I6 Sure ways to improve productivity

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I'm going to be talking about productivity. Do you know what Biill Gates and Richard Branson have in common? The same 24 hours a day that you have that you could either waste or use to invest in your dreams. What really makes the difference is what you do with that time and how you choose to spend it.

This post will show you how you can make the most of your day with this tips to improve your productivity.

• Write it down

To-do list are mandatory for increased productivity, they get you organized, they allow you to see where your focus should go everyday and they give you a sense of accomplishment when you take an item off the list. Create a To-Do list each night for the upcoming day in order to have a clear image of what needs to be done, this way you won't spend time in the morning trying to decide what task needs to be done first.

• Cut down your To-Do list

When writing a To-Do list, you'd be tempted to add a lot of items that are not necessarily important and that's why you should take another look. A very long To-Do list would make either anxious or frustrated in the evening when very few things are checked off. Here's what you can do; choose one to a maximum of three times consuming task to get done by the next day and three to five less time consuming ones. You can save a hour a day to deal with small task such as reading your emails or returning a phone call.

• Stop multi tasking

Sometimes it feels like being able to multitask is a must have skill everyone should have in order to become successful but the truth is, multitasking is a productivity killer. Multitasking is actually your brain switching very fast from one task to another and this results in a decrease of up to 40% of your productivity and studies show that it also lowers your IQ so stop it now focus on one task at a time and give it 100%.

• Minimize distraction

In order to be able to focus on one task at a time you have to minimize distractions, you don't need to answer all of your emails, phone calls or whatsapp messages right away unless unless of course that's your job. Turn those notifications off, stop checking facebook and other social media account every 20 minutes and put your phone on the do not disturb mode while working. You'd be amazed at how much work you can get done when you're fully focused. Let your friends, family and colleagues know about this, and tell them not to distract you until you finish your task.

• Organize your working space

When everything is in place and your work desk is organized it's much easier to focus on the task at hand instead of feeling the urge to arrange a pile of shit, or searching for a pen, not knowing where you left it. Lots of people invest a lot of time and money in their work space; buying expensive desk, fast going computers, high quality pens and so on. The most expensive and luxurious working station at the moment is the emperio work space, it comes with optimized working gear that has everything you need; a comfortable sit, a desk to write on, space to on monitor and other features.

• Track and limit how much time you're spending on task

In order to optimize the time you spend on a task it's very important to track and evaluate your work . Do you spend too much time reading similar articles when doing research or maybe you go on facebook every 15mins, when you feel like taking a break and end spending a whole half an hour when scrolling through your news feed, you can't know how to improve it unless you keep an eye on it.

• Embrace technology

Don't be afraid to use any app necessary to get your productivity score higher. Track the amount of time you spend on each task, create schedules, set up reminders and work related notifications, instead of writing that To-Do list on a piece of paper that is easy to misplace, put it in your phone or desktop, make sure all of this resources you have are at the tip of your fingers.

• Set smart goals

The SMART acronym stands for;
S-specific
M- measurable
A- attainable
R- realistic
T-shirt time bound

What this means is, when setting up a goal, you have to define it specifically, set a way to measure the progress on it. Make sure it's realistic and attainable and set a deadline to it so it doesn't get finished someday.

• Choose your friends wisely

Surround yourself with people that has the same minds7and ambition as you do and try working beside them. This way, you can motivate each other, brain storm ideas and discuss relevant topics that will enrich your knowledge and make you strive harder. It's an important step to follow, so make it your purpose to find people that inspire you to work on and join them.

• Learn by yourself

There is this principle called the compound effect that says that no matter how small the effort you make is, if you do it constantly, it adds up and before you know it, you've mastered a new skill. Think about it this way, by taking one hour per day for independent study, that means seven hours per week and three hundred and sixty five hours in a year, in three to five years you can become an expert on the topic of your choice by spending only one hour a day on it. Don't know where to start, pick up a book and start reading and if you're thinking that one hour per day is not doable, just think about all the time you waste while commuting, use that time to read or listen to an audio book or podcast of your choice, trust me, it'll be worth it.

• Develop the habit of saying NO

You can't be a yes man or a yes woman, pleasing everyone else's need and still finish your own project on time. You should get yourself used to saying No to colleagues asking for help because they interfere with your working habit and this kills productivity, that doesn't mean you should never help anyone but make sure you do it, after you've finished your own task. Whenever someone comes asking for a favour you don't have time for, just refuse politely or schedule it for a time when you're less busy.

• Be proactive, not reactive

This one is straight forward and sums up everything we've covered so far. Don't let incoming emails or phone calls dictate your day, but instead create a plan ahead and try sticking to it. Get involved in your schedule, don't let others do it for you.

• Don't get engaged in endless meetings

Meetings are the black hole of productivity because they take up a lot of time and more often than not, don't come to any conclusion. Avoid meetings that aren't mandatory at all cost or propose a different way to do it, maybe via a messaging group or everyone can answer when they're less busy, remember Bill Gates had three minutes meetings and whoever couldn't address a situation in that time frame was left on the outside , he was the richest man in the world for almost two decades, so he was certainly on to something.

• Focus on result oriented activities

Many of the activities we do throughout the day are not urgent and usually have a visible impart on our lives. There's this principle called the Pareto principle that states that 80% of our results come from 20% of our actions. What you must do, is fundamentally the 20% activitiesthat bring you the 80% results and get your main focus there.

• Take care of yourself

Maybe you'd be inclined to think that productivity is just about scheduling and sticking to a plan in order to be efficient kin your work but there's more to it than that, you must invest in all aspects of your life in order to be properly productive , go to the gym, take care of what you eat, and get enough sleep so you'd feel energized and motivated to work towards your goals. Being productive means living a balanced life taking regular breaks from work, staying healthy and happy, nothing beats a positive attitude that comes from living life in harmony.

• Meditate

Yes meditation. Standing still for a couple of minutes a day focusing on your breath and not thinking about anything can increase your concentration skills and make you more relaxed and confident. Studies show that by practicing meditation a day for as little as five minutes a day for two weeks will raise your productivity level and make you surpass work related stress.

I did my best to put together this list to help you become a more productive and successful version of yourself. Share this post link with your friends and family and perhaps inspire them to make some positive changes in their life as well.