Want to be Productive?
We all want to be more productive, but often we do things, sometimes unknowingly, that keep us from getting important things done.
Let’s look at 5 things you may be doing that could be killing your productivity.
1. Stop being casual about your diet.
There are obviously dozens of reasons why you should maintain a healthy diet, but for our purposes today we are going to talk about our diet from a productivity stand point. I love food — I love junk food — I love sugar — I love soda — and I love to carbo load. This is a horrible combination for someone who is looking to be productive. Downing a 64 oz blueberry slushy and a pack of Zebra cakes may sound delish (Oh, so delicious), but it ain’t gonna help you produce. Make sure that as you are preparing to go into a time of focused work, that you are being intentional about what you eat and drink. High carb, high sugar foods may give you a short temporary burst of energy, but soon after you will absolutely crash. Stop being casual about your diet — especially during those times you really need to be productive.
2. Stop being casual about your sleep.
Did you know that the results of most sleep studies state that as adults, most of us need about 7–8 hours (or more) of quality sleep every night. And if you’re are a teenager, the studies are showing that you need even more than that. So how much are you getting? I mean really, honestly how much quality sleep are you getting every night? Sleep is crucial — its helps with your memory — its helps with your focus — your energy levels — your ability to concentrate. Stop being casual about your sleep — it may just be killing your productivity. Oh, and rumor has it, that those who get enough sleep — have beautiful, glowing skin — so there’s that.
3. Stop allowing yourself to become distracted.
If you are reading this, you probably have a smart phone or a tablet — maybe a laptop — probably a television (or 2 or 3), maybe a Magnavox VCR from 1983 because you still watch your copy of The Lion King on Disney VHS. All these things can be incredible tools (except maybe the VCR?) and can actually help us become productive OR, we can allow them to be our biggest distraction. Can I make a suggestion? Before you enter in to a period of focused work, put the phone on do not disturb — turn off the TV — remove all the potential distractions in the room. Make it so that there is hardly anything to fight for your attention. Stop allowing yourself to become distracted.
One of the best ways I know to do this is through the Freedom App. Have you checked this out yet? It allows you to turn off specific functionality of your phone, tablet or computer during a designated period of focused work. Get a free trial HERE.
4. Stop “Multi-Tasking”
Why did I put “Multi Tasking” in “Quotation Marks”? Simple . . . In virtually every study that has been done on this subject, the results show us that our brain cannot multi-task on focused work. Now I’m not talking about the multi tasking of walking and eating a Zebra cake at the same time, but rather the ability to focus on two things at once. No matter how good we think we might be at multi-tasking, the truth is, we are really just task-switching, and every time we switch to a new task, our brain takes time to readjust to the switch. So stop “multi tasking” — focus on one thing at a time.
5. Stop spending time on the wrong things.
It sounds simple, right? But how often do we find ourselves doing busy work and work that is just not that important in that moment. Its amazing how often we suddenly need to organize our colored pencil collection, when we should be studying for a test that’s coming up tomorrow. What is most important? Author Gary Keller calls this your “One Thing.” What is the one thing you need to do right now? You can organize you pencils Sunday.
Ok, did you get all of that?
1. Stop being casual about your diet.
2. Stop being casual about your sleep.
3. Stop allowing yourself to become distracted.
4. Stop “Multi-Tasking”
5. Stop spending time on the wrong things.
