3 Ways to Become More Productive
Being more productive during the day does not necessarily mean getting more things done. It means getting the things done that you need to get done and are most important.
To truly improve productivity, you have to change your habits and lifestyle. Productive people don’t just become productive overnight; they form good habits that keep them on track and that ultimately saves them time.
Need a little help getting started? Here are three ways to become more productive in your everyday life.
Know What Is Stealing Your Time
There are so many things that serve as distractions throughout our day – whether we recognize them or not. Those few minutes that you are distracted from your work – they add up at the end of the day. With all of the time wasted, you could have tackled more of your to-do list successfully.
The first step to becoming more productive is to recognize what is stealing your time. Is it your phone? Or maybe just the constant notifications on your phone? Perhaps it’s the music you are listening to, the TV, or even the people you are with during the time you should be most productive.
Once you start to recognize what is wasting your time, you can make efforts to eliminate them. Limit yourself to checking emails only during certain parts of the day – unless it’s urgent. Turn your phone on “do not disturb” or simply turn social media notifications off. Removing these distractions may seem small, but they will ultimately make a huge difference.
Try Focusing on One Thing at a Time
Easier said than done, right? Multi-tasking is a great skill to have, but that doesn’t mean that you should always be multi-tasking. Sometimes, you need to focus on one thing at a time until it is completed. Trying to complete too many tasks at once is overwhelming and only disables us from completely finishing something.
Research shows that multi-tasking is not actually doing two things at one time, but switching your energy between two things quickly. Multi-tasking can damage your brain and make it difficult to process information, remember things, and pay attention.
Setting goals at the beginning of your day is essential. Figure out what exactly needs to be done and put them in order from most important to least important. You can then focus on the most important task with your full attention and get it done. You’ll soon have all of your tasks done instead of bits and pieces of each task. Plus, you’ll have the vital tasks out of the way, which is a huge help with stress relief.
Take Care of Yourself
You may feel you can keep taking on more, but if you are not taking care of yourself, it will be nearly impossible to get everything done and done well. A computer cannot complete tasks if it’s completely falling apart, and neither can you.
Productive people take care of themselves. This means getting enough hours of sleep every night, eating correctly, and even taking breaks. Pushing yourself too hard is never the answer; everything and everyone has a pressure point in which they cannot take anymore.
How could you possibly get anything done if your mind is not all there? If you are too tired, or so hungry your only focus is lunch? How could you think about the task in front of you? Sometimes taking 20 minutes to eat, relax, take a walk, etc. will ultimately increase your productivity and your overall mood.
Give yourself an adequate amount of time for everything that allows you to take care of yourself, including sleeping, eating, and resting. Your body will thank you, your work will thank you, and the days to come will start to become much more productive.
Hopefully, these productivity tips can help you start working with more ease (and less stress) and allow you to get everything on that to-do list done!
What are some other tricks you have for increasing your productivity? Let us know in the comment section below!
Alyson Pittman is a contributing writer for WBD and a JR marketing associate for Excite Creative Studios, an Atlanta-based creative agency.
Alyson graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. She was in multiple organizations at KSU where she held leadership positions. As a part of the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, Alyson held the Social Coordinator position and planned/promoted large events.
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