28 Specific Productivity Tips
I’ll save you the obligatory introduction and get straight to the point. This is just a list of pure tips for getting organized and feeling better about your affairs.
General Organization
- Get a calendar
This may seem like a no brainer but many people don’t use a calendar. A calendar is an absolute must-have tool to be organized. Knowing where you’re at and where you will be is a relevant ability for anyone to have. The best one out there is by far is Google Calendar. It has so many great features it would be difficult to list them all here. A couple highlights include Gmail integration, public calendars, and it’s available on all platforms.
3. Prioritize your tasks
Try this system. 1 = high priority, 2 = medium, 3 = low priority/leisure. It will help you get a better sense of how much effort you need to give for each task. Prioritizing will give you the ability to get the important stuff done. Don’t waste time on things that don’t matter.
4. Have labels for your emails
Emails can be a scary thing but it doesn’t have to be. I use labels to organize my email inbox. Labels are exactly what they sound like. The labels simply mark your email’s by whatever topic you designate. It makes finding important things a lot easier to find. Personally, my labels include meetings, important information, sales, and upcoming bills.
5. Have some form of cloud storage
Cloud storages make managing accessing data on the go way more easier. My personal recommendation is Google Drive. Here’s why:
- $1.99 for 100GB
- Easy collaboration
- Available on many different platforms.
- And much more.
6. Learn to develop your focus
Focus is always the precursor to getting things done. A lot of us, however, don’t know how too. You really need to look inward and examine what is really distracting you. Once you find out what it takes it out of your workspace and get ready. Cal Newport, author of Deep Focus said in a podcast interview that focus is at the center of
7. Have digital and analog systems
Both have their setbacks but having both balances out the cons of having just one system. A simple notebook works fine for an analog solution. Your computer works fine for the latter.
8. Start a bullet journal
Bullet journaling is a little overhyped as a productivity tool but it is still worth the effort. It will make you want to be productive. Having all your notes in one place is a life-saver. One time I remember
9. Bring your notebook everywhere you go.
You never know when a great idea will pop into your head. Having it handy will save you the trouble of trying to recall things from the past. It will make you look like you have your shit together as well. I recommend Moleskine’s Classic Notebook.
10. Consider Scannable
Scan all your most important documents. That way you can access them when you need them.
Time
11. Don’t schedule more than four back to back meetings/events in one day
It won’t work out well for anyone. You’ll get burned out and hate yourself. You won’t be present and you would get anything from them. Trust me.
12. Use a color system for events on Google Calendar
Use red for meetings, blue for tasks, and yellow for errands. It’s a nice visual touch that will give you a better picture of what you’ll be doing on any given day.
13. Have a review day
Block out some time (preferably Fridays) to go over everything you were supposed to do for the week. If I’ve done 80% of it then I’ve done well, if not there’s some room for improvement.
14. Learn to say “No”
Before you agree to do something you really need to look at what you have on your plate and see if you could add more. If you can, by all means, say yes. If you don’t just say no. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.
15. Quit multitasking
Not much to say here other than It doesn’t work. You’ll get way more done if you focus on one thing at a time. Very few people can actually multitask effectively. No offense but I don’t think you're one of them, statistically speaking.
16. Always put a buffer between meeting/events
Buffers are your best friend. They give you time to refocus on your tasks and prevent burnouts. If possible I try to put 30 minutes between everything I do.
17. Accept being late (but not too late)
It happens and I see way too many people fret over this. Life happens and most the time there is nothing you can do about it. Accept it and keep on with your day.
Planning
18. Anticipate problems
Not thinking about potential problems ahead of time is magical thinking, plain and simple. If you know that morning traffic makes it difficult to get to work or school early don’t make that your goal. If you want to buy something in the near future but you have bills to pay, don’t buy it right away. Revise and persevere on.
19. Track your goals
Whether its fitness goals, learning goals, etc. If you’re not keeping track there not going to happen. Trackers are great indicator for knowing where you are at. I can say that one of the more fulfilling experiences in life is seeing all green on your tracker.
20. Start it now
If it can be done in a reasonable amount of time just do it now. Procrastination is a real thing and can cost you the quality of your work. You will get way more done and it will decrease your stress levels.
21. If you’re going to make a decision, you need to know exactly what it will cost you, not just financially, but time-wise as well.
I see a lot of people, even professionals make this mistake. Time is just as important as a resource as time. You need to take it into consideration in your decision-making process.
22. Make an action plan
Take a gander at this example. If I wanted to launch a new product for my company I would need to know the following:
- Who would work on the development of the product?
- When would the products release date be?
- What resources will I need?
- We will supervise the development?
Point is you need to have a 360 view of whatever you’re doing from start to finish. This is the type of thinking you need to be doing for any form of long-range planning. That is planning for more than three years down the line.
23. Be realistic with the amount of time it takes to complete something
I’m very guilty of doing this. One time I had a 3-page paper due in the following week. Instead of doing it at the earliest convenience I waited until 2 hours before it was due. Let’s just say it didn’t workout to well for me. Time is a resource just like money, oil, food, etc. Treat it with the respect it deserves.
Internet life
24. Your documents don’t belong on your desktop, make folders
It will give you your eyes a break when you open your computer. Doing this has cut my time looking for things in half.
25. Stop being impulsive online
This sounds easy but it takes a bit to train your mind to do it. Marketers know exactly what will get your attention and generate engagement. Sometimes we can’t get there There’s a number of applications out there that will block you from using certain websites while you are working. WasteNoTime is a great one that’s free.
Mindset
26. Work when you work best
I will preface this with the following: people work better at different times during the day. Some people work better in the morning. Some people work better from 5pm to 8pm. It’s all relative to the person. Don’t let anyone tell you when to work.
27. Take care of yourself
It’s really hard to focus when your tired, hungry, or going through it emotionally. Make your well being your top priority. Take a nap during the day. Eat more than you normally do. Work out. Do whatever it takes to feel better. Once you do, get back to work. Don’t waver, it breeds complacency.
28. Do the hard things first
I’m serious and here's why. You will loses energy and interest as the day goes on but your energy is much better spent. Once your hard task is done, you can work on the easy things that require little energy.
And that about wraps this up. Have anymore tips you want to share? Email me at najjaoconnor@outlook.com. As always give this article a 👏 if you liked it. Stay gold friends.
