How to Increase Your Productivity

With the advent of Covid-19 many people found themselves running a home school and a daycare all while still working a demanding full time job. Productivity, you say? What’s that? The new world we seem to be functioning in demands we become more adroit at how we manage our time, the time of those around us, all while not burning out like an ember floating skyward. Here are a few of my own tips for increasing productivity. As you read them take the ones that hit you smack in the face – you know, the ones that scream, “Oh,I need to do that!” Once you enable a few of these tips, come back to the list and check them off and pick the next 2-3 that will be most beneficial. Have fun, it’s not a race, and there is no such thing as perfection! You got this and you’re doing an amazing job!

  1. Get a good night’s sleep. A lack of sleep impacts productivity. We make mistakes, lose our creativity, and we become sluggish and lack the desire to continue with our tasks. Getting a good night sleep is critical to your body and mind health. Utilize many of the sleeping apps available to help you go to sleep and to track your sleep. You’ll find a large number of them for both iOS and Android.
  2. Wake up a half hour earlier. Devote this time to focusing on your desired outcomes for the day. Make sure you have prioritized your outcomes and have set your mind to ‘success’ mode. Additionally, pick up a daily journal and begin using it. Using a daily journal allows you time to be more intentional, focus on goal setting, improve your self-discipline and communication skills, ignite your creativity and profess gratitude. Anyone NOT need to focus on those areas?
  3. Plan your day. List the 3 most important tasks to complete. One of the last things you will do each day is to establish and prioritize your tasks for the next day. (See step 16 below). You may utilize the tasks you established in step 16 below as your baseline. Block specific times into your schedule to check on and respond to email and social media requests. Doing so ensures that your time is not randomized by these time-suckers.
  4. Smile. There are many studies which confirm that smiling not only makes you attractive to those you encounter, it also provides a good link to better health and longevity. Smiling can have both  short-term and long-term impacts on our health.
  5. Work on the hardest, most challenging, or least favorite tasks first. This allows you to put your best effort in the things you dread doing. You will feel a sense of accomplishment and relief to have these items off your task list.
  6. Work SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. When you begin to apply this principle to your daily work you will notice your efficiency rise.
  7. Follow the two-minute rule. If a task can be completed in two minutes, do it right away. Doing so not only removes something from your task list but it also provides a sense of accomplishment.
  8. Say No. You will be pulled into a variety of things during the day. Learn when to say “No, thank you” to projects or individuals which will not map to your skills, desired outcomes or plans. This includes saying “no” to family and friends. Unless you have true superpowers and wear a cape, realize you can’t solve all problems for all people.
  9. Listen to productivity music or sounds. Many people respond well to utilizing this tip to block out distractions. Music or calming sounds can open up the creative side of our brain thus helping you become a more efficient problem solver.
  10. Remove distractions. The average individual spends approximately one quarter of each day utilizing social media for non-work or project related items. Think what you could do with that time! Clutter distracts our brain and limits our ability to be highly efficient. Clear out your workspace weekly so it’s clean and organized.
  11. Schedule self-care.  We all work in this ‘always on, always connected’ environment and we rarely think of ourselves. We are so busy responding to work and home demands that the mere thought of scheduling down time for ourselves is almost incomprehensible. No one, I repeat, no one can maintain a pace like this and not stop functioning in one way or the other. There are so many simple things available to begin this task. Here are a few to get you going.
  • Exercise 30 minutes a day.
  • Read the book of your choice (for pure enjoyment) for 30 minutes each day.
  • Map out your eating plan for the next few days.
  • Schedule a day of pampering at your local spa.
  • Write three snail mails a week. Use cursive handwriting!

12. Stay hydrated. This is so obvious and yet so overlooked. Lack of hydration results in lowered cognitive function such as concentration, alertness and short-term memory. So, grab that obnoxious one gallon size motivational water bottle and drain it daily. Your body will thank you for it.
13. Do not aim for perfection. I mean, if you were perfect, where would the opportunity for growth and learning reside? I’m not saying don’t do your absolute best. I’m simply saying perfection rarely exists and is over hyped. Aiming for perfection sets up unrealistic expectations and can amplify stress and unhappiness. In turn, by doing your best you acknowledge the opportunity for learning and growth while being realistic about feeling confident and secure.
14. Move from a “to-do” list to a “ta-done” list. How many times have you written the same thing on a to-do list, but it never moves to the “ta-done” list? Change this by scheduling your to-do items into your day. By doing this you make a conscientious plan to accomplish the tasks on a specific date and time. You can use the written to-do list as a draft from which you draw your scheduling of tasks.
15. Celebrate your daily wins. Reward yourself. Buy some flowers, get a new pair of shoes, go to a movie, have dinner with a friend. Celebrating your wins reinforces confidence and positive energy within you. Go ahead, celebrate your wins! You’re worth it!
16. Before you go to bed each night, plan the next day. This will lay the groundwork for the things you need to accomplish the next day. Having a roadmap of preplanned items gives you a boost in the morning