How to be productive is a critical question that may always be at the top of your mind if you are seeking to be successful in life.
Time Ferris, an American entrepreneur, says, “Focus on being productive, instead of busy,” but the statement begs the question: What is productivity? Plus, how can you train yourself to be productive?
What is productivity?
Productivity means extracting maximum output by putting minimum effort into a fixed amount of time. It not only helps you beat the clock but will also increase your chances of becoming successful as you can grab and work on opportunities more efficiently than others.
We know the importance of productivity, and that is why today, we are going to throw light on some hacks by using which you can become more productive. Would not it be amazing if you sleep every night totally satisfied with yourself as you have tried your best and took few steps towards success?
Why is productivity important to your success?
Being busy and being productive are two different things entirely. It is important that you know the difference because the key to success is not being busy, it’s being productive.
Productivity is important because it allows you to wisely use the resources available to you, to get to your desired outcome in a lot less time.
Being productive allows you to make valuable use of your time by completing all of your important tasks and outsourcing less essential tasks to others.
How to be productive?
1) Morning routine:
Did you know that your morning routine has a significant impact on your productivity throughout the day? A good morning routine can lead you to a productive and happy life.
A Harvard Business Review published a study in 2010 that proved that people who woke up early got better grades in school and led a more successful life than night owls.
“There aren’t enough hours in a day”, they say. Don’t cut down on your productivity by laying in bed. If you are ever tempted to hit the snooze button again, take a look at these 21 successful people who wake up incredibly early.
The most important meal of the day is breakfast, and in this fast-paced life, you probably prefer to skip it but this can cause a dramatic decline in your productivity. Having a healthy breakfast keeps you focused and gives you the energy you need to take on your tasks.
Doing light exercise for ten to fifteen minutes in the morning is also very beneficial in increasing your productivity. It increases your energy levels and battles stress and tiredness.
2) Do what you love:
Elon Musk once said, “People should pursue what they are passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else”.
Productivity comes from inspiration and passion, and inspiration is not like motivation; it is external.
Several entrepreneurs, business coaches, and mentors recommend not to impose a passion on yourself, and the reason behind this is not happiness. The reason is that when you are naturally passionate about something, you do not get tired of working on it.
Striving and working on something you love feels like entertainment. If you do not love what you do, you will not become productive in it.
3) Avoid multitasking:
A Stanford research published in August 2009 has shown that multitasking can decrease productivity immensely and reduce your cognitive abilities.
Multitaskers often suffer from stress, mismanagement, and memory impairment. If you are trying to become more productive, then multitasking is one of the things you need to avoid to succeed at it.
4) Manage your days, weeks, and months:
Have you ever been regretful about times past and think that you have wasted your days and have not accomplished anything worthwhile? You are definitely not alone.
Time management is critical to being productive. Properly managing your days, weeks, months, and even years can help you achieve those goals which were impossible for you.
Here are some hacks you can use to manage your time properly:
- Make a big picture plan of your week and write it on paper.
- Create a to-do list.
- Review your past progress and manage your goals accordingly.
- Enlist your long-term goals.
- Break larger goals into smaller milestones and tackle them one by one.
5) Use Pomodoro technique:
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method created by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. It is a very helpful and commonly used approach to increase productivity.
This technique suggests working for 25 minutes and taking 5 minutes to break after that, and these intervals are known as Pomodoros.
This helps in maintaining self-discipline and creates a sense of self-control. It also refreshes our brain and refills our mental energy. Adopting this manner of work can increase your productivity tremendously.
6) Delegate your work:
There may be a lot of repetitive tasks in your daily life which usually require a lot of time to complete. You can choose some tasks to delegate and make sure you choose the right person for the job.
This will give you more time to do those important tasks that you cannot delegate. This will be to your advantage and will give your productivity a boost.
7) Get proper sleep:
Your body is designed to function at it’s best with proper rest. Proper rest will enhance your productivity because it improves your mental health, mood and brain function.
After resting, you will feel alert and energized. These are critical components to a productive day and a productive life.
8) Work environment:
Your surroundings can affect your productivity. Properly organizing and managing your workspace is very important to increase productivity.
A neat, cozy, and quiet environment has proved to help a lot in this regard. Also, try to remove all the distractions and clutter in or near your workspace as they can affect your mood and decrease your productivity.
9) Learn and review:
Taking each day a step at a time and learning from your successes and mishaps is a good habit to develop as this will keep you focused and on track.
Reviewing your progress will help you to make any necessary changes to how you carry out your tasks in a timely manner and keep you on the right track to being productive.
This step is very crucial and can help you move forward by leaps and bounds by keeping a close watch on your short and long-term progress.
10) Use efficient tools:
In this technologically-modern world, there are a lot of efficient tools that you can use to increase your productivity.
Would you spend $200 on a device or software that will save you 3 hours of work every single day? I most certainly would!
This is the ease of the 21st century, and we should leverage the benefits out of it.
Wrap up:
Productivity determines your success to a great extent; the more productive you are, the more likely you will become successful.
It is the desire of many people to be more productive. While others seem to be crushing it and getting stuff done, to others, productivity seems like an illusive dream.
Increase your productivity by using the methods above in your daily life. I want to hear from you! What will you do to increase your productivity? Tell me in the comments.
