Increasing productivity is an important topic for those who want to succeed in life. Not only do you need to increase the number of hours you work, you need time tracking for your Mac or PC to make sure you are using them to the best of your ability.
Here are 27 tips on how to become more productive:
- Nourish yourself
Productive people always seem to be full of enthusiasm. But this rarely happens by itself. If you want to be energetic and productive, you must constantly feed yourself with motivation and enthusiasm.
For example, start each morning by writing down your main goal or reason behind all your actions.
- Use the calendar
If you have many different types of tasks, be sure to use a calendar so you don’t miss anything.
- Limit yourself
Put yourself in a narrow frame of reference. Limit the time you have to complete tasks. Force yourself to focus entirely on the task in order to meet the deadline.
- Filter notifications on your phone
If you can turn off notifications completely, do so. If there is something you can’t miss, set up notifications so that only the most important events are notified to you.
- Check email less frequently
Don’t keep track of every email. Plan a specific time when you will check and respond to emails: it is better to leave this for the afternoon and devote the morning to more productive tasks.
- Use a browser plug-in that blocks sites
If you notice yourself spending a lot of time on sites that have nothing to do with your work, install a plugin that will block access to distracting sites.
- Do not listen to music with lyrics
You can use music for background to improve concentration, but don’t include music with words or you will be distracted by them.
- Perform complex tasks first
The thought of putting off difficult work for later may be appealing, but it will have a negative effect on your productivity. Difficult tasks will weigh on you and cause you stress until you complete them. So start the day with the most important and difficult tasks.
- Do tasks that take less than two minutes
Small tasks can give the impression that your to-do list is impossible to complete. If you can’t eliminate a task from your list and it doesn’t take more than two minutes, do it right away.
- Group similar tasks
It takes some time for your brain to adjust to a different type of task. Therefore, try to group tasks of the same type and do them all at once.
- Reduce the length of meetings by 25%
If you have to meet with people often, try to compress the time allocated for the meeting. Keep your messages short, clear, and to the point. Appreciate your time and the time of the person you are meeting with.
- Hold meetings standing up
This format is especially suitable for team meetings. If everyone sits down, they will feel relaxed, which will prolong the meeting. It is better to have meetings standing up so that everyone is ready to get back to their work in the moment.
- Perfection is the enemy of productivity
Don’t strive for perfection, it cannot be achieved. Set yourself the bar at the level of “good” and try to reach it.
- Delegation may be necessary
Especially if you are in an executive position. Don’t take on too much on your own shoulders. Some tasks are likely to be successfully handled by your subordinates.
- Don’t forget to develop professionally
No matter where you are now, you still need to learn. Develop new skills, learn strategies that will help you be even more effective.
- Automate
Look at the tasks that you perform on a day-to-day basis. Think about whether some of them could be automated? There are many technical solutions that could make your life easier.
- Unsubscribe from unnecessary newsletters
Keep your inbox tidy if you use the post office regularly. Unsubscribe from newsletters that are irrelevant to you.
- Take care of yourself
Do not ignore your body’s signals. Assess your condition regularly. If you feel any negative changes, find a way to correct the situation.
- Learn to say “no”
You do not have to agree to everything you are asked to do. If you realise that you will not be able to do a particular task in time, say “no”.
- Buy a second monitor
If you work a lot at a computer and you often have to check various documents, switch between windows, the purchase of a second monitor can save a lot of time and increase productivity.
- Don’t get hung up on the beginning
If you get stuck at the beginning of a document, for example, don’t dwell on it. Sometimes it can be easier to start in the middle and then go back to the beginning.
- Use templates
Templates for documents, letters will save time – create and use them.
- Do not rely on autosave
If you are working on a large project, be sure to save it regularly. Many programs have an auto-save feature, turn it on as well. But to be on the safe side, you should still save it – as a rule, it is done by pressing Ctrl+S.
- Learn keyboard shortcuts
There are many combinations that will make your life easier. Check the documentation for the program to find out which shortcuts you can use in it.
- Stop following all the news
Don’t let the media take up your attention and time. If it is important for you to follow the news, then filter it: watch only what is directly related to your field of work.
- Stop multitasking
Work on one task at a time. This will greatly increase your productivity.
- Explore program functionality
Find out what features the software you are using has to offer. For example, if you are using Microsoft Excel, it is worth spending half an hour or so learning its advanced features – this can significantly increase your speed.
