8 Rituals for Increased Productivity
We’ve shared how to set a productive workplace, how to do more with less effort, and even how to write effective to-do and not-to-do lists! Still, there are lots of other methods of increasing your personal effectiveness!
Today, we explore some useful rituals that help people get the most of their work and time!
1. Adjust Your Wake-Up Time to the List of Actions
Members of the Collabio Spaces team understand night owls who snooze the alarm for another 5–10 minutes, and perhaps another 5–10 minutes after that. We know how it feels yet we also know that waking up half an hour earlier will pay off in big ways.
It may seem that half an hour isn’t much, but that is illusion. During this extra time you have time to set the tone to the day ahead. Drink coffee, do exercises, choose an outfit, listen to your favorite music, play with your pet, and generally recharge yourself with positive emotions for the whole day!
2. Set a Goal for Every Day
People get motivated when they see the light in the tunnel. So, if you have a goal for the whole day, then the time will be well spent, and you will feel great. After all, you will be the winner!
It can be one global goal, for example, to finish a project, write an article for the blog (my goal of today J ), hold 10 meetings, etc. Alternatively, you can set several small goals if you plan to do several things in a day. Why not? In any case, you will not only repeat your to-do list in memory but also highlight the day’s priorities.
3. Expect Kinks in the Road
No matter how thoroughly you plan your day, something can always take an unexpected turn. Solving such issues requires additional time. Free enough space and time in your day to be able to respond, reroute and replan. Postpone things for another day, dealing with force majeure situations whilst still controlling your schedule.
These may be short blank time slots (5–10 minutes) throughout the day, generally up to one hour per day. And if there are no such urgent problems, just start doing something from your future to-do list or go for a walk in the park nearby; take a break from work.
4. Prepare Everything in the Evening
What a pleasant feeling when in the morning you do not need to run to the store for milk for coffee, because you already took care of this!
Prepare ingredients for breakfast, clothes, accessories and things for work, in advance. Charge gadgets and wake up to fully powered devices and a smooth start for yourself. No more rushing to the morning meetings.
5. Stay in the Moment
Mindfulness is not just another popular trend among psychologists and coaches. It’s what allows us to be more productive! This term means one’s ability to purposefully pay attention to the present moment and be fully aware of what’s going on. It’s about perceiving every moment as it is.
This point means concentrating only on things that help you benefit from the moment. Sure, thinking of possible failures or past victories won’t assist you. So, pay attention to what is happening now and don’t clutter your mind with unnecessary information.
6. Have a Mobile Office with You
Having a mobile office in your pocket (or a laptop bag) is convenient and useful. Who knows where you will find yourself needing to urgently change a few words in the agreement, put a signature on the document or count the numbers in the latest report?
If a few years ago we said: “Yeah, I will do it when I am in the office or at home at the computer,” now we can do everything, from everywhere. This saves time and allows you not to forget about important and urgent things.
That’s why Collabio Spaces are so eager to perfect your paperless and mobile office experience! ;) Have you tried the app yet? Well, maybe now is the right time — check it out on the App Store!
7. Be Open to New Things & Know When to Say ‘No’
How many opportunities do we miss every day because of fear, insecurity or a bad mood? We will never really know how many things we miss. Nevertheless, we are the owners of our own lives and can either sit on the sideline or take control of everything and make our days brighter and more intense.
Are you offered something new? Before you refuse (usually the first desire because new things almost always mean going out of your comfort zone), think about the potential worth in saying ‘yes’!
At the same time, recognise when you need to say ‘no’. If you think that the agreement will be no good for you or may jeopardise your current work or wellbeing, say ‘no.’
7. Recharge; Do Nothing after Work
If you are an active person who needs productivity like air, you probably know that after work you still find a lot of things to do at home. Of course, it’s cool when everything is done at work and the house shines clean, and you are learning 10 languages (including programming languages) in your free time. But what about rest time? Without this — everything else goes out the window.
Our inner supply of energy is not endless, and it may run out at some point. Rest: both during the working day and every evening. Allow yourself to do nothing, put aside all books and courses, forget about household chores. Spend time with friends, in nature, have fun and generally forget about being a serious adult! ;)
