Dates are changed, and 2020 is here to set new beginnings. Before that, how was 2019 for you? Did you achieve what you thought? Or you pushed those goals to 2020 and wondering how to be more productive this year. Relax, I am here to help you.
Whenever the new year begins, we often set ambitious goals for ourselves to achieve or call it resolutions. Some fail to follow them consistently. What’s the reason behind it? It might be having no layout, succumbing to problems, making unrealistic goals, lack of determination and the list goes on.
Think, how can you motivate yourself to hit the gym every day if you never went to the gym before? So, start small and take baby steps towards bigger goals.
Focus on becoming more productive in 2020 and achieve what you always dreamed of. Let’s begin with the list of a few ideas or tips I collected for everyone to work on this decade:
Wake up early
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” It is one of the famous quotes with a profound meaning. If you sleep early at night, then its lot easier for you to wake up early without snoozing the alarm several times. By snoozing an alarm, you are signalling your brain that you failed to do the first task of the day.
So, wake up an hour or two early to enjoy extra time in a day. Get your tasks done in the given time by committing to yourself. Initially, it can be hard, but as it became your routine, no one can stop you from reaping its benefits. Drink water, make your bed, do some exercises, meditate for a while, and get ready for the day to come. Stop making excuses and start working on it.
Stop Multitasking
Don’t be a jack of all trades; instead, be an expert in one domain. When you got multiple things to do on your list, people tend to handle all of them at the same time. This way, the productivity reduces, and nothing gets done as intended. Best is to focus on One Thing at a Time. By continually switching from one task to another, the productivity level drops and work done is not top notch.
So, try to break the tasks in hand into smaller portions and start working on them. Once one job is finished, mark it and move on to the next one. You can even take breaks in between to relax a bit. Please don’t create a mess but do multitasking where it makes sense.
Focus on significant goals first
You must have heard about Eat the Frog technique. If you have some very urgent task to do on your list, then do it first. After completing it, your mind will stay at peace and feel ecstatic then you would be able to focus on other tasks in hand patiently. Stop procrastinating as it leads to nothing, but just wastage of time and loop never ends. If you want to succeed in life, then stay away from it.
Rather than thinking about doing this and that, get into action immediately as just thinking will never help. If you are working on some large project, then break it into pieces and start working on it. Be honest with yourself and don’t be overwhelmed. Put same type of tasks into group to focus better on them rather than moving between the separate type of activities.
Set time limits for the tasks like if you are checking an email, then reserve 15 mins for it, and within that time frame, do it. Don’t take too much on your platter, which you might not be unable to handle later.
Keep distractions away
When you are working, put your phone on silent mode, ignore social media, don’t check emails frequently, and try to stay uninterrupted as much as possible. If you are working from home, then ask your spouse or in-laws to don’t disturb or better is find a place at the house where no one will come so you can work with focus.
Not only these things but stay away from mental distractions also. Don’t just keep thinking about unnecessary things and slide into some other task like scrolling through ecommerce sites or reading memes. Turn off social media until you are working or use some plugins or apps that stop you from using it. Stop gossiping unnecessarily with anyone and discussing useless things.
Analyze where you are wasting your time and immediately stop doing it. Once you did this, you will have more time in hand to complete all the pending tasks and enjoy mental peace as well.
Me Time
Do something every day that helps you stay centered and be more productive. Meditate whenever you get time or during breaks for a while to remain composed throughout the day. To improve productivity, push your brain to think deeply or brainstorm to get new ideas. While working, go out for one or two mins and take a stroll.
Understand that you need to give yourself time to rejuvenate. During your free time, do what makes you feel ecstatic and fills you with energy. Like I love playing badminton in break time. Please take a deep breath frequently; it helps you work with concentration. Lessen your screen time. Say no whenever it’s reasonable, or when you don’t feel like doing it, it can be anything like attending a party, function, ceremony etc.
Plan next day beforehand
Plan, Prepare, and Empty your Brain. This is one of the essential steps to follow and stay productive this entire year. After having dinner and finishing all chores, sit down, unwind yourself, and think about the tasks you are going to do the next day. Write them down in the form of a list; this prevents you from mental exertion.
Most of the people around even me also start searching for keys, wallet, notes, cables, handkerchief, etc just the moments before leaving. Isn’t it better to set the things at night rather than rushing around in the morning? Indeed, this way, you will never get late from the office, or anywhere you are going and stay at peace.
Your mind will be already programmed on get set go mode. Another technique I follow, if you have anything going on in your mind whether personal or professional, then take a piece of paper and write down your thoughts. You will feel light. Thank me later for this.
Reward yourself
It’s a good idea to write down your purpose and keep reminding yourself about it frequently. Contemplate for a while and think about what you are doing towards achieving it. Review your progress from time to time to stay on track. Unlike a robot, your life is not only about work, work, and just work. It’s beyond that, and to keep moving forward, you need to be a source of your self-motivation.
You cannot be productive the whole time. Setbacks are necessary to show you the mirror and give you a chance to come out stronger than before. With constant hard work, you will reach where you always wanted to be. Acknowledge and reward yourself as they both help to boost your self-esteem. Review what you did today and reward yourself for completing the tasks on time. Like I take myself for good dinner or buy some chocolates whenever I achieve anything irrespective of the fact its small or big.
Conclusion
Whether you are working in an IT company or have your own start up, follow all the top 7 productivity tips mentioned above, step by step, and excel in both aspects of your life. Changing your mindset can help you achieve anything in life. Don’t forget to read the books from some top authors that help in self-development. Remember, your life is in your hands, and you are the driver of it.
You can do BEST!