What is the best way to stay productive from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night? If you research this question on the internet, you will find lots of advice about using specific productivity apps. You’ll also receive lots of links to self-help books, and overly simplified instructions on getting your life organized. Unfortunately, much of that advice will probably not be helpful. Productivity is the result of decisions you make and actions you take from morning ‘til night.
1. Don’t Eat Just Any Breakfast
It’s early in the morning, you have a thousand things to accomplish in the next hours, and you need to get out the door. Then, you remember. I have to eat breakfast. So, you grab a bar, a shake, or a container of yogurt, and you run out the door. After all, any breakfast is better than none. Well, yes. If you simply want to exist during the day it is better to eat something than nothing. However, if you want to be productive, it is worth spending the time to pick a breakfast that is filling, provides sustaining energy, and gives you focus.
2. Use Your Commute Productively
If you use public transportation, take full advantage of this time to catch up on social media, emails, and reading the news. If you drive yourself to work, consider replacing your usual, morning show with a podcast that is relevant to the work you do.
3. Take an Hour to Correspond When You Get to The Office
“Email is familiar. It’s comfortable. It’s easy to use. But it might just be the biggest killer of time and productivity in the office today.” -Ryan Holmes
When you get to your office, give yourself an hour to read and respond to emails and texts. Then, repeat the same thing during the middle of the day. This will help you to focus on other tasks without constantly checking your phone.
4. Do Something Physical During Your Morning Break
When it comes time to take our morning break, you may notice that your energy levels have dropped. Before you go for that second cup of coffee. Try taking a walk around the office, and doing a few stretching exercises. That may be enough to keep you going until lunch.
5. Subtly Crack The Whip in Meetings
Meetings can be great if everybody stays on task. Unfortunately, all it takes is one off-topic question, or a personal conversation to turn a meeting into a useless exercise in-office interaction. Don’t let this slow down your productivity. Instead, think of questions to ask in order to keep things on track.
6. Delegate Tasks That Are Better Suited For Someone Else
The key to productivity is that everybody does the things that are best suited for their talents. This is the thought process behind delegation. You figure out what it is that you can do best, and then delegate the tasks to other people.
7. Say no to People Who Want You to Do Their Jobs
Not all delegation is a good thing. Often times, when somebody wants you to do their job, it is simply because they don’t feel like doing something. In many cases, these requests are made simply because people want to take advantage of your helpful nature. If it falls under your skillset, and you have time, go ahead and tackle the work. Otherwise, let people be responsible for their own jobs, and work on getting your own project done.
8. Give Yourself an Hour Each Night
Watch television, bake a cake, lift weights, or do anything else that makes you happy. Making and sticking to the commitment of self-care isn’t just a way to boost productivity. It also boosts mental and emotional well-being. You deserve an hour of your time.
9. Take Advantage of That Restless Late Night Energy
It’s after midnight, you need to be awake in just a few hours, and you cannot sleep. Now, what do you do? You could hang out on Tumblr for a bit. You could also lay your clothes out for the next morning, make a quick morning to-do list, or take the time to say some affirmations.
10. Hit The Rack Hard, “Sleep is the best meditation.” Dalai Lama
Then the day ends, the single most important thing that you can do to guarantee that you will be productive tomorrow is to get a truly restful sleep. When you hit the rack, make sure you are doing that on a comfortable mattress in a truly dark room. Don’t hesitate to invest in a white noise machine either.
About the author
Norman Arvidsson is a freelance web developer with more than two years of experience behind and also beginner contributing blogger. You can visit his blog where you can also find some articles about productivity and online education.
