Productivity
As someone who has been stuck in a pattern of mindless social media scrolling and procrastinating. I find it difficult to motivate myself and become more productive. More of my time was spent thinking about planning out things than actually doing them.
After doing some research and watching a few videos about productivity I felt overwhelmed. Everything I looked at seemed difficult and complicated, I felt like I would need to dedicate hours and hours of my time just to start, so I gave up before I even began.
Then after putting in some thought into it, I began to realise it didn’t have to be daunting, overwhelming or overly time-consuming. I put together a plan for myself, nine little things to become more productive.
Set a morning routine for yourself
Having a clear morning routine set out for me was one of the easiest but most effective ways that I have become more productive. My routine is simple but effective. It allows me to start my day off with a motivated and productive mindset. My morning routine only consists of a few things so it doesn’t feel too overwhelming and I am actually excited most mornings to start my routine.
Get rid of distractions
When I am trying to complete a task I find it so much easier to do when I don’t have any distractions. If you are anything like me, my main distraction is my phone, so when I am trying to complete a task I like to put my phone on silent and move it away from me. This way I am not tempted to keep picking it up and checking it as I would be if it was next to me.
Stop multitasking
Whilst we often think of multitasking as better than just doing one task, it’s not (most of the time anyway). By completing just one task at a time we are able to concentrate on it fully and put or best effort into it. Though it may take a little bit more time sometimes the outcome is much better.
Create a daily to-do list
I think it is very important to create a daily to-do list. It doesn’t need to be complicated or super extreme. Some days if I’m not busy the list might contain things like, wash hair, sort through photos and tidy top of desk. By writing down simple tasks such as these that would be completed anyway give a sense of achievement when crossed off. This makes you even more motivated to continue with your list and complete all the tasks on it.
Prioritise
Being able to effectively prioritise your time is a very good way to become a more productive person. After creating my daily to-do list I like to prioritise all the items on my list. I like to complete the biggest tasks first and the things I need to before I complete the things I want to do. For example completing a piece of homework before watching a movie.
Take breaks
The human brain can only concentrate for 45 minutes so we all need to take a break sometimes. It is important to take breaks whether it is a five minute break to go grab so water or a half hour break to make some food. Taking breaks will help you stay concentrated and motivated over a long time. Breaks also will help you to spark new ideas. However, it is important to make sure that after you take a break that you go back to your task.
Set goals
Goal setting is one of the best ways to become a more productive person. I like to set myself a few goals for the year and a main goal every month. This way I know what I need to focus on each month. I sometimes will also set myself a small goal for a day or a week depending on the amount of time it will take me to complete. By setting goals for myself I always know what I am working towards and once I accomplish those goals it makes me feel a sense of elation.
Deadlines
I find setting deadlines important to stay productive as I am able to see how much time I have left to complete the task. Setting deadlines and sticking to them is crucial, as this way you can’t keep procrastinating from completing the task. If you don’t stick to deadlines it can leave you with unfinished work or it can make you rush to finish
Show gratitude
Everyday as part of your daily routine write down one thing you are grateful for each day. Reflect on the accomplishments you make daily. Writing down one thing that you’re grateful for can increase your sense of well-being by about 10 percent. I find it very helpful to do gratitude journaling before I go to bed to help me relax and have a better sleep to be more efficient the following day.
