Being productive is a very important aspect of everyone’s lives and many people struggle with keeping themselves motivated and productive every single day. It is important not to overwork yourself, take breaks and chill out occasionally but in this article, we will focus on how to stay productive, be productive, and make the most out of your every day.
There are a lot of strategies to help with being productive and staying motivated. There are habits that can be taught that can improve your day quite a lot. Start with your simple everyday tasks and it will translate into abilities in your personal and professional life. It will help you develop certain personality traits and habits that can also heavily impact your business abilities. There are a lot of myths in all areas of life like some huge nutrition myths or the biggest crypto myths, and productivity also has a lot of myths inside, but there is little to zero truth in that. Without further ado let’s jump into some of the tips we’ve prepared just for you!
Set Clear and Easy Goals
The first step to staying productive is to set yourself clear and easy goals to accomplish. If you have smaller goals but that are fairly easy to complete, then you are much more likely to achieve them. Sometimes it’s good to split bigger tasks into smaller ones. For example, if you need to make dinner just simplify it into several steps like doing the grocery shopping, preparing your ingredients, slicing up stuff, pre-heating when needed, etc., or if you need to clean your house just split it also into smaller easy-accomplishable tasks like taking out the trash, cleaning the bathroom, dusting and more.
Prioritize
Another thing that goes well with making several simple tasks is the ability to prioritize. You need to learn what things are more urgent and/or important that you should do immediately. There are always things that are more important than others, and even if the other stuff is quick and easy, make sure to focus on the important ones first. Do not distract yourself between several tasks.
Create a Daily Routine
Quite a simple but important thing to do is to create a daily routine for yourself. It does not have to be something monumental, but some things you will do every day. As an example, you can read a book for 20 minutes a day or go for a 30-minute walk every day. Then there is always a possibility of expanding on that to a point where you can have 4 hours every day that look the same, but they build your strength and motivation and are spent productively but remember to do all this step by step.
Discipline is the Key
Something quite simple that connects well with the point above but is a key to success is discipline. You just need to do your routine day by day and stay in it. There is not much to say about it other than just committing and not getting discouraged too early. Give it time and take it day by day but discipline is really a gamechanger.
Get Rid of Distractions
Another simple, straightforward tip for staying more active and productive is getting rid of any distractions. Turn off the TV in the background while working, turn off your wi-fi on your fine while you work or workout. Do not mistake it for multitasking, because you can still listen to your favorite podcast or playlist while working out or just doing tasks at home, but if you have something that needs your full focus make sure to really focus on it. It is especially hard, due to the power of social media, but it is possible if you just remember to do it.
Practice Time Management
Managing your time effectively sounds easier said than done. It is a key to squeezing the most productivity inside your busy day, and it takes a lot of practice. Some people find it easier, but it becomes harder for others, so once again start small. A notable example is the public commute, if you are already moving around by train or bus then it is a great place and time to use the extra time on something more productive.
You can, for example, install an app that helps you learn a language or learn how to save some cash back and do it while on the train, or you can respond to emails on your phone in that time, it allows you to save a small amount of time on a daily basis but if you combine all the time saved by just combining few simple tasks sums up to a bigger amount of time.
Take Breaks
A very important and underutilized thing is just taking breaks. It is much more important than many people realize. If you have something important to do make sure not to get distracted and do other stuff like mentioned above, but if you feel tired or burned out at the time it is a great idea to take a break or take a nap or whatever. It is better to rest than to move on to other things, and just finish the important task at hand. Giving yourself time boosts your creativity and helps you prevent the burn out effect a lot.
Optimize Your Surroundings
Something that is also connected to getting rid of distractions is just making your workspace or living space much more productive-friendly. What that means is just having useful things at arm’s length. Do not organize everything by color or author’s name but keep the books that you want to read the most by your bedside table, keep your water bottle always filled and next to your workstation. Simple things that have influence in the long run.
Learn on Your Mistakes
As one saying goes, one time you win, one time you learn. There is always something to learn in every area or situation. You can be an expert at something but there is always room to grow, especially in defeat. Do not get discouraged by taking losses but make the most out of the situation and remember to learn in everything you do. If you overestimated yourself and thought that a task would take you an hour, but you needed two to finish it, next time leave two hours for that task.
Sleep More
Finally, make sure to sleep and rest. Sleeping helps with a lot of things and is often overlooked by many. It helps with your focus, mental well-being as well as overall physical health. You will have better metabolism if you sleep regularly and for a decent amount of time, which means you can work out a bit less than otherwise and that saves you a couple of minutes a day. It doesn’t sound impressive at first, but it sums up to hundreds of hours over time.
With that in mind make sure to do everything step by step and do not throw yourself into it all. The process of implementing some or all of these tips takes time, but it is totally worth it in the end.