One of the qualities that we passionately pursue every day is to be more productive. This is the ability to do more work in a short period of time with limited resources. We strive to achieve this quality so as to apply it in our places of study, in sports, at home and even at the workplace. There are many benefits of productivity. They include better and more substantial results. In addition to that, our sense of achievement increases too. Do you want to enjoy better outcome from your work? Here are 10 productivity hacks and how to be fully focused on what you have to do.
Create a checklist
Every day we have to complete a number of tasks. Some of them are quite involving and require many steps to complete. This causes such tasks to become boring and we are tempted to postpone them. To avoid this, one should create a checklist. This can have all the tasks that we want to complete on a particular day. If any of them has some sub-tasks, then these too should be included. You can arrange your daily tasks according to their priority. In this way, you know which ones to complete first. Not only does this help you to get them done, it helps you to complete all of them successfully. A checklist increases your focus on what you need to do daily and boosts your productivity.
Complete your tasks a few minutes at a time
Some of the tasks that we have to do can take hours to complete. Not only does this lead to exhaustion, it contributes to boredom and lack of enthusiasm in the task. Avoiding such tasks reduces our productivity. Thankfully, there is a solution. You can time yourself as you do the task. You can simply dedicate ten minute sessions to working on it. During these sessions, focus all your attention on the task. Purpose to ignore all distractions that could cause you to lose your focus on it. After the ten minute session is over, give yourself a break. Take a few minutes to breath and then resume.You will find that you have completed your task in no time at all. Timing yourself and taking breaks is an effective way to ensure full focus for a long period time and increase productivity.
Combine similar tasks together
There are some tasks that normally need the same kind of attention. Often short and general, these tasks demand you to focus on them in generally the same way. Some examples of such tasks include cooking and chores. You can boost your ability to complete them by combining all of them into the same chunk of time. Since they require the same amount of attention, you do not feel tired as you shift from one to the other. This leads to higher productivity and promotes your capability to focus on each one fully.
Reply with a No
One of the most common misconceptions we have is that it is bad to say no. Some of us even believe that saying yes and piling up tasks in our schedule will make us more productive when we finally get them all done. This actually wastes your time, prevents you from accomplishing the tasks that are important to you and even results in excessive fatigue. Over time, this can lead to stress. If someone requests you to do a task for them and you are positive that you can't complete it, simply say no. This will give you more time to complete the tasks that are important to you. It will also give you more energy to focus fully on these tasks.
Stay away from social places
You can only maximize your focus when you are working in an area that has absolutely no distraction. To do this, you should find a spot where you are isolated. Limit any interaction with people through devices such as your phone. Turn them off or put them on silent. This allows you to dedicate your mind completely on the work at hand. Not only does this boost your focus, it increases your productivity tenfold.
Get rid of the most undesirable tasks first
This is a practice that is known as eating your frogs. If you had to eat a frog amongst other dishes, you would be better off eating it first and getting it over with. After that, you can proceed to the other ones that are more inviting. This principle can be applied to the tasks in your day too. There are those that are very tedious to do. You should always put them at the top of your to-do list so that you can complete them first. Their undesirable nature makes them very tempting to postpone and this leads to procrastination. Thus, eat your frogs first and save the rest of the day for more desirable tasks.
Establish some goals
Goals are a great way to focus your energy. They can be small, big, short-term or even long-term. Establish some for your day and strive to achieve them. The most important characteristic of your goals is not their size but how specific they are. Specific goals are measurable and you can assign a timeline for them. If you have a big task that you want to convert into a goal, you can first of all break it down into smaller, achievable goals. After that, strive to accomplish them one by one. This will boost your productivity and help you to accomplish the big overall goal.
Get up earlier
The early bird catches the worm. Getting up early in the morning allows you to accomplish more during your day. During your extra morning hours, you can perform some of the tasks that are special or of high priority to you. This is because you are fresh and have much more energy during this time of the day. Also, you are much more focused in the morning than at any other time of the day. Completing the most important tasks at this time frees up your mind so that the rest of the day is simply a breeze.
Organize your workspace
Scientific studies have shown that workspaces which are clean and organized inspire workers to be more effective in their jobs. This is because the various objects and piles of paper that are on the desk can serve as distractions. When they are not there, the workers can complete more work thanks to a distraction-free area. You can apply the same principle by organizing your work area. This allows you to focus fully on the tasks that you have at hand. Not only does it help you to produce high quality work, it helps you to complete it quickly. This boosts your productivity.
Get rid of tasks that are unnecessary
There are some tasks that are not critical in getting us closer to our desired daily goals. They are of low priority and in most cases simply time-wasting activities. You can boost your productivity by going through your To-Do list and identifying the tasks that are critical in getting you to your daily goals. If a task in your list does not lead you there, eliminate it and use that time to work on a critical one. This strategic method of choosing activities allows you to boost your focus on highly productive tasks.
The Important Take Away
By increasing your productivity and boosting your focus, you can increase the quality of your work as well as your working efficiency. The tips above can help you to accomplish this. They are versatile. This means that you can apply them in any field of work that you desire. Try them out and transform your working experience.
