If you haven’t been feeling as productive as you’d like to be, you’re not alone. But knowing that you can be doing more with the time and resources you have is a great first step. You’re ahead of the people who don’t even realize that they’re not making the best use of their time.
The following advice can help you become more productive at work or school as well as when taking care of chores at home.
1. List Down Your Priorities
Instead of just thinking about what your need to prioritize, it’s a great idea to put these thoughts into writing. You’ll have a dated record of when you decided to really commit to becoming more productive.
A few examples of priorities to encourage a more productive mindset include:
* Avoiding time-wasting meetings that could be taken care of with a few quick emails. This is especially important to keep in mind if you have been working at home to stay socially distant during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic causing COVID-19 infections.
* Reduce or eliminate some of the mindless entertainment that’s been putting holes in your schedule. Maybe drop one hour of television from your viewing plans, or stop playing games on your phone or computer until late a night.
2. Create a Routine
When you get into creating a routine where you do the same kinds of tasks each day or week, it will be easier to boost productivity. You’ll know when to check your emails, update a budget, follow up with people about an ongoing project, and so on. A routine gives you the structure needed to take on projects more efficiently.
3. Focus: Aim to Work on One Thing at a Time
The idea of multitasking may be attractive, but for many people, doing so serves more to keep them distracted rather than helping them work more efficiently. Focus on one task before going to the next one.
4. Remember to Periodically Take a Break to Recharge
If you become burned out, it will be even harder to take care of everything you need to do. So remind yourself to take breaks once in a while to avoid burning out. Make an alarm in your calendar to remind you, if you have a habit of working too long without a pause.
5. Motivate Yourself With Your Goals in Mind
When you keep your main goals top of mind, it will be easier to stay on track with a productive mindset. It will become second nature to ask yourself, is this to-do item necessary and a requirement to achieve my goals?
6. Write Down Your Accomplishments
After completing a major task or finishing a week’s worth of projects, write down what you’ve done, noting the day and time. Periodically review the growing list of accomplishments to motivate you to continue with your efforts to be more productive.
7. Maintain a Positive Attitude for Ongoing Productivity
Cultivating a feeling of optimism and staying positive can do wonders for being more productive. You will have a “can-do” attitude that withstands minor setbacks.
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Productivity is very important. If you know how to spend every minute of your life doing something that will get you closer to your goals, you will inevitably be successful. Productivity is overlooked, but is one of the more important things needed in order to keep a business thriving.
Kylie, I love your advise and way in which you communicate it.
Thank you,
Ellen Brubeck – PeriShip LLC
When it comes to staying productive, whether at work or otherwise, I would agree that having a positive mindset goes a long way. It helps to keep one motivated during even the most arduous tasks.