Every one of us are looking for ways to be more productive in our day to day activities. Whether in our work or in our household chores, we aim to finish a lot of tasks in a day and being productive can push ourselves to finish and complete them.
Although it cannot be helped if somewhere along the way, we lost the track of being productive because we gave in to the temptations that surrounded us.
Especially right now in the digital age, where a lot of distractions come from our smart phone and gadgets, things that are now nearly impossible for us to part with. It is much harder to stay focused on a task because of this, unlike back in the days where there is no such technology available, and we could simply perform our tasks without having to constantly think if there is someone messaging us or sending emails to us. There are also no social media sites to check up on and see the updates of people who are connected to us. Life was simple back then, and productivity can also be easily achieved during that time as well.
The Importance of Good Habits
When you have a goal that you want to achieve, you need to develop good habits that will enable you to work towards reaching it. An increasing number of people have come to understand this, which is why there is so much discussion on the importance of forming good habits.
What is a good habit, anyway?
A habit is generally considered “good” if it contributes to your well-being. If it helps you become physically, psychologically and emotionally healthy, then you can consider it as a good one. If it improves your relationship with others and yourself, then it is a habit you want to keep.
That said, it is important to note that there is no such thing as a perfect life. There is no such person who became a five-star chef, an internationally acclaimed author, or a millionaire CEO overnight. Successful people consistently put in time, effort and dedication to maintain the good habits that helped them turn their goals into a reality. However, the biggest difference between them and those who feel that they have failed to accomplish their dreams is that they chose to change.
To become successful and productive, you should choose to change. The only way to get out of a bad habit rut is to decide what to change, why you need to change it, and how to change it. After that, you need to take action, and this is the point where you start to become a creature of good habits.
Techniques on Redefining and Reformulating Productive Habits
To help you reclaim the almost lost art of productivity, here are some ways wherein you could install the habits of being productive.
1. Cutting Your To-do List
Just because you want to finish a lot of tasks in a day doesn’t mean that you have to cram all your tasks to be done in a single day. If you have 30 tasks in your to-do list, you don’t really need to finish all those tasks in one sitting. Try to cut off your to-do list and do the things that are really important first before tackling the rest in moderation.
2. Take Breaks
Listen to your brain when it’s screaming that it wants to take a break. Working for several hours without stopping can make your brain strain, using up all the glucose in your body. You can regain it by giving yourself a break: taking a stroll outside, eating lunch or snacking on your favorite sweets, or you could meditate. You will feel recharged and ready to take work head on when you get back.
3. The 80/20 Rule
There is a rule saying that only around 20 percent of what you are doing in a day could only produce around 80 percent of the results. To achieve that, you must remove the things that don’t relate to the task at hand, as they will only have a minimal effect on your overall productivity. Try to break down your task into steps and remove the parts that does result in minimal relevance until you will be able to come up with 20 percent of the task that will result in 80 percent result.
4. Focus on Yourself During Mornings
Checking up your email and calendar the first thing in the morning kills your productivity big time, as you allow other people to dictate the things that you must accomplish for the day.
5. Tackle Difficult Tasks Before Lunch
Try to finish the challenging tasks first when your brain is still fresh and oozing with energy. If you have a meeting scheduled today, do it in the afternoon. By doing things this way, you will be able to be more productive in handling your time.
6. Create Your Own System
You may have already developed a habit that ruins your productivity over the years. You can prevent yourself from doing it again by developing a system. You can plan the hours where you will do a specific task.
7. Stop Multitasking
Stop yourself from doing 10 tasks in one sitting. Changing from one task to another without finishing them can drop your IQ at a slow rate. You can get things done more quickly and effectively by just focusing on a single task at a time.
Just because you are doing a lot of tasks, you can call yourself productive! Remember that less is more. Focusing on a single task and finishing it is key to being productive.
Remember: it's what you do every day that will change your life, not what you do now and then. Choose the habits and changes that better adapt to your life and your needs, then give in to them for 30 days and you can see the effect it has on your life.