7 Methods I Use To Make My Days More Productive As a Content Creator
They also promote my mental, physical, and intellectual health.
Content creators always worry about their productivity. They try to find ways and means to make their days more productive. But, they often end up miserable and reduce their productivity in the long run.
Overdoing isn’t the way to make your days more productive.
Neither can you push your limits at once?
Making your days more productive requires developing a productive routine, commitment, and persistence.
But it doesn’t mean you should do it every day or all day.
You need a healthy routine system to make your days more productive as I did.
Here are the seven methods I use to make my days more productive.
Avoid Using Your Mobile Phone the First in The Morning
This is the most unproductive thing you can do to yourself. Avoid it at all costs.
I used to check my mobile phone the first thing after opening my eyes in the morning.
And this was bad in many ways:
- Checking notifications and messages would waste my time
- The wastage of time would result in anger and panic
- It would often cause unwanted worries
- It would demotivate me often
- The sense of wasting time would ruin my mood
- The screen light in the morning would cause me a headache
- And that headache wouldn’t go until after the evening walk
So, you see! using my cell phone in the morning caused me so many problems. The biggest problem was less productivity.
According to studies, using mobile phones in the morning has significant downsides for health.
According to a study published on ScienceDirect, using digital devices reduces work productivity and harms health. The fewer use of mobile phones can yield more work productivity and promote better health.
So, I quit using my mobile phone the first thing in the morning to increase my productivity. And you, too, can follow this method to live a healthier life and make your days more productive.
Start Your Work on Time
Not starting your work on time can make you lazy. Procrastination reduces your productivity.
I would often avoid starting work on time and make excuses. The notion of having time was only a deception and nothing else.
Whenever I would start my work on time, I would do very well. But waiting an extra few minutes would lead to hours and wastage of time.
I would then regret wasting time which would lead to frustration and anger.
Procrastination can lead to stress development and anxieties. Avoid it and do your work on time.
On the other hand, accomplishing your work on time can lead to happiness and promote productivity.
Take Breaks Only When You Complete Your First Task
Taking a break from work is healthy. As the old adage goes that “all work and no play makes Jake a dull boy.” So, avoid working all the time to become more productive.
How taking breaks can make us productive?
Working for a long time without breaks can lead to many mental and physical problems. Recent studies have shown that taking effective short breaks can help improve our health as well as productivity.
You can take minimum breaks but only after completing a task. This is my personal experience. Whenever I leave something in the middle and take a break, I find it hard to catch up with the flow or inspiration for the work to complete.
If you are working on smaller projects such as creating a logo, writing an article, editing a piece of writing, or editing a video, complete it before taking a break.
This will help enjoy your break with happiness.
If you leave something in the middle, you will be thinking about the project and won’t get the benefits of taking a break because you are silently stressing about your project.
So, I recommend taking a break only after completing your work (if it can be completed in an hour or two).
For lengthy projects, you don’t need to apply this formula.
Eat Healthy and According to the Needs of Your Body
If your job demands you to sit on a chair and work for long hours, eating unhealthy foods can lead to many health problems.
If you don’t take care, obesity is the first thing you are going to encounter. You will also experience numbness of the legs, stiffness of your neck, mental fog, heart diseases, and exhaustion.
So, you should try to eat a low-fat diet. You should add high protein and reduce carbs and calories to avoid any unnecessary health issues.
You should also use green tea which has many health benefits.
The better option is to consult a dietitian to suggest you a suitable diet according to your body weight and needs.
I am a healthy person and do regular walks and hiking to burn the calories I intake. Still, I take greater care in eating things that aren’t good for me in my routines.
If you can do regular exercise, there is no worry about diet. Still, a little care is the best thing because it will ward off unwanted health problems.
And if you aren’t healthy, you won’t be able to produce anything of value.
Spare One Hour For Your Refreshment
You must have a “Me Time” in your routines to refresh your body and mind. A content creator needs a “Me Time” more than anyone because content creation uses a lot of mental and physical energy and you need a quick boost to recover.
No matter what, I never compromise my refreshment time. I always spare an hour for my refreshment in the evening. During my refreshment time, I don’t do anything else but focus on the well-being of my mind and health.
How do I do that?
- I go for long walks coving almost 4 miles in an hour. I usually go on a brisk walk to help regulate my blood flow.
- I often go hiking. I set a target in the nearby mountains to scale and I reach there always. Climbing mountains has added aesthetic value because you can see and observe nature in all its shades.
- I do squats, push-ups, chin-ups, stretching, and belly exercises two days a week.
I follow these activities alternatively on various days and these activities have kept me healthy all my life.
Spend Time On Your Personal Growth
Always spend time on personal growth. It’s the best investment you can do.
You can add new skills to your already developed skill-set to well-quip yourself to cope with any situation.
I spend about an hour every day learning new skills. In the past month, I attended a two-week copywriting workshop with a top copywriter and seller.
I also read a book in the past week by Viktor E. Frankl “Man’s Search For Meaning” and learned many new things about the life of the prisoners in Auschwitz concentration camps. The book expanded my understanding of how Nazis treated their prisoners and how the prisoners lived in those camps.
So, you see! adding a new skill (copywriting) to my creative arsenal and learning new information strengthens my confidence and boost my creativity.
Without spending time on your personal growth, you won’t see growth in any dimension of your life and stay unproductive.
Don’t Push Yourself to Overdo
You might have heard those motivational speakers that motivate people to overdo things beyond their capacity.
I don’t agree with them. Overdoing will only drain your energies and may rob you of your interest in the field you are working in.
Pushing one’s limits is a good thing. But your passion for “pushing your limits” should have a limit itself.
You can do it gradually, rather it happens gradually.
Just show up every day. Do little when don’t feel like doing it and do well when you are in the mood.
That’s how you will widen your limits.
I do it when I feel like doing and sometimes I don’t do it for days because I don’t feel like doing it.
Give rest to your creative muscles and let them rearrange themselves for a big leap. That’s how you will improve your day.
Remember! rest (taking a break) is a part of the improvement. Working without an end will only lead to physical and emotional damage. Avoid both and make your days productive.
The Crux of the Write Up
Various distractions get in the way between us and our productivity. If you focus on the distraction more, it will reduce your productivity. But if you remove these distractions by improving your routine system by replacing a few things, you can make your days more productive.
Here are those few things to base your routine upon:
- Don’t start your day by looking at your mobile screen. It isn’t good for your health as well as your productivity because it wastes time.
- Don’t delay your work and avoid procrastination. Completing your work on time leads to productivity.
- Taking breaks is necessary. But take it after completing your necessary and short-term project before taking breaks to enjoy it.
- Eat according to the needs of your body and work requirements. Do regular exercise to avoid health problems to stay productive.
- Don’t ignore your “Me Time” to refresh your mind and body on time.
- Always give time to your personal growth. Read and learn more skills.
- You can’t push your limits in a day or a week. It’s a long process. Give it time and grow gradually.
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