There is no doubt that sometimes you drag your feet through the day. Maybe more times than you want to admit. Being productive, especially at work, is really important to helping you stay focused and achieve whatever task you have at hand.
We will be exploring some tips that you can use to keep yourself productive so that you can soak up the most out of everyday.
Do Your Best Work in the Morning
Our brains are at their most alert state in the morning. Having an alert brain leads to a more ambitious body and you can’t pass up on that energy. Whatever the most important tasks are for the day, complete them in the morning. Put off reading through your emails and playing with your phone until the afternoon if you can. Know what needs to be done for the day and attack it early.
Don’t Think, Just Do
Many times there will be a light that switches on in your brain that sparks a great idea. You decide to hold off on following through with it because you may want to give it more thought. Don’t do that. If you feel something is right and could be a good idea, act on it immediately. You will be feeling positive about it when it pops into your mind, so keep that positive energy going and take the first steps to complete your plan.
Keep Things Clean
A lot of people get stressed when they see clutter. Be sure to keep your house and your office as clutter free as possible. Before leaving work for the day, make sure that your area is completely organized and clean for your arrival the next day. That will start your day off on the right foot to be motivated to attack the day. This is an easy way to eliminate daily stress and be more productive.
Remember What it’s Like to be a Kid
Remember the good old days when you didn’t have any stress whatsoever? Think of all the energy you were able to produce from sunup to sundown. It would be nice if we were able to feel that way on a constant basis. Be productive at work, but leave work at home. Plan fun things to do when you get home. If you have kids, think about what you want to accomplish with them upon your arrival home. Purchase a popcorn maker, shaved ice machine, or chocolate fountain and use it often. Get dirty and get messy! Go out for a walk with the dogs or roll around in the mud! You need to have that release on life to be as productive as you can be. Knowing you have something fun planned to do when you get home will make you much more productive at work because your energy level will be high.
Surround Yourself With Positivity
As you get older in life, you need to take more control of it. Surround yourself with positive people. Life is too short to be around miserable people. Find people in your life that make you laugh, you can count on in any situation, and you have a connection with. Being dragged down by negativity will decrease any productivity that you can have. If these negative people exist in your workplace, speak up to someone about it. You can’t dread going to work and then expect to work at your highest productivity level.
Start Your Day Early
It is so easy to hit that snooze button 100 times in the morning. However, getting up early will make a world of difference in how you function for the rest of the day. Read 10 benefits of rising early, and how to do it to get some tips and motivation to start your day off on the right foot. Getting up early will allow you to get a headstart on the day and allow you to get a good night’s sleep because you will have had a very full day.
Learn to Say No
This can be a really difficult concept for many of you. It sometimes feels like a badge of honor when people ask you to do things because it shows they have trust and faith in your. However, learning to say no can make your life much more productive. If you keep taking on extra tasks, it will slow down your original plans and not allow you to give it the full effort that it needs. Learn some of the best ways to take the pressure off at work and evaluate things more clear headed.
Multi-Tasking…Keep Focused
It’s very simple: the more you focus on just one thing at a time, the more productive you will be. If you are performing a task, checking your phone, watching T.V., doing the dishes, and getting dinner ready for your kids, there is no way any of it will be done to full capacity. You are forcing your brain to think many different things when you multitask. Allow it the opportunity to concentrate fully on one thing at a time. Imagine how thorough your task will be if you gave your brain full control over that one job!
Workout
Whether you decide to workout first thing in the morning or sometime during work, do it if you can. Grab a buddy and go for a walk during your lunch break to take a mental break from work so that whatever else may have been going on in your mind can be freed during this time. It will also help to keep you in shape, which will provide you more energy. A win-win for everyone!
Scheduling Breaks
Similar to the workout, if you don’t give your brain a chance to unwind and take a mental break, it will not give you the full production that you need. Schedule in breaks every hour to an hour and a half of 10 minutes or so to step away from what you are doing. This will give you that few minutes needed to clear your head before coming back and catching possible mistakes that you missed earlier.
These are just a few simple tasks that you can complete at work or home to help keep your productivity level up throughout the day and the week. Create a routine that works for you and provides you with that comfort that makes you the best you that you can be.
