Here is a simple definition of productivity – ‘How efficiently and effectively someone gets things done’ It’s how you do things, and how fast, or more specifically, how efficiently.
- Getting more done at work.
- Writing more for your blog or website.
- Moving towards your goal faster.
- Taking more steps towards the life you want for yourself.
- Achieving more than you did yesterday.
This guide to being more productive will hopefully help you to get more done, and to be proud of how much you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. You’ll be astounded at how much you can do if you follow this guide.
How can you be more productive
Think about how much yo usually get done in a single day.. do you think you can improve that? Do more? Well, you can. It all depends on your time management skills and the way you do things.
One day, assuming you get up before 9 and go to be at about 11, is a lot of time. You can do quite a lot in that amount of time. You could set up a passive income stream, practice a skill, travel to another city or town, plan your future etc.. The number of things you could do in a day if you put your mind to it, is higher than many people think..
Step #1 – Write down what you want to do
You’ll get better at doing this as you practice it more, but write down what you realistically think you can do in one day.
Write the list clearly so you can maybe make notes next to the items, and then put it somewhere where you’ll see it clearly. As you more productive and better at doing this, you’ll push yourself further, and you’ll know how much you can do in a day, this list will get bigger the better you get at it.
To start with however, just write a few things, things that you really want to get done, maybe you have been waiting for a while to properly organize your room, or maybe you want to start writing that story you’ve been thinking about for some time.
Start small, and gradually, as your productivity increases, add more to your list each time. Bite off only what you can chew to start with, however. If you attempt more than you can manage you may get discouraged and quit. People like instant results and are motivated when they see them.
Step #2 – Arrange the list
Make sure you do the most difficult thing first. This is a helpful productivity tool as it gets you to focus on the most time consuming and tricky tasks before the easier small things. It’s all about contrast, and how your mind works.
If you do the hard things first, the small things will take care of themselves, you will already be in the mindset to get things done when you get to the small things. If you start with the easy things however, then the harder tasks will seem like so much more effort when you get to them.
Step #3 – Get up early and start on the hardest task
This is crunch time. It’s what will either make you more productive, or make you decide to give up and go back to bed. In order to trick your mind and be more productive you need to change the way you approach things. As soon as you wake up, which should ideally be before 9 in the morning, go down, make yourself a quick breakfast, have a drink of coffee if you need it, and start right away on the hardest task of the day.
By doing this, you’re tricking your mind to produce more and work more efficiently. Not only does your brain work best at this early time, but it will make everything else you do that day seem easier, and that will trick you into thinking you can get more done.
And you can! I say ‘trick’ but the truth is you had the potential to do this all along, it’s all a matter of how you approach it. So get the hardest thing done right away. Start doing it within 20 minutes of waking up, and you’ll find that the next steps will be like a walk in the park.
Step #4 – Do the easy tasks and plan tomorrow
Now you’ve done the hard part, focus on doing the easier tasks, and they’ll seem a lot easier in comparison to the more difficult task. It’s a mind trick really, making you think something is easier because you’re viewing it in contrast to the hard task.
It’s a good little productivity habit to adopt though, and you’ll find it useful throughout your life, I know I did. The earlier you get up the better it seems to work as well, (within reason) It’s not worth getting up before 5 because your body does need sleep and time to rest, but about 6-7 seems to be the sweet spot for productivity.
Productivity Tools For A More Productive Life
Here is a little something extra for you all, a few tricks and tips to get your mindset straight and focused. It can be difficult sometimes to stay motivated, if you’re struggling with motivation then these posts might help you. They should open in a new tab, so you won’t lose your place in this post.
3 Reasons Your Motivation Doesn’t Last.
3 Ways To Get Motivated And Stay Motivated.
Now, back to the productivity tips!
Productivity Tip #1 – Get up before 9
This is a summary of the top part of this post, basically getting up really early and making the first thing you do the difficult task will trick your mind.
It tricks your mind into being more productive because it not only focuses your attention on the task.
When I say start on the hardest task, I really do mean jump starting your brain and diving right into whatever is going to take the longest that day. During the first hour of waking your mind creates your attitude for almost the entire day, and if you jump start it by working as soon as you awaken, you’ll be in a driven state all day. Don’t just take my word for it, really give it a try!
Productivity Tip #2 – Plan as much as you can for tomorrow
When you’ve done what you planned to do in one day, start planning or working on tomorrows list. For example, if you write a blog, write your days article and then get started on the next one, even if you don’t publish it. Just have it there, ready to go.
Just having things ready for the next day will really help you and motivate you in the mornings. You’ll slowly be able to do more and more each day, and this is a good way to keep yourself motivated. By planning things for tomorrow, you’ll also get practice at fitting more and more into your day.
If you get everything done before 3PM then you’ll know to set a higher target tomorrow, and so on. It’s training you to get more done each day that goes by, so that eventually you’ll find yourself doing quite a lot each day.
Productivity Tip #3 – When you’re working, don’t get distracted
Whatever it is you’re doing, it’s best to cut out all distractions.
If you have a phone, put it on silent and turn it over so you can’t see the screen light up. The last thing you want it to get distracted by a flashing screen because someone sent you a picture of a cat.
It may be useful to invest in some noise cancelling headphones, plug yourself in and listen to some trance music, a trance playlist is great because there aren’t usually lyrics. You can’t get distracted and the playlists go on for hours and blend into each other. The beats in trance keep you energetic and ‘pumped’ as well. Trance music is also good for your brain.
Productivity Tip #4 – Focus all your attention on the task you’re doing
Whatever you’re trying to do, focus all your attention on it and don’t let yourself get distracted. It’s going to be easier the more you do it, but try to channel your thoughts into one place and keep the energy flowing into your body and into what you’re doing.
Hopefully this article has helped you to be more productive, if it has, feel free to share it with your friends, there are even some links below and to the left for you to share with one click! I would like to mention a book which I’ve found very helpful in my life, and it could help you as well.