What is Productivity?
If you’ve ever looked up the definition of productivity, you would have seen that there are over 470 Million results that come up on Google. One dictionary defines productivity as:
“The quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services: The productivity of the group’s effort surprised everyone.”
Essentially, personal productivity, which we are discussing here, is a way to determine how effective someone is and in recent years, it has become increasingly important to people who want to improve daily.
The main way to be productive is to get the results you want with less time and effort. You’re trying to understand how to be productive so you can have more free time to spend on things that matter.
How can we improve our productivity and time management skills so that we can lead more fulfilling lives? Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused with everything going on around us.
There’s always a way to procrastinate and waste time, no matter who you are. Student or professional, it’s easy to find yourself with an unfinished to-do list at the end of the day and a sense of self-doubt and annoyance. If you had just concentrated harder and been less distracted, you could have gotten more done.
Productivity is reliant on having mental energy, feeling motivated and being alert. It often occurs when you find yourself naturally enjoying the task at hand.
In the past, researchers have found that you can become more productive by focusing on either the individual meaningful parts of a larger goal, or on the larger goal itself. Doing this will help to increase your motivation and make it easier to complete tasks.
This is the time to increase productivity. The following tips and tricks will help you improve your productivity starting today.
How to increase productivity
All of us have the same 24 hours in a day, so it is important to use our time wisely. This doesn’t mean working more hours, it means working smarter. Knowing how to manage our time is crucial to being productive.
It’s not complicated, but there are some effective tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of your day and feel accomplished. Here are our top 16 tips to increase your productivity at work.
1. Plan Ahead
The stress of a busy work week is familiar to us all. When you’re in bed on a Sunday night worrying about everything you have to do in the coming week, it can be overwhelming.
If you plan ahead, you will feel more in control of your day-to-day life. Planning ahead has benefits including less worry, more time in the moment, and fewer missed meetings and forgotten emails. An effective plan helps you stay accountable.
If you do not have a clear understanding of what needs to be done in a given day, you will likely feel busy, but will not be productive. Start planning your days in advance by creating a schedule the night before. This will help you get more done in less time and make life feel smoother as you will be completing tasks that are useful and add value to your life.
2. Set Realistic Goals
Many people have goals throughout their lives and careers. Goals help to provide a general direction for life and also give people something to strive for. Achieving goals can be satisfying and help to make the journey more enjoyable.
In 1980 the largest survey ever undertaken regarding the link between goal setting and productivity was carried out by researchers at the University of Maryland. Locke et al described in the abstract for the article:
A review of research on the effect of goal setting on learning or task performance found that specific, challenging goals led to better performance than easy goals, “do your best” goals, or no goals.
The results in terms of the goal setting were outstanding and it went on to state:
The way goals affect performance is by influencing factors such as how much attention is given, how much effort is put in, and how long someone is willing to persist. Additionally, goal setting can lead to the development of new strategies.
We can learn that it is beneficial to set goals and work to achieve them early in life, and that it is never too late to start.
There are a few variations of the SMART concept for setting goals, but they all follow the same principles.
S – specific, significant, stretching
M – measurable, meaningful, motivational
A – agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented
R – realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented
T – time-based, timely, tangible, trackable
Your goals should always be;
- Clearly defined – therefore, rather than ‘learn a new skill at work’ it should be ‘learn how to conduct a business meeting online’
- Realistic – Set yourself goals that are achievable with resources that are available to you right now rather than ‘future planning’ these goals. For example, you cannot do something that you know will take you 3 years of full-time dedication and application in 2 years while holding down a full-time job and raising a family.
- Challenging – If the goal you set yourself is easy to achieve, it’s not a goal. You must see the goals as a challenge that needs your time and effort in order to be achieved. Start by setting a goal that might seem slightly beyond what you are capable of and that way you’ll be able to do more than you believe you can.
- Meaningful – The goals or goals you set need to provide you with a sense of achievement.
If you set goals for yourself, you will be more productive because you will be focused on achieving them.
3. Set a Timer
Try to estimate how long each task will take, and set a timer for each one. There are many different ways to do this; for example, the Pomodoro technique, where you focus on a task for 25 minutes followed by a five minute break. Or you could try the Eisenhower Matrix, where you distinguish your tasks between urgent and important.
If you have a project that will take a long time, you can use a timer-based app like Clockify. It’s a good way to keep track of time and provides reports. It’s also free.
4. Eliminate All Distractions
Phone calls, emails, and multiple web browsers open at the same time can be very distracting. It is important to be organized not only offline, but online as well.
5. Listen to Music That Boosts Productivity
It’s best to avoid distractions, but sometimes a little bit of music playing in the background can help you focus.
In other words, something other than complete silence might be beneficial.
6. Find Meaning in What You Do (And Love What You Do)
The best way to be productive is to do something you enjoy.
7. Batch Similar Tasks into a Single Batch
You can save time by completing similar tasks in one session. The app Todoist can help you with organizing all of those things. It’s an easy and simple way for you to plan out your day, set reminders, and group all of your most important tasks in a convenient spot.
8. Complete Your Most Dreaded Tasks First Thing in the Morning
The activity you are dreading the most is probably the one you should complete first thing in the morning.
Many people tend to check their emails in the morning because after checking a list of emails, they feel like they have accomplished more. However, this is just an illusion.
You shouldn’t start your day by checking your emails because it’s bad for you. You should do the difficult tasks first because you have more energy to tackle them in the morning!
9. Reward Yourself for Finishing a Big Task
Give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while to stay motivated.
Be sure to celebrate your small wins and milestones so you can see your progress. This will help you stay motivated when you feel like you’re not making any headway.
10. Don’t Multitask
The research is clear: multitasking is not an effective way to work. If you think you can multitask, you’re wrong.
For the most productive work, concentrate on a single task at a time.
11. Step Away from the Computer
To increase your productivity, try to do as much work offline as possible, rather than using the internet as a distraction.
Unplugging can be helpful when you’re trying to brainstorm new ideas.
12. Keep a Notebook and Pen on Hand at All Times
If you want to be able to write down your thoughts and ideas at any time, it can be helpful to get an app like Evernote. This way, you can jot down notes and thoughts electronically, and then share them with others easily. This can be especially useful if you have a lot of ideas that you want to share.
13. Write a Blog to Chronicle Your Own Personal Development and Achievements
This blog will help you stay on track and continue working towards bettering yourself and growing as a person.
You will be more motivated to move forward if you take the time to write down all of your small achievements.
WordPress makes it possible for people to create websites for free. WordPress has made it much simpler to build a website to the point where nearly anyone can do it now.
14. Plan Your Meals in Advance
You can save time and money by planning out your meals a week in advance and making a grocery list accordingly. There are also a variety of apps that can save you even more time. s Mealime is one app that provides you with a wide selection of recipes and also has a convenient spot for your grocery list.
This app is used by over 4 million people, which shows that there are many different meal plans to choose from. The app is also easy to use.
15. Get Rid of Time Wasters
The things that people typically waste their time on are instant messaging, playing video games, looking at photos on Flickr, checking their stats obsessively, watching TV, and aimlessly browsing the Internet.
There are plenty of browser blockers available. Don’t depend on your willpower alone, use some of these effective tools to help you stay focused.
16. Reward Yourself
We strongly believe in the importance of acknowledging success and celebrating achievements. It is crucial that you reward yourself for your hard work. A reward system will give you extra motivation and help you stay focused and productive so that you can earn your reward at the end of the day.
So, whenever you do something that’s difficult or time-consuming, give yourself a reward. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small. Maybe you’ll listen to your favorite podcast, watch a movie, or go out for coffee with a friend.
If you’re looking for a way to stay motivated, one strategy is to find ways to reward yourself once you’ve completed certain tasks. This will give you a small sense of accomplishment and help you keep going.
Giving yourself a reward for being productive can help increase your overall productivity. Who doesn’t like doing something they love after a hard day? Go ahead and treat yourself. You deserve it!
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