will not get done. For example, I love to help people and I enjoy writing as well. So, blogging is a good way to get the best of both worlds. However, what I love more than writing to help people, is doing something to help. Hence, my innovative projects that I bring up every so often.
So, love what you do and have fun doing it. You'll be more productive and happier. I guarantee it.
17. Get your outfit ready the night before.
Getting off the whole working topic, this is something you need to do everyday that will not only save you time, but so much hassle in the morning. Getting your clothes out is so simple yet so many people don't do it and they waste precious time every morning doing it when they could do it before going to bed.
This will help reduce stress, reduce rushing, and ultimately increase your productivity for the day by making one of your tasks that much easier.
18. Pre-make breakfast and lunch for the day.
I won't go too in depth here because it is the exact same concept as the previous tip, but this will save so much time everyday by simply putting in the extra effort one or two days a week. You will love this hack and your body will thank you. Never go another day hungry, which KILLS productivity, and just be more prepared each and every day.
19. Lay out everything you'll need tomorrow in one place.
Now, this is a little similar to laying out your clothes but almost more important. Things like keys, files, tools, books, whatever you need for the day, if you leave that stuff scattered across the house every night, you pay for it in the morning.
Simply by getting all of that organized the night before, you save yourself so much time, hassle, and stress that you normally use searching for your daily materials. Skip the stress, be prepared.
20. Get to bed.
Sometimes I can find this a little difficult as you are not always tired when you're supposed to be going to bed and you are also not always done with your daily routine by the time you should be going to sleep. It becomes much easier once you iron out the rest of your schedule using the previous tips because you will be ready to sleep and probably tired because of the more productive work you'll be doing all day.
21. Encourage yourself.
I would say this is one of the most important ones on the list. It is all about morale. Just like in war or in a sport, once morale gets down, you start making mistakes and faltering from your plan. Essentially, a poor morale is the equivalent of just giving up.
This is especially crucial in the case that you may be in right now. Reading this article to try and become more productive. Let me tell you, it is not an easy process and you will want to give up. So, keeping your own morale high is super important and, because no one else will likely do it, you have to encourage yourself.
How you go about doing that is really up to you because all people take encouragement differently. For me, I like to essentially give my self pep talks anytime I feel myself losing the productive edge. I like to look ahead at my aspirations and remember that I must maintain to achieve those goals for myself, my future wife, and my future family. However you decide to encourage yourself is up to you, just make sure you do it.
22. Write Everything Down.
Oh yeah, you HAVE to do this. Just like adding your tasks to your planner as you get them, you need to write down information and ideas as soon as you think them. There is no way your brain can remember in enough detail by the end of the day.
Not only will this allow you to reference your writings later down the road, but it will allow your brain to internalize the information and you will continue to develop that idea or information without needing to actively think about it.
23. Have fun!
You all know the saying, "If you do what you love you won't work a day in your life." Well that is much more true than your might think.
Having fun working will not only make your day more enjoyable, but it can actually make you more productive and you won't even realize it. This is because a happy brain is much quicker and less cluttered. You will be able to move quicker and get more done which is key for productivity.
24. Mindset.Mindset.Mindset.
Similarly to encouraging yourself, you need to have a good, productive mindset to stay productive. If you are always thinking of not working, either that needs to change or this isn't for you. You need to be able to stay focused on the task at hand while also looking forward to what needs to be done so you can get that done in the most efficient way possible.
25. Drink plenty of water.
This one isn't exactly going along with the theme but I see it as very important. Staying hydrated can really change your mood and help productivity. The same way that a happy brain is a productive brain can be a result of having fun, it can also be helpful to keep your body hydrated so you're not focusing on the discomfort of being dehydrated.
It may take one of those apps to remind you to drink water or just keeping a water bottle near your work area. Whatever it takes, do it and stay hydrated, Your body and your productivity will thank you.
I hope you guys enjoyed and I look forward to seeing you all prosper as productive individuals.
If you have any tips to being more productive, leave them down in the comments!
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