“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul J. Meyer
Let’s explore how to turbo boost your productivity, since being productive is rewarding in many ways. I’ve experienced days when I reached my milestones, soared swiftly toward my goals and sat down in the evening smiling big and proud of my productivity. I’ve also had days when I procrastinated, ran into endless obstacles and wanted to take a sabbatical from time constraints and goals. What I learned through the years to be productive is some general rules to becoming and staying productive in areas of my life. Do you want to be productive professionally? How about personally? Do you settle for where you are instead of striving toward your potential? I’ve discovered a few things about productivity and one of them is that it feels good to be productive. It might take more effort than I feel like giving but ultimately, productivity equals feelings of accomplishment, contentment and satisfaction.
How Do You Increase Productivity?
People who are super productive offer a few suggestions about why they produce the results they do. Here are some tried and tested tips for boosting productivity in all areas of your life:
1. Create Goals, Goals, Goals:
I’m sure you’ve heard about the importance of goal setting, but have you taken it to heart? Have you sat down and planned your goals professionally, personally and financially? The most productive people are firm believers that creating goals is the first step to experiencing results. It does not require a lot of time to write a list of goals, but it takes discipline.
2. Create An Action Plan:
Once you’ve written your goals, create an action plan toward the fulfilment of those goals. If you don’t take actions toward your goals, you are not likely to achieve them. If you want a career change, write what career you want and make a plan to do what it takes to make the change. If you need to take classes, plan and take action. Apply to the college or register for classes. Always remember that ACTION is required to create change. If you dream about your goals, it’s really nothing more than a good intention.
3. Make A NOT To-Do List:
It’s helpful to have a to-do list, but sometimes we get overwhelmed with the things we have to do and half of the things we do we can do without. Do you have to watch 4 hours of television every night? Could you cut down on time spent surfing the internet? Do you spend more time creating plans and not taking enough time on the action part? Do you procrastinate? A not to-do list could look like this:
- I will no longer spend countless hours watching television at night when I could do ________.
- I will only spend 1 hour at the gym instead of 2.
- I will stop procrastinating.
- I will stop checking my phone, email, Facebook every 15 minutes.
- I will not make my children do extracurricular activities that they don’t want to do.
Sometimes, we ought to take inventory to free some time up to spend on actions that can boost our productivity in several areas.
4. Do The Most Unpleasant Tasks First:
If you want to be more productive, do the tasks you dread the most in the beginning of the day. This way they will be out of the way and once they are done, you will be more focused and energetic about the rest of your daily activities. For example, if you dread making phone calls to customers, perform the task first thing in the morning, so you can get it over with instead of waiting until the end of the day. This way you will get it done and be able to breathe easier and feel lighter all day long.
5. Have No Interruption Time:
This is especially helpful if you work for yourself from home or in an area where others have access to you continually. Decide on no interruption time for a block of time each day and hold your ground. Put a sign on your door that reads: “Not available from 10am to 12pm” or find a quiet spot in your home and turn off your phone for two hours each day so no one can bother you. You’d be surprised at how much time you can waste: answering texts, checking Facebook, Twitter, phone calls, or chatting with people who pop into your office. Designating a block of time solely to produce will serve you well.
6. Create Deadlines:
If you want to be more productive, set deadlines for your tasks and do your best to reach them on time. For example, if you want to write a book, write down the date you would like to have it completed by and set some milestones. If you want it completed in one year, commit to writing 3 or 4 days a week for 30 minutes each time. You will be surprised at how little chunks of writing can add up to a whole manuscript in one year’s time.
I hope you take advantage of these tips for boosting your productivity. You can be as productive as you like with effort and drive. Be the person who doesn’t settle for the easy road. Settling does not make you feel accomplished stifles your growth. Intend to be someone with passion and drive, to be a well accomplished and productive person.
