10 Tips to Improve Productivity

Life is busy! Some days have you feeling as if you haven’t accomplished a single thing. The list you started the day with continues to grow throughout the day leaving you feeling overwhelmed. Whether you work in Corporate America, are in business for yourself, or run the household as a domestic engineer, productivity is important. By definition, productivity is the state of producing. How can you be a better producer? Below are ten tips I personally use in my life as well in the lives of my organizing clients.

1. Use a daily planner. I cannot stress this enough! Pen to paper connection is powerful. I use the Living Well Planner because it allows me to keep track of all aspects of my life! All planners are not the same. It’s good to know what you like and need because functionality is key. https://livingwellshop.co?aff=621( this is an affiliate link that I am sharing with you because I love this product so much!)
2. Identify your top three priorities of the day. Simply begin by brainstorming whatever pops in your head that you think needs to be done that day. Take a moment to pick out the three tasks that are of the highest priority.
3. Schedule your three tasks on your planner. These are as important as an appointment and should be treated as such.
4. Use the magical word, “no” when it comes to anything interfering with your three highest priority items. Obviously, an emergency would be the exception to this.
5. Schedule a time to check email. I say this because the goal is to limit distraction.
6. Schedule social media time. Mindless scrolling through other people’s lives or the latest organizing accessory are not going to serve you well in getting your three tasks done. It is good to reign in the biggest productivity distractor. During my day, I limit my viewing time. Honestly, I don’t miss it when I do limit myself.
7. Plan to do one of your high priority tasks during your “power hour”. We all have one, it’s that point in the day your brain and body are deeply connected and working together so the work is faster and easier.
8. Set timers! This is critical if you suffer from time blindness. It also helps if you get sidetracked easily. There’s something about a focused chunk of time that keeps the brain on task. There are a variety of timers, I use my phone. If you run the risk of distraction having your phone nearby, use a kitchen timer or a watch. There are apps such as Toggl or Desktime for Windows users. Apple has the Smart countdown Timer. Explore your option, pick on and start using today!
9. Take breaks. Longer projects can really be tiring. There is nothing wrong with taking a 15 minute break for each hour. I do 45 minutes of work and take a 15 minute break. This time should be used to do something totally different from what you were just doing. If you were working on a computer, your break could be outside getting some physical movement. If you were on the phone dealing with a lengthy phone call, your break would not include the phone. The point of the break is to recharge!
10. Silence notifications. Since you are scheduling time to check email and social media, there’s no reason you need notifications on.

As you’ve gone over this list, think about which of these would be most beneficial and implement immediately. The others can be added as you need. Starting out, this will be a little adjustment but in the end it is a healthy habit to add to your day. Be kind to yourself as you work on improving your productivity. A final reminder is to improve productivity.