10 Ways to Be More Productive

Before you read one more article on the way to be more productive, remember this: Be kind to yourself and your mistakes.

 

You can't expect to be more productive overnight.

 

You have probably spent decades cultivating your work habits--both good and bad, knowingly or subconsciously--and people will not instantly change.

 

Small adjustments can lead to more lasting modifications, but those can take some time and discipline. It looks really easy once you're reading a productivity post like this to think it is simple. I'm not writing this from an expert perspective, but by a fellow employee in the struggle against distraction.

 

Alright, now we are ready:

 

How To Be More Productive

  1. Make a reasonable to-do list.

Do not overwhelm yourself. To-do lists often fail because we create them way too complex or the jobs are unequal. Some tasks are going to take quite a while, others will not take any time in any way. This produces an unbalance in the manner in which we distribute our time. Yes, that is perfect. Because then we do the simple stuff, and then become very distracted on the hard stuff.

 

Do not lie, you've done that before. So then you need to...

 

Set modest goals for the tasks.

With every new project or assignment, the scope might appear too large. But after you start breaking it down and realizing everything can be achieved, you'll see how every part builds upon the other.

 

Among the simplest and most practical things you can do is to break down your marketing project or deliverable into smaller targets. What are the bits and resources required? Who would you need to talk to first? Split these bits before setting timelines, and then estimate how long they'll take you to achieve. Understanding the range of what is being asked, placing the measures set up and then estimating the time needed will help you get a grasp of what is being asked. Sometimes what sounds like a significant project won't take a lot of time in any way, or vice versa.

 

Focus on one goal at a time.

How can you decide what is important? How does your company determine what's important?

 

Through OKRs? KPIs? Osmosis?

 

Well, no matter your company's priority is, it's your job to execute. 1 way to do so is through the 90-90-1 rule. It also works if you are managing a team.

 

Here's what you do: Give the first 90 minutes of your day for 90 days into the most important undertaking. Suggested by HR genius, Robin Sharma, it is going to focus your priorities before the day even really gets going.

 

Additionally, it is quite sensible. It's not spending all of your time daily on one single thing.

 

You can even set up projects to concentrate on this 1 goal and to ensure it contrasts with your overall company goals.

 

Track your time to spot patterns.

Tracking your time, even though no one is asking you for it can help you understand your work habits and the time of day when you finish work successfully. Tracking your time efficiently, understanding what your tech habits are, from when you check your email to how frequently you check your favourite sites or social websites can impact your workday in a big way.

 

By re-arranging a few of those things, you might be able to get more done. Tracking your time for a week or 2 will allow you to determine where you spend your time, and also will help you better estimate your aims out of #1 a bit better the next time around. The next time you are asked to repeat a task, you'll get a better sense of the quantity of time required.

 

You will also notice difficulty areas, where you are inclined to be less productive, or identify certain scheduling quirks which you can work around--such as weekly meetings or appointments or even if 1 coworker comes by to talk for a couple of minutes.

 

1 method that may assist is that a bullet diary . This is my favorite breakdown of how to make that happen, complete with symbols!

 

  1. Locate a method for assigning and following-up.

It is one thing to present your team tasks and projects; it is another thing to be certain they complete the job and get it done. Then passing off it for approvals is just another piece of the pie that you need to tackle. Locating a reliable way of tracking your team's projects will make your job more efficient. Collaboration tools and project management software can definitely help with this (more on this later), but you also have to dedicate to using tools like this so that you don't let your fellow co-workers. However, your personal part is significant in this, also. The more you upgrade and follow-up with following steps, it'll help your co-workers remain on course, too.

 

6.

I stole this idea from Noah Kagan, the founder of AppSumo. Basically, this is a measurable job list. If you're noticing that a particular job is having a large effect on the business or is an essential task that you need to stay doing, then list out the number of times that you will need to do that job each week. The goal here is to record inputs, not only outcomes.

 

This is especially useful for marketers. If you know you want to converse or write a certain number of LinkedIn posts, then you're able to record these out and make sure you do that number for the week. Here's an example of my Favorable dashboard:

 

  1. Figure out your 2 peak hours.

A number of us are morning people, a number of us are night owls. Nevertheless, the contemporary business environment does not necessarily accomodate that. Maybe the office does not open until 9, but your peak reaches 5am to 7am. Personally, I discover high energy levels if many individuals are winding down their day, around 4pm to 7pm and then after 8pm. Often, I'll purposely take a number of the time off or program more less-strategic tasks during hours when I am not as enaged. It is suggested that we should find a minimum of two hours each day to dive into the harder tactical work, and abandon another hours for meetings or even not as urgent jobs.

 

You will also identify patterns and if you can engage in"deep work" or the notion of focused work for longer periods of time. Some work (such as replying emails) is shallow, while others (like coming up with brand new campaign concepts or intense photograph editing) may require more concentrated time or"deep work."

 

  1. Select one task and then do it.

This is very hard because sometimes our projects are not a 30-minute or one hour occupation. It might take 8 hours or multiple days. What is the answer then? Break it up into one task and do that 1 task to its completion. But how long should this be? And what is reasonable? I believe most of our times are broken into hour sections. Which then is actually 45 to 50 minutes. We have meetings that begin on the hour or so we have a lunch hour or we schedule a telephone for an hour. Read more about that here! 

 

Pomodoro helps you eliminate interruptions and makes it possible to gauge how long a particular task will take you. Read more about the Pomodoro technique within this article.

 

Throw away stuff and declutter.

Did you know that your physical environment affects your job? And I really don't mean just in the event that you operate in a"cool" office or not. Based on your company and your role in the company, that is largely out of your control. However, you can control your workspace decor. It helps you be more effective once you don't need to hunt and peck for whatever that missing item is. You'll save yourself time by not doing that. You'll also get more focus and clarity for your jobs at hand. Check out more tips here.

 

  1. Take the time to walk or workout.

And in every place, I attempt to find time to walk at least once every day. That could be around the parking lotdown the street, or at the park, and it's more refreshing than anything on social media.

 

But exercise can help you be more productive since it increases your endurance. Because it increases your bloodflow and cardiovascular health, you will be less anxious, more concentrated and much more capable of managing anxiety.