Productivity is essential if you want to be successful at your job. To boost your performance at work and stay sane at the same time, check out these 8 simple tips.
1. Get Enough Sleep the Night Before
I can’t stress enough just how much difference a good night’s sleep makes. If you want to be productive, energized and focused, then it’s essential to sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night.
Sleep helps your brain to function better, faster, and it prevents you from getting anxious, sloppy or frustrated throughout the day. It also does a great job in controlling your bad habits – the more you sleep, the less susceptible you are to junk food and other addictions or cravings.
2. Clear Your Mind
You may prefer meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, going to the gym or keeping a journal. It doesn’t really matter which one you choose to stick to on daily basis—as long as it helps you declutter your mind.
We often feel like there is too much chatter going on in our heads and it’s really hard to focus at work. The best way to prevent this is to wake up 10-15 minutes earlier and use that time to clear your mind before going on with your day.
3. Make a To-do List
There are a lot of awesome apps out there that can help you better organize and prioritize your time. My favorites are Todoist and Wunderlist, but I have found out that writing my schedule down on a plain piece of paper (it takes literally 5 minutes) is the best way to keep track of it.
There is something magical about picking pen and paper, because your brain actually absorbs the hand-written information better. Try it out for yourself and you will soon see the difference. Besides, who doesn’t like crossing off completed tasks?
4. Use the “2-Minute Rule”
If something takes you less than 2 minutes, do it now. Click To TweetI can’t tell you how many times this rule has saved my life. I used to be a huge procrastinator before I got interested in self-development and time management. The best thing about following the “2-minute rule” from David Allen’s book, “Getting Things Done”, is that you don’t have an excuse not to do something that can be done so quickly.
For example, let’s say that you need to write a quick email or make a phone call. It’s in your schedule for the day but you like to procrastinate and postpone tasks until the last minute. Instead, this time you decide to try the 2-minute rule. What are the results? You have less on your plate, you feel productive and lifted, and this even boosts your self-confidence.
5. Forget About Multitasking
Procrastination is not your friend, and neither is multi-tasking. There’s a common notion that, when you do several things at once, you are very productive. Time for a reality check: you’re not.
Only when you choose to focus on one task at a time, you can complete it as fast and as effective as possible. Moreover, multi-tasking doesn’t only slow you down, but often leads to anxiety and stress.
6. Eat Healthy
Overeating with fast food and drinking too much soda are some of the reasons you don’t feel as productive as you want to. If you need to boost your energy and productivity, try changing what you eat on daily basis.
“I don’t have enough time” or “I have cravings” are exactly the excuses that are preventing you from being happier and more productive at work (and not only). You deserve better.
If you have problems with your willpower or obesity, I can help you with that. Book your first FREE coaching session.
7. Take a Break
When you spend too much time on the computer, you get so caught up that you very often forget to take a break. A 5 or 10 minute break won’t kill you, but it will definitely help to boost your creativity and leave your mind clearer. Just take a walk outside, stretch out a little bit, drink some water or chat with a colleague.
I can tell you from personal experience that walking away from your work for a while is probably the best piece of advice I could ever give you. Studies show that, when you detach yourself from a hard task and take a break, you are better able to solve it once you get back. Try giving your conscious and subconscious minds some time to sync—then sit back and enjoy the results.
8. Clear Your Desk(top)
Decluttering your mind is a wonderful place to start but it’s also important to extend that to the physical world. If you clean your desk, you will think more clearly. Yes, there’s a charm in being creatively chaotic, but research shows that any form of clutter makes your brain slower.
If you’re serious about boosting your productivity at work, you may also consider cleaning your desktop. If you organize everything into folders and leave only the important stuff for easy access, you will feel less stressed and won’t waste any time.
Wishing you a productive day,
