Thursday, June 2, 2016

Five Habits That Will Significantly Improve Your Productiveness

Everyone has a different definition of success, but of all the different definitions out there one thing remains constant: and that is that successful people get things done. Highly successful people get things done and they get them done in an extraordinarily more productive manner than the average Joe.

It does not matter the job you have, the money you make or where you work, everyone strives to be more productive. We all want to do better, do more with our efforts and do it in less time. Maybe it is the fact that there is just something about a productive day at work that permeates a sense of euphoria. Or perhaps, it has something to do with this “busy” digital day in age in which we live, where the odds of us getting distracted and veering off task are highly more likely than they once were. Who knows really? What we do know, is that for many people not being successful is not an option. It is merely a question of how and when they will reach this point in their life that remains a mystery.

There is a very common misconception about productivity in general, that is, that being productive simply means doing more things. In fact, “doing more things” is pretty much the opposite of being productive. Instead being productive refers to do more but with less motion. In other words, getting more done by “doing less things.” Make sense?

 

Habit No. 1: Less Is More

Conference speakers (not one in particular, I have heard it from many) often stress the fact that when it comes to productivity in life, less is more. What these conference speakers mean by this, is that one should take care not to be overeager in creating a To Do List.  In fact, many conference speakers recommend cutting your To Do List in half in order to increase productivity. Seems strange, right? This is a valid point and effective way to manage one’s productivity levels.

You will often find that hearing out motivational speakers so as to stay motivated, will offer much beneficial insight as to help you stay focused on life goals and success. And in observing said motivational and conference speakers you will learn help tips such as “less is more” along the way.

 

Habit No. 2: Set Limits

In general, outlining time frames and deadlines is effective in that it helps us to establish parameters. However, it can at times prove to be counterproductive. We tend to allow our activities to take as long as we have allotted time for. That being said, set hard limits with regards to daily tasks. Any task in which you set out to accomplish should take no longer than you “need” it to take.

For example, allocate a mere 10 minutes a day to social media. No more. Just 10. Here is what you will find (in general, not just with the social media example):

  • Day one: Expect to be frustrated because you did not accomplish all you set out to.
  • Day two: You will find that you instinctively will begin skipping a few feeds (or tasks) simply because they are “not as important.”
  • Day three: You will find yourself prioritizing what you read (or what you set out to accomplish), based on what you “need” to know (or “need” to get done).
  • Day four: By day four you will have organized your priorities in a way that allows you to accept that 10 minutes is plenty of time to accomplish what you set out to.

 

Habit No. 3: Establish a Routine

Both morning and night routines play key roles in the lives of the extraordinarily productive individuals in our society. The first thing that you do in the morning sets the tone for your entire day. That being said, within your night time routine, you should adequately prepare yourself to hit the ground running as soon as your eyes open the next morning. Make some notes. Look over them prior to closing your eyes in order to “prep” yourself for first light.

As far as your morning routine goes, as mentioned before, hit the ground running. As if you were an Olympic athlete. Do not ease yourself into the day, do not piddle paddle around. Instead, move towards getting out the door or getting your day started as if you were to win a medal for fastest time.

 

Habit No. 4: Outsource necessary tasks

You can’t be good at everything. Nobody is. With that in mind take notice of the things that you are good at, and those that you are not so good at. Evaluate what is worth your time and what would make more sense to hire someone to complete.

A busted pipe in your home for example. Sure, you could watch a couple YouTube videos, run over to the hardware store, attempt to fix the problem on your own, and probably save big in the process. However, you could also get it done in a fraction of the time, with no stress on yourself and no question as to whether or not it was done properly by hiring a plumber. Same applies to your work life!

 

Habit No. 5: Forget about multi-tasking

Multitasking will be the death of you and your productivity. Just don’t do it. Contrary to common belief, multitasking does not help you accomplish more in less time. It does quite the opposite actually, pretty much guaranteeing that you will accomplish less in more time. Another tip learned through hearing out motivational and conference speakers, “multitasking distracts the mind and results in a loss of focus.”

So what have we established here? Plan your morning and day the night before, wake up like you have a fire lit under your you-know-what, less is more when it comes to the basic workday, hire help for things that you are not good at, and do not try to do more than one thing at a time.

How do you stay productive throughout the day? Got something more than what was mentioned here? Please share, we’d love to hear about your methods for success!

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