How to be more productive is something that you have surely considered if you value your time and want to make the most of it. You may often be saturated by the number of tasks that accumulate in your day to day and do not know where to start. Sometimes you even feel like you are not progressing and each time you get more overwhelmed. So you are determined to learn about productivity and improve that facet of your professional life.
Here are some basic productivity guidelines so that you can regain control of your activity.
Table of Contents [ hide ]
- GET ORGANIZED
-
- 1. Make a list of things to do
- 2. Sort and prioritize
- 3. Plan the day
- 4. Goals and rewards
- 5. Learn and improve daily
- CONCENTRATE
-
- 1. Eliminate distractions while you work
- 2. Focus on one thing at a time
- 3. Keep your home and work area tidy
- 4. Analyze your most productive hours
- TAKE CARE
-
- 1. Get enough sleep
- 2. Get up early and make the most of the day
- 3. Eat healthy food
- 4. Take short breaks
- SIMPLIFIES
-
-
-
- GET ORGANIZED
1.1. Make a list of things to do
The lists are the simplest tool productivity and more powerful, if you know how to use. David Allen in his book Organize with Efficiency already said it, your tasks better in lists. Some tips for using lists:
- Write down specific tasks. It must be clear what needs to be done.
- Each task has an objective. Think about what will happen when this task is finished?
- Break down big tasks. If the task is too big or complex we will end up procrastinating . The task must be divided into easy and clear steps . If you don’t know what procrastination is, you can watch our video on Youtube: What is Procrastination
- Try to update the list once a day and review it to decide what to do at any time.
1.2. Sort and prioritize
There are always more important or urgent tasks than others. Review your list and do the sorting exercise. Decide which are the most urgent or important and finish them as soon as possible. You will take a great weight off yourself when you finish that task that you had pending for a long time and you were always postponing it. Stephen Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People talks about the quadrants: 1) Important / Urgent, 2) Important / Not Urgent, 3) Not Important / Urgent and 4) Not Important / Not Urgent.
1.3. Plan the day
It is important to choose what tasks you are going to do each day. So you force yourself to set goals and meet them . You can review the list at the end of the day to decide what important tasks to do the next day, or do it that morning as a routine.
If you can, do those tasks before anything else, so you will feel that the day has already been productive and everything that comes after will be an extra ?
Try not to overplan and be realistic. Leave time for contingencies.
1.4. Goals and rewards
Just as it ‘s important not to overplan , don’t underestimate yourself. Set goals that keep you motivated. If you concentrate you can fulfill them, do not give up until you complete them. Putting rewards in if you meet your daily or weekly goals also works well, as extra motivation. A dinner on Friday, or a treat on Tuesday, why not? You have earned it!
1.5. Learn and improve daily
We all have bad days when we feel that we have not made any progress in the tasks that we have set ourselves. This should not discourage you. Try to analyze what happened. You may have been more deconcentrated, or you may have had many unforeseen events. Write down what worked and what didn’t to improve next time .
- CONCENTRATE
2.1. Eliminate distractions while you work
We are increasingly surrounded by distractions that make it hard to stay focused and waste a lot of time. The continuous emails, notifications from the mobile phone, Facebook, … If we let ourselves go, the daily time we lose with this is incredible. Try to be aware of this and be in control of it, rather than being at the mercy of those distractions.
- Disconnect notifications from the phone and keep it away if necessary.
- Don’t check the email every 5 minutes. Set a few hours a day to do it.
- Control the time you spend on social networks or other entertainment sites. If you are not aware, install an extension for your browser like StayFocus that limits your time on leisure websites and prevents you from visiting them during certain times of the day.
- Leave these types of activities as rest and reward for a good progress in another important task.
2.2. Focus on one thing at a time
Doing several things at once is not productive.
Doing several things at the same time IS NOT PRODUCTIVE #emprender
CLICK TO TWEET
Every time you alternate, you lose time and concentration, and in the end you end up leaving them all halfway. It is better to choose a task and focus on it until you finish it or move forward with what you have planned that day.
2.3. Keep your home and work area tidy
Seeing the house, the room or the work table messy, is a focus of distraction. More and more I like the minimalist environment to work. When I clean my desk and just leave the computer and something else I need, I feel more focused and focus better. If you want to know more about minimalism, here is an article that will help you start having a minimalist lifestyle.
2.4. Analyze your most productive hours
Some work better in the morning and others in the afternoon. Identify when you are most concentrated and get the most performance doing the most important tasks .
- TAKE CARE
3.1. Get enough sleep
7 hours is the minimum that an adult person must sleep for the body to fully recover and complete night regenerative functions. You will be more rested and focused to work .
3.2. Get up early and make the most of the day
It may be the most difficult of all, but when you make it a habit, it is one of the most transformative. What you do during the first hour of the day can determine your attitude the rest of the day. Get up earlier, eat a good breakfast, do some exercise, and above all, organize yourself calmly and not with the typical rush and stress of being late. If you have time, you can even do a task from your list before starting the day itself. If you do all of this, you will notice that the rest of the day you are more relaxed and focused.
3.3. Eat healthy food
You may not be aware of the importance of eating to maintain concentration and the energy necessary to perform at work. Eat fresh food and avoid processed foods and sugar. Try to eat lightly as very heavy meals will deplete your energy and make you want to nap ?
3.4. Take short breaks
If you do not stop to rest because you have many things to do, you will end up getting the opposite effect, doing less. It is proven that productivity increases if you rest between 15 and 20 minutes every 2 hours of work. Stretch, breathe, relax, drink or eat something. The mind clears and you will return to the task more focused and productive.
Stretch, Breathe, Relax, Drink or Eat Something You will be More Productive! ” #undertake
CLICK TO TWEET
- SIMPLIFIES
Finally, remember that productivity is not just about doing more, but also doing the right things . Analyzing the reason for each task will help you know if what you are doing is really bringing you closer to your goals. There are probably many things or tasks that you don’t need to do, or commitments that you can say no to. Try doing that simplify task and you will notice the change ?
And you, what daily productivity techniques do you use?
If you liked the article, share it to help others become more productive and less stressed ?
