How to Triple your Productivity
How I went from checking off only 2 things on my to-do list to checking off all 8
Are you one of those people who get up every day and write up a foot long to-do list, only to cross off two of the things you have written down at the end of the day?
Well, I certainly was one of these people.
Apart from removing distractions and all the other things you probably already know, I’ve learned some things that can help double, if not triple your productivity.
So below, I go through all the things that helped me go from barely checking off anything on my to-do list to checking off nearly everything!
Find your “spot.”
You can’t be doing everything in just one space. It just ends up messing with your head too much and harming your efficiency, and from my experience, I definitely do not recommend it.
For example, I used to eat, drink, and watch TV while lying in bed, and when it finally came, time for sleeping, I found it very hard to sleep.
Guess why? Because my brain was associating my bed with eating, watching TV, and everything else except sleeping, so it was very tough for me to sleep.
After switching to watching TV only in the living room, needless to say, I started to get much better sleep.
Just like my bed, many people use their desks where they work to do countless other things. It's hard for our brains to realize when you are doing serious work and when you are goofing off because it associates the same place with both of them!
Find your “spot”. Find that place where you work best and don't do anything else other than your work there. Find a different place where you can relax, chill, and just focus on having fun.
Stop Thinking-write it down
Most people get up in the morning and their minds are just bombarded with thoughts of the things they need to accomplish that day.
They overthink, get demotivated, and this eventually leads to either going back to sleep or spending an extra hour procrastinating by scrolling through their phone.
So do yourself a favor and write everything in your head down as soon as you get up so your thoughts don't have a chance to get jumbled in your head. It doesn't have to be a to-do list or even have an organized structure. It could just be word vomit for all I care.
Because it's not about how you write it down, it's about clearing your head and making sure that you still have the motivation to continue productively through the rest of your day.
Make your success easily achievable and Reward yourself
I hope your to-do list doesn't look like this :
- Ge up
- Cure cancer
Cause if it does, not only are you making your goals impossible to accomplish within 24 hours, but you'll probably become miserable in the process. I know many people, myself included who just get up and write down a huge to-do list consisting of tasks that just can't be accomplished all at once.
And by the end of the day, when they look back at what they have accomplished, they feel bad and guilty because it looks like they didn't accomplish anything, despite spending countless hours doing work.
Reward yourself when you get things done. Take a break or do something that you just never seem to have the time for.
This doesn't mean you're slacking off, it actually motivates you to do more in the future by preventing burnout.
It's also good to take some time away from the rat race that the modern world has created and do things just for fun.
Know everything that is happening an take control of it
It's simple, If you want to be in control of every moment you have, you need to know what is going on at every part of your day.
Know what your day is going to look like before you start it. This helps you visualize just how much work you can get done so you don't over or underestimate what you can do.
If you know that you have an event to attend or have plans to go out with your friends, you know that you won't have too much time to get your work done, and that’s okay but you shouldn't be stressed about it. Instead, you should feel in control and know that you can get your work done on another day when you don't be any other plans.
Some productivity apps can be your best friends
In this digital age, we don't need to count on ourselves entirely to keep track of everything we do. If you prefer to have your life organized digitally, you're in luck! There are tons of productivity apps and I’m sure that with a little trial and error, you'll find one that's suited to your needs you are comfortable with using.
Some of the apps that I have found to be the most useful are Notion for keeping all the different aspects of my life organized and the simple Google calendar for my daily scheduling. Both of these apps are free and I would highly recommend them to anyone who can't keep track of their paper lists and schedules.
Some of the other apps I’ve heard about are :
Todoist -a task tool that turns complex to-do lists into something easily manageable. helping you keep track of your own tasks to make sure nothing gets forgotten and Loop-Habit tracker to keep track of your daily habits.
(all of these apps and many more can be found in the app store with a simple search )
Stop letting wasted time eat into the time you have left
One of the most harmful habits that our brain tricks us into developing is thinking back on the time you've wasted, feeling guilty about it, and in turn, wasting more time.
Yes, I’ve fallen into this trap several times.
It's like when you look at your phone from 5:00 to 6:35 and you look at the clock and think, ill start working at 7, and when it's 7, you miss it by 5 minutes and think, oh jeez why don't I just start at 7: 15. And by the time you start, it's 9:00.
See where I'm getting at?
The easiest way to overcome this bad habit is by recognizing that you're doing it in the first place. Being aware will make you 10 times more likely to realize that you've wasted too much time and allow you to pull yourself back on track.
So let's say you wasted most of your day and you only have two hours of viable time to do the work you were supposed to complete throughout the day, instead of regretting all the time you've wasted thus far, you need to forget about it and just focus on every second of the two hours you have left.
That's the only way you're going to overcome wasting more time.
Key Takeaways
You have the capability to triple your productivity. You just need to discipline yourself a little bit more.
So find a place where you focus your best and use it as your working spot. Don't overthink things; if your thoughts are getting to you, then just write them down.
Be in control of your life and know what's going on around you. Make sure you know how your day is going to play out so you can take advantage of it and practice how productive you can be.
Please don't write down unrealistic to-do lists. There is a difference between long-term goals and daily/short-term ones. know your capabilities and what you can do within your daily time frame, so you don't end up exhausted and unsatisfied by the end of the day.
Reward yourself for your accomplishments, even the tiniest ones, because they matter. The more you make yourself feel good about the things you are doing, the more likely you are to continue to work hard and be successful at those things
And finally, don't let wasted time eat into the time you have left. Productivity and self-discipline are some of the hardest things to master, so if you learn to constantly implement even one of the tips given above , you’ve probably already increased your productivity.
Remember these things take time. It took me several months to build these habits and everyone's productivity journey Is bound to be different.
Let me leave you with a quote :
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” — Paul J. Meyer
