You probably have some goals you want to achieve this year. Did you know that one of the biggest
roadblocks that prevent people from achieving their goals isn’t time or money but rather
productivity? Productivity isn’t just about getting stuff done, it is also getting the
most important stuff done with the limited time you have. I know how hard it can be to
be productive sometimes so this video will go over 10 productivity tips that helped me
out and can help you out as well so we are starting right now.
1. Do your top priority tasks first. The 80/20 rule states that for most events, 80% of the
results or effects come from 20% of the causes. Basically, you want to prioritize the work
that will give you the most results. At the start of each day, you want to make a list
of your top priorities of the day. Focus on getting the tasks on that list done before
you work on other tasks you need to do for the day. Let’s go over an example. If you
are a freelancer, the most important task for you would be the work you have to do for
your client because that’s how you get paid. You would spend most of your time working
on that and from there, if you don’t feel like responding to emails or finding new clients
then it won’t really hurt your productivity for the day since your most important task
is finishing your work for the current client. Getting the important stuff done can be more
impactful than trying to get a lot of stuff done.
2. Get rid of distractions. This is a common tried and true tip. A lot of people get distracted
while they work which hurts their productivity. First, you need to figure out what distracts
you and make a list. Maybe it’s your phone since you often check it or maybe it’s the
food lying on your desk. After that, it’s up to you to come up with a solution on how
to get rid of that distraction. Some of them can be pretty easy to deal with like say if
your phone is a distraction then you can place it far away and on silent. However, if the
distraction is part of your workspace like say a roommate, you might have to change up
where you work. 3. Wear some headphones and listen to productive
music. Listening to music is a great way to focus. Everyone has a certain genre, artist,
or song that gets them in the zone. If music doesn’t help you be productive, you should
still at least put headphones on. If you are working in a public place, it sends a clear
message to everyone that you don’t want to be disturbed and it blocks out the noise
around you. Even if you are working in a relatively isolated place, headphones can still help
you ignore weird background noises. 4. Eat a balanced diet. You know that saying
that says you are what you eat? That saying is true. If you eat junk food you are not
gonna feel great. I love fast food but every time I finish eating fast food, I feel bloated
and I don’t feel like working. Food is supposed to help energize you and give you energy to
work more. If you often feel lazy after eating, you might want to switch up your diet. You
also want to make sure you keep hydrated as well since you will feel tired and unfocused
if you are dehydrated. 5. Fix your lifestyle. You need to get at
least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night to be at your best. Sleep has a big impact on
your motivation and productivity for the day. Functioning on low hours of sleep is quite
hard. You should also get some exercise since physical activity helps with your health and
productivity. Exercise can increase blood flow and produce hormones that boost your
willpower and help you focus. Exercise also helps you clear your head and refocus. A simple
walk can suffice for your exercise and it also can help you relax.
6. Avoid multitasking. You might think you can get more done by multitasking but it doesn’t
work like that. Studies have shown that multitasking can reduce productivity levels by 40%. Unless
you are part of the 2.5% of the population that can multitask, it’s in your best interest
to avoid it. Our brains have trouble thinking 2 thoughts at once and your mind struggles
to efficiently keep switching in between tasks. All that shifting is exhausting for the brain
so keep it simple and stick to 1 task at a time.
7. Set deadlines. Deadlines can increase your productivity to insane levels. The closer
you get to the deadline, the harder you work, especially if you have a lot of work to do.
Parkinson’s Law states that when you set a deadline, you will naturally extend the
time it takes you to complete that goal to the very last minute of that deadline. This
law proves the importance of deadlines, if you do not have a deadline, you may never
see the completion of your task. This doesn’t mean that you should be afraid of deadlines.
Deadlines don’t have to be set in stone, especially for big goals. To use this effectively
for small tasks, give yourself a short deadline to finish that task and you might be surprised
about how much more productive you become. 8. Take breaks. Unless you are really in the
zone that day, doing task after task will wear you down. Remember, switching focus from
task to task wears down your brain. Something you can do is to schedule a 30 minute break
after every 2 hours of work. You can also set breaks to times during the day where you
tend to be unproductive. During this break, you can do something that helps you relax
or nap if you really need to. 9. Just start. The longer you wait to start,
the longer it will take to get everything done. You can also use the 2 minute rule to
help you get started. The 2 minute rule basically says if you can get the thing done in 2 minutes
or less just do it and get it done. It only takes 2 minutes after all. For tasks that
take longer than 2 minutes, break it down to a first step that takes 2 minutes or less.
Once you complete that task, you will be more motivated and keep going.
10. Do things right the first time. Shortcuts are nice and all, but if shortcuts affect
the quality of your work, they are not worth it. The time it takes to go back, identify
a mistake, fix the mistake, and resubmit your work is better used working on something else.
Get it right the first time, even if that means doing a lot more work the first time.
Which productivity tip did you like the most? Leave a comment below and check out the video
shown on the endscreen if you want to learn about another productivity hack called time
boxing.