7 Simple and Effective Ways to Increase Your Productivity
Big ideas have small beginnings.
“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.” — Bruce Lee
People live by a new and mind-boggling motto these days, and it is called do-more-with-less. But it isn’t something that happens overnight — you need to put in your efforts actually to do more with less. Sounds ironic? Read on…
Making small and significant changes to your everyday habits will enormously improve the levels of productivity and in your life. This will help you get more quality work done sooner while increasing your efficiency. An added bonus also comes in the form of time-saving — at the end of the day, you will have more time for yourself or your beloved family.
If you feel like you don’t have enough time and strength to do everything you want to do, it’s probably time to sit back and analyse how well you manage your time. Honestly, there are days when we all feel like the time is choking us. But that isn’t the end! We can all reach our demands and tick off those tasks only when we develop a few habits that take us a long way.
We all dream of being productive — we love it when we can finish off all our tasks and look at ourselves with a victory smile. All we need is a push at times to change the way we organise our day every morning. And this article might be the push we all need. (I really hope so.)
Here are seven ways to increase productivity and add smiles and hours to your day.
Eliminate distractions
The ridiculous fact that I tell myself that it is ok to waste a few minutes is the biggest and the most terrible lie I have ever told myself all these days.
Life is fast as we know it. It waits for no one. Time flies, and nobody’s going to wait because I stayed behind, being absorbed with distractions and useless chats.
Even when I intend to get past the day with all my tasks completed, I catch myself scrolling down social media or watching crappy nonsense on the television.
How sad is it that the minute we hear the chirping of our phones, we reach out for it? Why have we succumbed to such distractions?
It’s high time we take back our attention and energy from these distractions. A few ways to eliminate these prickly distractions are by monitoring your mind and decluttering it when required.
Reserve some time for social media and other modes of entertainment, and in that way, you will stay away from it when you have tasks waiting for your attention.
Focus on the tough ones first
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” — Mark Twain
I have observed that by completing my most challenging tasks first, I get more efficient. So I advise you to pick your ugliest task and complete it first before turning to others. If you start with a problematic activity, then things are only going to get more manageable, and you’re going to glide effortlessly through the other tasks.
Doing the most complicated task first will create a steady momentum, and that can be the difference throughout the day. It gives you a sense of accomplishment as you cross that nasty, dreadful thing off of your to-do list. I have seen that this also helps me boost my confidence in facing the rest of the day.
Also, the key is to tick off your most challenging task first thing in the morning. This implies that the rest of the day will be a bright and happy one.
Quit multitasking
You may think you’re getting more done, but you’re probably wrong. According to research summarized by the American Psychological Association, shifting between tasks can cost you up to 40 per cent of productive time.
The truth is we all feel that by doing multiple things at once, we are getting a lot done, but that’s not the case — most of the time, with our minds occupied with too much information, we hardly do one task properly and aptly as demanded. When multitasking, your mind is divided between them the tasks, so it’s only natural that your mistakes will multiply.
But while you are focusing solely on one task at a time, you give all your energy and attention to that one thing — hence you accomplish it with perfection.
Give your undivided attention to each task, and your productivity will increase.
To-do list
Plan your day the night before or the first thing in the morning. Write down a list of things you want to complete. It might also help to write them in the order you want them completed. When you finally finish all your tasks, the contentment is like no other, trust me!
Also, crossing items off your to-do list gives you a sense of accomplishment. It always makes me so happy that I can finish the tasks. And I have seen that this helps me motivate myself and keep going even when things get tough. This will ensure you’re always working on the right things.
A not-to-do list
A powerful and useful Not-To-Do list can help you get rid of bad habits in no time. When you know what tasks are energy suckers, you tend to stay away from them, and this is one way of reaching perfection. If well planned, it will help you overcome your bad habits forever too.
It is vital to get things done, but I believe it is equally important to stay away from the ugly attractions of our lives. It could be aimlessly browsing through Facebook or Instagram feed, watching random videos, checking your phone endlessly, and so on.
Get enough sleep
So many of us are not getting enough sleep because we’re working too much. And we’re not working efficiently because we’re not getting enough sleep. What has the world come to?
A study of 4,188 U.S. workers found significantly lower productivity, performance, and safety outcomes among those who slept less and estimated a $1,967 loss in productivity per worker due to poor sleep.
Reward yourself
Reward yourself whenever you reach an important milestone or achieve a specific goal. When you tell yourself that you’ll be rewarded after a task, you will be motivated, and you will stick to the habit of finishing your tasks. We all work to achieve the goodies, and there is no way why this won’t help.
Rest can be an excellent way to reward yourself after a tiring task. Take a few minutes to close your eyes and fall into the world of nothingness and calmness. You can read a book, take a walk, or simply look up at the sky. Listen to educational podcasts or audiobooks. You can also reward yourself with a sweet treat like a cookie!
Implement these effective strategies now and finish your tasks with magic! Once you get a habit of sticking to these, your life will transform, you will see massive changes in your routine.
Blessings!
