We often complain about time being insufficient to carry out the activities that we wanted to finish off that day and when we are not able to meet deadlines relating to work then how are we supposed to take time out for leisure?
And we then cry for vacations or leaves but even then we keep sleeping or just spend days being lazy. If the same things are happening with you, then it’s the high time to change some habits or to remodelling the routine.
Productivity is not just for our work but even in our personal time pace. As we can’t just die by working and by paying bills. We have to fulfill our souls and for that the we need to be productive even in our private space.
1. Stop Confusing Productivity With Laziness:
Though no one likes accepting it, but laziness is the No. 1 contributor to lost productivity. In fact, some so-called time-saving methods – take meetings and emails for example – are a camouflage to working techniques.
This will just make you procrastinate things, and you are cheating in one way with yourself as your conscious knows you ain’t working but even then keep saying to yourself that you are working.
2. Self-Imposed Deadlines:
As a rule, we think of stress as a bad thing, a manageable level of self-imposed stress can be helpful regarding giving us focus and helping us meet our goals.
For tasks, projects, which are period based then try giving yourself a deadline, and then stick to it. One may be astonished to find just how focused and productive you can be when you’re watching the clock.
3. Generate a Timetable:
Technology has billions of advantages, but the most number of cases of distraction too are linked with it. For this one should make some rules for himself.
For example, if your reply chain to emails goes behind more than three replies then it’s advisable to have the further talks on calls.
4.Pursue The 80/20 Rule:
Whatever is done by you in the whole day from that only 20% of what you do each day produces 80% of your results. Reject the things that don’t matter during your work day they have a minimal effect on your overall productivity.
Like you can break your next project down into steps and systematically eliminate tasks until you end up with the 20% that gets the 80% of results.
5. Stop Multitasking:
Stop trying to do ten things at once! Changing tasks more than ten times a day drops your IQ an average of 10 points. Things happen more effectively and efficiently by focusing on one task at a time.
Less is more when it comes to being productive during the workday. Stick to the basics for reaching productivity.
6. Combat your important functions before lunch:
The challenging is best done when the brain is fresh. If you have any busy work or meetings, save them for the afternoon.
By arranging your day this way, you’ll be able to create a new and more productive way to manage your time.
7. Half The To-Do List:
Completing things during your workday shouldn’t mean fitting in doing as much as possible in the sanctioned eight hours. Think and ask yourself whether you need those 3o tasks on the list?
Adopt a less-is-more approach to your to-do list by only concentrating on fulfilling things that matter.
8. Use Mornings To Focus On Yourself:
It’s a big potential killer to start your mornings by checking your emails and electronic gadgets. All these are truly distracting, and one should avoid doing that in the morning.
Start your day out right by ignoring your emails in the morning and get a fulfilling breakfast, go through newspapers, meditating, or working out. This will guarantee you’ve got the necessary fuel for a productive day.
9. Take Good Amount Of Halts:
If you are feeling drowsy or irritation starts, then it’s the sign that your brain has already used the glucose and you should get a break, even small ones are effective.
As the brain is recharged by it, whether you go out to stroll or to munch up something, or to have some tea and light hearted talk with colleagues, any sports activities like table tennis, chess, etc…
10. Eisenhower Decision Matrix:
“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”
-Dwight Eisenhower
Hence this box was brought into picture by 34th president of United States.
Which gives us a clear guidelines on what has to be done at what time
Eisenhower’s decision box is quite simple to absorb and work accordingly. Using this box, one can allocate their tasks among four categories.
1. Urgent and Important (Include the tasks you will be doing immediately).
2. Important, but not urgent (tasks you will schedule to do later).
3. Urgent, but not important (tasks that can be appointed to someone else).
4. Neither urgent nor important (tasks that you will eliminate).
Not only for the official work this method can be used for any other activities too, for example, holiday plans, plans for weekends, etc…