8 Ways to Μaximise Productivity
Do you often find yourself procrastinating in every way imaginable, endlessly scrolling through social media and struggling to make things work out?
Perhaps you’re also guilty of putting off important tasks the following day, feeling too “exhausted” to carry them out, even though you’ve done nothing all day?
Fortunately, you can end 99% of your productivity problems by reprogramming your brain to reach its maximum potential.
“But Neoklis, How on earth do I reprogram your brain, Isn’t that impossible?
Contrary to popular belief, reprogramming your brain is a shockingly uncomplicated procedure, as you only need to employ these 10 ways to effectively manage your time and be more productive, eliminating procrastination.
1. Automate Tasks
By automating repetitive and draining tasks such as doing research for a new article or keeping a budget, you can take that extra time you saved and invest it into something a lot more productive.
For me, using AI to help me with matters such as rewriting articles to sound more appealing helps me save a ton of time that I can use to do other stuff, such as starting a side hustle or learning a new skill.
2. Move to a new environment
Moving to a new environment can drastically boost your productivity, as, after all, we are greatly influenced by our environment. Moving to a new environment is like moving a fish from a dirty fishbowl to a clean one.
I feel most productive when I go to a hotel or just live in another place other than my own. And If you don’t Have the luxury of moving to a new environment, try changing your own. This could be done through a renovation, doing your work in a library or a coffee shop, etc.
3. The rule of 5
Most of the time, it seems like the wide array of tasks we have assigned ourselves to do always seems to overwhelm us.
So, to put an end to doing more than we actually should, here’s a neat exercise I found that will help you get rid of the excess tasks you are doing, which I like to call the rule of 5, breaking it down step-by-step.
- Write down all the activities you are currently engaging in. This could range from your work to learning chess online
- Once you’ve done that, I want you to highlight the 5 tasks that are the most important to you.
- Now, Dump the rest, unless you have a good reason to, no cheap excuses.
As A wise man once said:
“You can’t control how you feel. But you can always choose how you act.”
In my experience, I have struggled with this matter, as I thought that I could handle juggling 15 activities at once, which turned out to have horrible consequences.
4. Make your Phone Unusable
Arguably the most effective way to become more productive is to make our phones so difficult to use that you essentially eliminate all impulsivity and procrastination from our lives. After all, the average screen time is 4 hours, which is half of how much time you would spend at a conventional 9–5. This means that, by halting your phone usage, you have 4 extra hours every day to use however you like.
I found more success doing the following:
- Switching out the default UI for something less accessible and appealing( I use Niagara, but really anything works)
- Setting up 10-minute reminders for the apps you most use to ensure you are not procrastinating more than you want to
- Make the apps you use the most extremely difficult to get to, basically eliminating impulsivity
- Anything you find works best for you, there is no wrong answer to stop wasting your time on your phone
5. Hell Yeah Or No
This idea is pretty simple; If you’re not feeling “Hell yeah, that would be awesome” about something, say no. A simpler filter is saying no to all future distractions until you finish what you started.
By doing this, you are essentially eliminating everything that could be an obstacle to your success and virtually every time drainer you could think of.
For instance, if you want to learn a new instrument and you feel hesitant, but at the same time want to try it out, chances are, you are going to get bored after 2–3 weeks of trying it out.
So, instead of wasting that precious time doing something that won’t work out to be beneficial for you, you can instead fuel that extra time to your “hell Yeahs”, which are the tasks you feel awesome doing or feel that is going to benefit you long-term.
6. Engage in Deep Work
Engaging in deep work Is probably the most effective way of being your most productive self. But what exactly is it?
Deep Work is the state of highly focused, uninterrupted work, and a state of deep work usually lasts around 3–4 hours.
Engaging in deep work is simple. All you have to do is identify the most important tasks for you and block out 3–4 hours from each day to engage in these activities, one at a time.
Personally, When I engage in deep work, I feel serene and calm while also getting a lot more done than I would otherwise.
7. Set Unrealistic Goals
From a young age, we’ve always been told to “set realistic goals” and “not push ourselves too hard”. But in reality, setting Unrealistic goals, often deemed unattainable by conventional standards, holds the key to unlocking your full potential.
When you set goals that others perceive as beyond reach, you tap into a wellspring of creativity and determination.
These ambitious objectives drive you to innovate, motivating you to find unique solutions and develop new skills. You learn the art of persistence as you navigate challenges on your way to those lofty goals.
I have found great success in setting unrealistic goals and truly pushing myself to my limits, and by doing that I have achieved many great things.
8. Learn How to Learn
Meta-learning, most commonly known as learning how to learn is one of the best ways you can maximize productivity, as it helps you learn stuff 10 times faster as opposed to the conventional methods.
One key aspect of meta-learning for humans is the recognition that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning. People have unique learning styles and preferences, and meta-learning involves discovering and refining the strategies and techniques that work best for each individual.
This might include understanding how to set clear learning objectives, managing time effectively, selecting appropriate study materials, and utilizing various learning resources, such as books, online courses, or mentors.
so, By becoming more self-aware about your learning processes, you can always be one step ahead of your competitors at all times by putting half of the work in.
Conclusion
Being productive at all times is considered to be a difficult ordeal to pull off, but with proper habit-building, basic principles, and automation, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
And just as a rule of thumb:
“You can’t be productive if you are not actively engaged in stuff”
