No matter what you do or where you live, all of us can benefit from being more productive.
Long to-do lists and more coffee isn’t going to do the trick, but we have put together 10 ways that will immediately increase your productivity.
Here’s what to do.
1. Have you time in the morning
What do you do first thing in the morning? Check your phone, emails and your calendar? This is not a productive way to start the day.
Taking time for yourself to have a decent breakfast, read the news or to go for a run will set you up for the rest of the day.
Need help getting motivated in the morning? Take a look at these tips.
2. Get active
We’re not all massive fans of the gym or running. However, if you want to increase your productivity you need to come up with an exercise regime that suits you. Exercise releases stress and increases energy which makes it the perfect way to start your day.
3. Tackle challenging tasks first
There’s probably certain tasks in your day that you don’t look forward to or even dread! These are the tasks that you need to tackle first.
Your brain will be fresh in the morning and better able to combat challenges. Also, if you keep putting it off, your dreaded task will play on your mind and damage your productivity for the whole day.
4. Take more breaks
When you’ve got a to-do list as long as your arm and deadlines looming many of us fall into the trap of skipping our breaks. However, this will hurt not help your productivity!
Your brain needs a break. Whether you go for a short walk, grab a snack or squeeze in a workout your brain will thank you for it. You’ll be able to return to work feeling recharged and ready to go.
5. Stop multi-tasking
While you may think that trying to do 10 things at once will get them done more quickly, actually focusing on one thing at a time is far more effective.
Did you know that changing tasks more than 10 times a day drops your IQ by an average of 10 points? Don’t do it!
6. Ignore your emails
Email is one of the biggest productivity killers and distractions that we all face. Settle on key times in the day when you will check your emails. Depending on your job this may need to be every hour or just a couple of times a day. In-between these times, shut your email down so that it can’t distract you.
7. Eat and drink well
What you put in your body has a big impact on your energy, focus and productivity. Here are some superpower snacks that we recommend for boosting your energy.
8. De-clutter
Mess creates stress. Make sure you regularly clear out the clutter in your office and desk.
9. Say no
While you may want to help people out, sometimes you need to say no for the sake of your own productivity. Unsure about how to say no without offending your colleague or boss? This article will help.
10. Be committed
If you want to be super-productive you need to commit to it. If you’ve decided that you want to improve your productivity and you follow the tips above, you can do it.
Do you have any other productivity secrets? Share them with us by leaving a comment below.
