How wisely do you spend your time? For many of us, lunchtime comes around and we’ve managed to purchase two overpriced coffees, read our entire Facebook newsfeed (three times) and can recount what Mary from HR had for dinner last night, success! But – eh – no, we still haven’t quite got around to starting that important project yet. Sorry boss.
And who can blame us? We’re living in the digital age where phones, laptops and other twenty-first century affairs make our actual work just a little too easy to defer.
It doesn’t matter who you are or where you work, people are always looking for ways to be more productive.
If you’re reading this, you probably need all the help you can get (after all, aren’t you procrastinating right now?). So we’re going to give you three ways to become that productive animal you claimed to be at your job interview, minus the caffeine overdose.
3 Things To Add To Your Morning Routine For A More Productive Day
Make your mornings, YOURS.
Checking emails and diarised appointments the moment you wake up can be a big mistake in the sphere of productivity. This can enable others to dictate when and how you begin your day before you have even rolled out of bed. Instead, start your mornings by doing something beneficial towards your health and wellbeing – something that will help push you through your goals for the day. Whether that is making yourself a good breakfast, going to the gym, spending 15 minutes reading the newspaper or chatting with your partner, do whatever it is that makes your morning, yours. Having done something for yourself, you will be in a positive mind-set and ready to take on the demands of the world.
Create a checklist.
Now you’ve had a little ‘me’ time it’s time to kick-start your working day. You should begin by creating a checklist of every task you need to attend to, with a vision in mind of what you would live to achieve that day.
The key is to keep it simple and realistic – physically write your list down on a piece of paper rather than entering it into your phone and leave off anything that isn’t a matter of importance. You are far more likely to get three pressing tasks ticked off than 30 minor chores. If you’re already in a habit of noting down everything you need to complete in your to-do list, create another list of tasks that are unattainable today. This may help to clear your mind so you can focus on the jobs in hand.
Do the task on the list you are dreading the most, first.
You know the task I’m talking about. The one that’s been on your mind for the past two weeks and you STILL haven’t done it (because mindlessly scrolling through social media or watching funny dog videos on YouTube was waaaay more constructive, right?). Stop procrastinating and hoping the chore will go away – it won’t. And as the day progresses we loose our ability to concentrate on mundane tasks as sufficiently. Get it completed and out of the way so you can get on with the rest of your day. You will thank yourself tomorrow when it’s not on your list, again!
