How to be more productive: 10 simple perfect habits
In this fast paced life we all have the desire to be more productive and make the most of our days. Even though that might sound simple it is not actually that easy as sometimes we all lose our focus and we stop being productive. Here you’ll find 10 amazing effective tips which will bring more balance, organisation and a stress-free routine in your life. So let’s start straight away and discover them…
Wake up early and go to bed early! I have heard many times that you should start your day early but realistically talking, how can you wake up early if you are going to bed late! You will feel cranky, very tired and you can definitely forget about being productive! Waking up even half a hour earlier than usual will give you that extra time to be more organised, less stressed and making sure that you don’t forget anything that you need to do. You might also be interested in the post (Morning routine habits of rich people)
Write down a to do-list and take a note of your goals! Making a list every single morning will assure that you don't waste unnecessary time figuring out what needs to be done. You also have a clearer view of the tasks which have been crossed out ( done) and what is left to do. If you feel more creative, like I usually am, and have some spare minutes you can also colour-code the tasks and separate them in categories. For example I tend to write Work tasks in purple, Knowledge Tasks (educational videos , articles and books where I gained extra skills or knowledge) in orange and chores and personal tasks in blue. I occasionally change the colours but what I love about this method is that you can clearly distinguish the tasks and push your artistic side a little. Another way to keep on top of things and make sure that you get everything done is to write down your goals. We all have things that we need to do but what’s the point of it if we don’t have a purpose for it. Having monthly and daily goals will make our life far more exciting and productive and reaching them is a way to build up our self esteem, become successful ( check out also the post 14 Secrets on how to become successful) and we will have more trust in ourselves. I also write my monthly goals on Trello as it is such a simple, creative, fun and easy way to be organised and you don’t miss anything out!
Do the less pleasant or most important tasks first! First of all if you get the most annoying tasks out of the way it is always the best thing to do as in the morning we tend to have more energy and we are more awake. Secondly prioritising on the main tasks or the one that you must do will make us feel less stress during the day and look forward to the ones that we actually love doing.
Prepare your clothes the night before! Mornings can be quite busy so picking your outfit the night before not only saves some extra time but also avoids unneeded stress.
Keep a notepad with you at all times or a task app! Every time you are out of your home you might see or hear something that gives you an idea! Write down or take a note of it onto a task app such as Trello as if you don’t do that by the time that you get home you probably would have forgotten about it.
Try the “pomodoro” method! Time yourself on each task you need to do and make sure you stick to it. In this way you are unlikely to spend too much time on one activity and to get distracted.
Be present! We sometimes get caught up so much in our thoughts about our past or future that we don't focus on what needs to be done in the present. Remember that you don't have control over your past anymore and definitely over your future as it hasn't happened yet. What we have control of is our present and that’s where we should give our total focus. Especially if you think about that our future can't be good if we don't make our present productive and stick to our daily goals. So stop to think about mistakes you made 2 years ago, a difficult time in the past, where do you need to take your children in 3 hours time, what your colleagues think of you, what you life will be like in 5 years from now etc. Focus in the moment otherwise you’ll probably end up with an headache at the end of the day and get nothing done! A way to stay focused is to pay attention to every little detail on what we are doing in that moment: for example, if you are folding your washing and putting it away feel the texture of it and look at the colours. If you try that you’ll see how it will help you more to keep your concentration and focus.
Always make sure that you are a step ahead! Any little things count and to have some extra stock prepared of everything can really help to save time and be more productive! For example if you run out of toilet paper make sure that when you put some more in the bathroom, that you bring some extra as that will minimise the amount of time that you stock up. Another example is to put extra rubbish bags in the litter bin so that when you change it you just have to pick the clean one inside the bin. There are of course many more examples but all these can help especially if you have a very busy life with two jobs, children, leisure activities after work etc.
Make good use of waiting or travelling time! While you are waiting for a dentist or doctor’s appointment, driving test, interview , a flight or anything else make sure that you use that time to gain knowledge such as reading a book, listening to a podcast, watching a documentary, reading the news or an article and take advantage of that time instead of day dreaming. You can also listen to music, to a podcast, to a teaching language cd, check your email, your to do list etc. depends if you’re driving or are on a bus trip.
When you make dinner prepare a double portion! This is a great tip if for example you don’t have lots of time to make healthy fresh delicious meals. If you usually come back from work late, have extra activities after work and return home later or have kids, making an extra portion for the next day can really help you to have more of a free stress life. You can also use that time to do some extra things or just to take some time to pamper yourself!
Do shopping online! Many of us we spend a great deal of time food shopping and that doesn’t even include when we get stuck in traffic. Some groceries stores don’t even charge anything for you to have the food delivered to your home! That can save time but also avoiding long supermarket queues, traffic and anything else which can stress you out and certainly don’t benefit you in any way.
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