Productivity

Most of us prepare a to-do list before turning in for the night. We believe that we could become more productive if we identify tasks that need to be done the next day. But, did you know that making a long list could be counter-productive? Experts recommend we should limit list items to three. We’ve always assumed being productive means accomplishing a lot of tasks each day. Maybe this is true at an assembly line. But, productivity isn’t measured in quantifiable terms alone. The quality of our accomplishments will matter even more. Shoddy work doesn’t count when we talk about productivity. How do we then achieve improved productivity? We have a few tried and tested ideas and invite you to consider them. We’re sure you’ve heard of them before, but it doesn’t hurt to remind you. Schedule Time for Chores If you’re among the many who are now working from home, you know that you can’t escape these. Some of us work better in the morning while others prefer afternoons or evenings. Attend to your chores and errands on your least-productive hours. Once these are done, you can focus better on work. Designate Time for Work Now that you have set time for unrelated tasks, you now have the rest of a day available for work. We are our greatest enemy when we postpone, delay or procrastinate. Stick to your schedule. This is easier said than done, especially with all the distractions around us. But, once we develop the necessary routine, we also improve our discipline to follow our schedule. “Time is a currency you can only spend once. So be careful how you spend it.” – Harmon Okinyo Keep Your Goals in Mind What are you doing most of the day and why are you doing it? We should ask this question often so we can remind ourselves what our goals are. When we do, we can better determine which tasks are related or contribute to the achievement of our goals. Focus on Tasks at Hand When working with your pc or laptop, there’s always the temptation to check on your social media, read the news and browse on unrelated subjects. There’s nothing wrong with indulging ourselves for a few minutes. But, we know five minutes could quickly turn into a half-hour or an hour. We may have several tasks to accomplish, but we can only attend to one at a time. Being focused requires willpower to shut out distractions, daydreams and even worries. The latter can cause anxiety, which hampers our productivity. How about rewarding ourselves after finishing a task? Experts believe that this helps and self-rewards improve our self-esteem. So, how about eating your favorite ice cream or five minutes on your FB or IG account once you’re done with a job? Have Enough Energy No matter how motivated we are, we won’t get far if we lack physical strength. This means at least 7 hours of sleep based on scientific research. Ignore those who say we can survive with less. Also, our body requires at least 20 minutes of exercise each day. Stand up and take a five-minute walk every hour if you sit down in front of your PC or laptop all day. It will do us good and new ideas can crop up during short breaks. Of the above, managing our time is the most challenging and yet most important step. It will take time, pardon the pun. But, with trial and discipline, we’ll discover the routine that works best for us.

A couple of MIT scientists conducted a study on what made people more productive than others. Based on the findings of a survey of almost 20,000 individuals made on six continents, they discovered that highly productive people share simple yet noteworthy habits. It’s no surprise what these are and there’s nothing new about them. Here’s an eye-opener – Longer working hours don’t mean more productivity. So, if you’ve been wondering what makes people more productive, here are the top three. List your priorities for the next day What do you hope to accomplish tomorrow? That’s right – before you turn in for the night, you need to make a list of your priorities for the next day. It’s essential to write these down because it’s so easy to forget what needs to be done on a busy day. Something new will likely crop up and demand your attention. But you’ve got to stick to your priorities or you’ll end up accomplishing far less. Our tip: Attend to urgent matters but if you can delegate or assign these to others, then do so. You have activities lined up each day and there are time-saving tricks that can help you. If you’re making calls or going to talk to people, determine beforehand what you hope to achieve. If you need to write a letter or memo, identify the message you wish to convey and make an outline. And, if your colleagues suddenly need to talk to you, designate a time when you will be available. Manage your information intake. Whether you get a few or dozens of messages each day, these can quickly bog you down. Thankfully, smartphones today have a priority mode, which will only allow messages and calls from specific individuals. This can come in handy if you need relative peace for other tasks or remain undisturbed during a meeting. Check your phone settings for this useful feature. For e-mails, look at the subject and sender first before opening each. Read those that are important and skip those that don’t need immediate action or reply. In many instances, you can again delegate to colleagues or subordinates the task of responding back. If social media has a role in your job or business, you have a compulsion to check for any new message or posting. Our tip: If it’s something urgent, you’re not going to learn about it on social media. So, check on these during your breaks only. Manage your meetings. There are no data to support the fact that longer meetings are more productive. In fact, the study recommends that meetings should be one and a half-hour long at the most. It’s wise if the agenda is set, preferably a day or hours before the meeting begins. Stick to what’s to be discussed, though allow some time for other matters. Conclude each meeting by summarizing, assigning tasks and even creating the agenda for the next session. To Wrap Up You should try developing these excellent habits. If you continue to practice these until they’re automatic, you’ll find yourself more productive than before.