These 4 Easy Changes Will Supercharge Productivity by 90% More
Each of these are tried and tested.
Routines are dull and lower our interest in repeated activities over time.
What I misunderstood about routines was being busy and working all the time.
While planning my day, I used to make an endless to-do, filling the entire page. And I kept adding one task after another. I flipped through the online sources, read tips, and downloaded e-books for a productive routine.
But I failed to complete my to-dos.
That always left me unsatisfied. I was always exhausted and overwhelmed at the end of every day. Despite working all day, I didn’t see any moved needle over the months. My efforts went in vain — when those weren’t really aligned with my goals.
But later, as I kept learning, observing, and understanding, I made subtle changes and created systems that changed everything. Now, I work 7 to 8 hours a day.
Its result?
I am launching products, creating content, and upskilling while living my life and having family time.
I am doing all of this without dumping my head on my laptop the entire day.
The problem with routines is
We ignore our body signals when it is the actual source of shaping our day.
For example, if you can work at the peak for two hours. Why not take a small break after 2 hours of focused work?
If your body is most productive in a specific time frame and if your energy declines at a particular time, then why not structure your day according to these signals?
It is only possible when we experiment and note down what works for us and what does not.
So, here are the 4 changes I made in my routine to make my day productive, not busy:
1) Setting focused hours
The point is our motive is not to compete with ourselves but to achieve and utilize our potential.
After reflecting that the long hours weren’t my performing hours when I was working 5 hours effectively out of those 12 hours. And this is the case for most people.
Studies repeatedly show that productivity declines after a specific number of working hours is exceeded. Although this point can differ among individuals, it is widely recognized that a 40-hour work week is generally the maximum for most people’s productivity. After crossing this limit, fatigue typically causes a drop in productivity.
It’s due to decreased diminishing marginal Utility.
It is the concept of Economics that states that each extra unit of gain results in a slight increase in perceived value.
For example, if you eat pizza slices, the initial pieces will be more delicious than the later ones; the twelfth piece will not add much to your taste. You will find it less tastier with every additional piece of Pizza.
The same applies to your working hours. You will not have the same productivity level after working 6 hours as you had during the first hour; Your productivity declines with passing every hour.
Considering all of this, I fixed my working hours -
- 3 hours in the morning
- 3 hours in the afternoon
- 2 hours in the evening
Rather than working continuously, you can keep your focused hours after analyzing when you are at peak performance and when not.
2) Online systems
I am not a tech person to use any fancy software.
But I replaced multiple apps, notes, and diaries with a single tool that is Notion.
It helped me clean the mess of writing on 5 diaries, WhatsApp, and other note apps.
How?
- Creating systems for the different life and work areas.
- Organizing all information under the specified categories.
It saves you from getting confused and wasting time in finding where you noted something and what you planned. When your stored information is a few clicks away.
Note: At the end of this blog, I have attached the link to the free templates that you can use to create systems in Notion by just plug and play.
3) Eliminate what isn’t for you
The problem is we try to satisfy ourselves while filling our page with the to-do list and pushing to fix everything.
Ever questioned if there’s really a need to fix it?
Is it worth the effort?
Is it aligned with your interest, energy, and long-term growth?
If not, why list 15 tasks when it is going to create a mess?
It’s not about listing countless tasks to do but it’s about consciously deciding what to do and what to remove.
Eliminate what doesn’t serve you, and shorten the list to focus on the right things.
Because it isn’t about how much you do but about how much you do right.
4) Finish 70% in the peak hours
I wake up at 5 am and start my work at 6 am. By 9:30 am, I finish around 70% of my work (most days). It’s because I found my peak hours to free myself during the daytime.
What helps me to stay consistent with it is planning my morning and day one night before.
No, I don’t say you stick to your table in the morning. Instead, it’s about recognizing the time when you have high energy and productivity to dedicate to your work rather than doing all the time and stretching your work.
You know, sometimes things don’t go as planned. It’s better to adapt ourselves calmly as a situation demands.
What matters is getting better every day and making small changes.
All the points I have mentioned above are based on falling, getting myself up, reflecting, learning, and restarting — finally coming to these conclusions.
So, take insights from this, but do self-introspect, experiment, and finalize what works for you.
As mentioned above, if you are looking for the templates to organize your life and increase your productivity, here you can download:
Content Planner: https://sumanpreetk.gumroad.com/l/ultimatecontentplanner
Weekly Planner: https://sumanpreetk.gumroad.com/l/weeklyplanner
Daily Dashboard: https://sumanpreetk.gumroad.com/l/dailydashboard
Subscribe to stay updated on the upcoming systems to simplify your life and achieve your goals: Sumanpreet Kaur (gumroad.com)
