Are you the type of person who believes that there aren’t enough hours in the day to get anything done? Productivity is all about using less (energy, work-force)to create more, smarter, and not harder.
Whatever you’re looking to achieve, productivity tips are a good foundation. Let’s look at the following hacks:
- Declutter Email: Take command of your inbox. Labels, folders, and categories always come to the rescue. Allocate a specific time every day to either move your already answered emails into a specific folder or gather the courage to hit that delete button once assessed. Also, be wary of what you are signing up for and subscribe to only those emails that you truly want to see in your inbox. No matter what, tell yourself that you must get through all of your emails every day. Hoping that you won’t fall so far behind that there’s no hope, but to declare email bankruptcy.
- Eat that frog: If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. Sitting and staring at it for a long time won’t make it go away, take immediate action. In essence, start with the big and daunting task first. A “frog” is not only a task you’re likely to avoid; it’s one that’s going to have the biggest positive impact on your life.
- 2-minute rule: The goal is to make it easier to get started on the things you should be doing. It’s surprising how many things we put off that we could get done in two minutes or less, some not because they are difficult but are being avoided for one reason or the other. So if something takes less than 2minutes, then it should be done immediately. Do the easy thing on a more consistent basis. When you know which type of attention you need to use for optimal productivity, you give yourself the best chance to complete your work with joy and creativity, and you will be less susceptible to being diverted by an unfocused brain.
- Practice Productive Procrastination: “I work well under pressure”, “I am so lazy right now”, “I’m so busy”. Let’s be real, most of us have said the above and have fallen into the procrastinating trap. Well, there’s hope, we can learn to procrastinate the right way by using the wasted time to boost productivity. For example; when you don’t feel like getting started on a project, take a few moments to plan-out the remaining tasks. Another strategy is to use time out to break the project you are delaying into smaller and manageable pieces. If that doesn’t work, then a short walk and some fresh air can always do the trick.
- Sleep on It: Sleep is such an essential part of wellness that missing out on a few hours a night just to get work done could do more damage than good. To be the best you can be, you must rest. Inadequate sleep not only causes a lack of focus and bad performance but over time one can suffer from sleep deprivation.
“The best productivity hack is getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night. The second best is exercising 30-60 minutes each day. Both are obvious and overlooked, and yet make a more meaningful and immediate impact on the quality of your thinking than 99 percent of productivity tips.” James Clear, Atomic Habits
Category: Career guidance