Inspired by Forbes.
Whether you’re at school, college or are working - it’s always good to try and be more productive. But, drinking lots of coffee and making endless to-do lists isn’t going to help you reach your maximum productivity levels (unfortunately!).
In today’s world of technology and social media, it can be a lot harder to stay productive as we have so many more distractions available to us - a scroll through Instagram feels so much nicer than sitting down and starting that essay, right?
As stated by Forbes - there’s a common misconception about what productivity really is - it’s a lot more than checking tasks off your to-do list. Truly productive people aren’t focussed on doing more things; this is actually the opposite of productivity. If you really want to be productive, you’ve got to make a point of doing fewer things.
Make room in your life for increased productivity by trying to implement these habits into your routines and daily life:
1 - Cut your to do list in half
Getting things done doesn’t have to mean an endless to do list - do you really need to do all of those 20 tasks? As the popular saying goes, less is more, so focus on the things that matter and cross the other tasks out
2 - Take more breaks
It’s often too easy to get caught up in work or have the pressure of that looming deadline, resulting in you not taking a much-needed break. Give yourself lots of little opportunities to refresh your mind and give it a break - go for a walk, sit in the garden, grab a snack or even meditate, there’s so many things you can do! You’ll come back recharged and ready to achieve greater productivity.
3 - Follow the 80/20 rule
The 80/20 rule simply states - Only 20% of what you do each day produces 80% of your results. Essentially, try to eliminate things from your day/routine that have minimal effect on your overall productivity. For example, break your next big project down into steps and systematically remove tasks until you end up with the 20% of tasks that’ll get you 80% of your results.
4 - Use your morning to focus on yourself
In today’s world, it’s common for us to check our emails or look at our calendar as soon as we get up. This is a productivity killer! Start your day by ignoring your emails in the morning - make sure you get a good breakfast and take the time to wake up properly. Read the news, meditate, work out, manifest. Take the time out to focus on something you love doing - this will make sure you’ve got the necessary fuel to have a good day!
5 - Tackle your most challenging tasks before lunch
Knock out those tasks that you don’t really want to do while your brain is fresh. If you have any busy work, meetings or revision - try and save this for the afternoon as much as you can so you have time to focus on these challenging tasks in the morning. By scheduling your time this way, you’ll be able to create a new and more productive way to manage your time, and you won’t have to stress about doing the harder tasks after lunch!
6 - Create a system
As most people do, you’ve probably developed a few habits that are damaging your productivity - such as going on your phone, watching Netflix in the morning or chatting away with colleagues for a little too long. Manage these distracting habits by creating a system. For example, for those who are constantly checking their emails, allocate yourself time slots to reply to and manage your emails. Otherwise, you’ll get distracted from accomplishing more important goals throughout the day.
7 - Stop confusing productivity with laziness
Laziness is the number 1 contributor to lost productivity. Place your focus on doing the things that matter most as efficiently and effectively as possible.
8 - Get yourself a girlgottachangeplanner!
Our planner’s are designed with productivity in mind - so whether you’re going to time black your days or budget your monthly income, we’ve thought about everything!