Productivity, we all need an amount of productivity in our lives because without it we simply would get nothing done! Maybe you feel that your productivity is lacking or always feeling like your trying to complete that to do list? Today’s post is all about making sure your productivity levels rise and you get more done in less time!
What Is Productivity?
Productivity is what helps us to gets things done, there is a misconception and you may already be thinking that motivation is what gets things done however you can be fully motivated but not productive. There are lots of people who are motivated but can’t quite seem to get their list of important jobs completed.
What Causes A Lack Of Productivity?
Being unable to get your list of important jobs complete can be due to a number of factors such as:
Social media sites, having that temptation to have a quick sneaky peek on a social media page can affect our levels of productivity! How many times have you gone to have a quick look and before you know you’ve spent almost an hour on there.
Smart Phones
Having your phone next to you with email notifications on that remind you you’ve got something else to look at, then you spend a further 20-30 minutes looking at something that wasn’t on your own to do list.
TV
Working from home and having the TV on in the background can massively decrease your productivity levels due to an interesting story that’s on the news or morning TV programme.
Lack Of Planning
not having a plan before your day starts can mean you wake up knowing you’ve got lots to do but now knowing exactly what and when.
Emails
Have you ever woke up and checked your emails? Then you start replying to those emails that weren’t on your to do list but on that other persons to do list. So in effect your ticking off their to do list but not your own.
This list is just a few of the factors that can cause a lack of productivity I bet you can think of a few more or notice a few more the next time you start your day.
What Can I Do To Become More Productive?
Have you ever felt like you’ve worked non-stop but you don’t seem to have gotten much done? This is due to focusing on the little things of your list of jobs however if you were to focus and plan on the most important parts this would get more done and feels more satisfying in the long run.
So what tips can you take away to make sure you become more productive?
Plan Ahead
Ensure that you plan your day before you start it, if you start the day with a clear precise plan you will be able to stay on track.
Plan Time Slots
it’s all good and well having your plan in place but you need to ensure you manage your time whilst doing it! Make an allotted time for you’re to do list, an allotted time for exercise, and stick to those allotted times. If your boss told said that you needed to get a job done by a certain time as your computer will stop working after that time you will be sure you get that job done.
Social Media
Now I mentioned that social media can be a factor that stops you from being productive however if you want to have your social media time be sure to have an allotted time for that. Rather than think you will have a sneaky look but then spend a lot longer on there than originally planned, if you’re going to do it make sure it’s part of your days plan.
Turn Off Notifications
You may very well need to do emails as part of your work load however as I mentioned above the second you start your day checking emails you are ticking off jobs from the person who sent that email and not your own list, get your vital important jobs done first then check the emails.
Know Your Important Bits That Need Doing
If you start the day getting your vital important jobs done making sure you allot the times for those jobs you will in effect be more productive, whereas if you started the day doing something that isn’t important work related then move onto another menial task then try to get your main bits done later your list will never decrease.
There’s a great book called Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy and it’s all about getting the biggest and worst job done first in your day rather than putting it off to the last minute planning and prioritising.
There’s the old saying if you fail to plan you plan to fail, it’s all about time management and time allocation when trying to ensure you are productive enough.
There’s a quote from Jim Rhon that goes “Never begin your day until it’s finished” which I think is perfect to end this post on. Think about it, it’s all about planning ahead.
