How to be productive and how to improve productivity?
It is early in the morning. You just woke up from a sweet dream. Everything is on its way like it should be. But then out of nowhere… BOOM! The clock shows 7 pm and after looking at the result of your work you have that sour look on your face like after biting into a lemon.
Don’t worry! I’ve been there myself. While earning my first million, I’ve tried many tricks trying to stay productive throughout the day — or even the whole week!
I will share with you some of the practices that work the best for me. Although, keep in mind, that not everything may suit you. Everybody has different preferences. Here we go!
Tips and tricks incoming!
To Do List
You might be surprised how helpful jotting down a few notes can be — it can improve your work effort by more than 10% (especially when you easily forget things just like I do). As soon as my co-worker has a request for me, I will write it down as a task to my to-do list. Later, when I have nothing to do (never happened before) I can just take a look at my to-do list and start right away. Oh! Did I mention that there’s an added value? That satisfying feeling of checking off your tasks — you can see your progress and it looks cool as well! If you are brave enough and want to take it up a notch, try adding a time estimate to each task (determining how much time should a task take). When you’re finished, compare them. Hm, this trick might be stolen
— big up for Ales Nesetril!
Breaks
Yes, but careful! Not at all costs, okay? Sometimes, when you’re in a good state of mind you can work for several hours without taking a break. It would be a shame to lose that flow, wouldn’t it? On the other hand, there are days when you need to take a break every hour for a few minutes at least. Stretch yourself, breathe in some fresh air. You will feel recharged and ready to work!
Don’t let anything distract you
A little glance at Facebook or some other app is not the worst thing in the world, is it? Discussing your favourite sports car with a colleague is also great, but it doesn’t get the job done. Laughing at programming jokes — that you in fact don’t understand — won’t help you either. Slack can be annoying as well. So, what should I do, you may ask. Well, you should try a magical feature called Do not Disturb on your phone, close all the communication apps and put your headphones on.
Comment below your favourite playlist for inspiration, thanks! #allkindsofmusic
Exercise
Get up early, get hyped and sneak in a little exercise before work. You will feel fresh and thanks to your good mood you will be ready to conquer the world! Your co-workers will be just yawning and sipping their morning coffee by the time you finish several tasks.
Sleep
Golden rule: if you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be very productive. For me personally, a 7-hour sleep is just the right amount. If I sleep less than 6 hours, I am useless. On the contrary, if I sleep more than 9 hours, I feel off colour, meaning that the result is pretty much the same. That’s why you don’t underestimate your sleep, kids!
Early bird at work
An hour (maybe 2) can make a huge difference. Come in early, avoid traffic and you also look like a model employee (wink wink). You might be surprised how much work can be done before lunch. At the end of the day, you will be happy to get off work early, not to mention avoiding traffic again, and you will still have time for your activities. It’s a WIN-WIN.
Free time activities
Guess who thought that staying up until 3 am and playing video games was a good idea? No wonder my co-workers nicknamed me Snorlax. After sitting 7–8 hours in front of the computer at work, your head will appreciate any other activity that doesn’t involve staring at a screen. Take your dog for a walk (if you don’t have one, do a good deed and visit a shelter), go out with your friends, educate yourself, read a book (just for fun), attend an interesting event, try local streetfoods, take some photos, be with your relatives… simply just do what you enjoy. Get work out of your head and don’t sit in front of the computer!
Travel
I don’t necessarily mean around the world. Try discovering new places — full of adventure and new experiences! Next time you’re strolling around the city, take a different, unknown path, just for the hell of it. Take your bike and discover new streets, places, parks… just go for a new adventure!
Naturally, if you have the resources, go for a trip abroad. Discover new cultures, new people, expand your horizons. Learn how other people solve their problems, inspire yourself and come back with an imaginary bag full of great ideas.
Motivation and inspiration
In our everyday hurry to be better and better, it’s normal if something doesn’t work out like we’ve imagined. The client is not satisfied with your design, has inconceivable demands and you just can’t come up with the right solution that will delight both sides. Often things simply don’t go according to plan and you’re gradually losing your desire to work. Well, shit happens.
All you need is some creative boost! As far as I’m concerned, Casey Neistat is my man! Lukáš, my co-worker, introduced me to a man with a burning desire for design I haven’t seen in a long time. We are talking about Aaron Draplin.
What helps your creative juices flowing? I would like to hear your opinion on this topic. Comment down below your tips and tricks how to be productive and how to improve productivity!
