5 Easy Ways to be Productive

Title: 5 ways to be more productive on two illustrations of people holding trophies to indicate success.

Being productive is not something that comes naturally to us all. That’s okay! Luckily there are easy ways to start being more productive today! You can add these tips and tricks into the swing of your day-to-day without having to completely change yourself. If you’re ready to get stuff done and feel super accomplished let’s get into it!

1. Time Management 

 Even if you think you’re managing your time well you might be surprised to see where your time actually goes when you start to pay attention. Time management is not just about being productive …it allows you to do everything you want! Fun things too. Yes, we need to allot time to being productive and getting stuff done, but we also need to be aware of overworking and being spread thin to avoid burnout. 

 How-To: Get a notebook and a planner. In the notebook make a to-do list. A big, over-generalized one. Then start breaking that to-do list into sections, and then prioritize items in each section numerically.  After you feel good about your to-do list, open your planner and start dividing the tasks throughout the days/weeks while considering deadlines and timelines. If you have daily tasks (things you do every day regardless of other things going on), you can generalize those in your planner as such: daily tasks. 

Now you will have a visual of how much you would like to accomplish and you will be able to manage your day accordingly. Time management can look different depending on the person. If you need to itemize each task by the hour then do so! If you need to check in every half hour and use boxes to check off tasks as you go, also do so! It’s just about being aware that you only have x amount of workable hours in the day, and utilizing that time will make you productive. 

2. Organization 

Being organized is one of the best ways to be productive. When you have information broken down in a manageable, understandable way you will be able to make constructive decisions and get stuff done! Which is the point of being productive! Organization can make everything you do a little easier as well.

How-To: Utilize a planner and a notepad, again! Sometimes we have too much stuff to remember mentally and jotting it down allows us to have a clearer idea of what’s going on. Lists, tables (like google sheets), and categories (such as: kids’ schedules, work schedules, personal, and so on) are great ways to break down and organize big ideas. 
Declutter and sort out your stuff. I mean like physical things in your house, office, car, and so on. “Organization” is not only about accomplishing tasks, it’s about the process. When your belongings are all over the place and you can never find what you need you will be stressed. Arranging your stuff accordingly will make tasks feel a bit more effortless! 

3. Take micro-breaks

You may think you need to put in five hours of “whatever you’re trying to accomplish” before you can take a break, but that may be too long before giving yourself a rest! Micro breaks are just what they sound like, mini pauses throughout your day.

How-to: Set timers! If you’re working through something especially draining or tedious set a timer before you start. Don’t make it too long, like 30/45 minutes. Give that task your all, and 100% attention for the time, and when the timer goes off set another timer for like five minutes. This is likely enough time to get a mental break, scroll through social media, get an ice pop, or use the bathroom…but it’s not long enough that you will lose focus on the task at hand. Continue this until you feel you’ve made a decent dent in the task, and then take a proper break. 

4. Celebrate the small stuff

The Office characters dancing

It’s easy to fall into the “I haven’t gotten anything done” feelings… but you probably have and when you continuously say that it likely just makes you not want to keep trying. You need to give yourself credit! Being productive is hard! You’re constantly having to put in the work to stay focused and move forward. 

How-to: Use a checklist…“When we complete individual tasks, our brains release dopamine which causes positive feelings such as happiness, pleasure, and motivation.” Small victories!! We need to somehow stay positively motivated to be productive, so celebrating the small stuff is important! 

5. Use your phone as a tool 

Chances are you’re on your phone all day anyway, so you might as well make it work for you! Not against you. There are so many resources on your phone and through apps. It just depends on what you need! If you can think of it, chances are there is an app for it. 

How-to: Try downloading the app Strides. Strides is an app that focuses on tracking habits. It even has a productivity section in it! You can keep track of your health, business, money, and so much more. Having all this information in one spot, where you can go back and reference it, is extremely beneficial. You may even see patterns and be able to make adjustments accordingly. 

https://www.stridesapp.com/

Lastly…just do it!

The truth is you’re always gonna have something you would rather be doing. Even when you’re doing something fun you can experience FOMO. Being productive is about having self-control, and the mental capacity to decide to just do it. When you’re faced with something to do you have about three seconds, and in those seconds you’re either going to start or not. Those three seconds are crucial! …start paying attention to them. (And how you spend them) 

You are fully capable of becoming a productive person by adding easy changes to your daily routine and staying aware.  Remember that just because you want to be a productive person does not mean that all your time has to be spent doing something productive. Add downtime to your schedule and never feel guilty for taking time off! 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *