11 principles to doubling your productivity in record time.

Productivity can be metaphorically called a funnel; what goes in the top makes a huge impact on what appears at the receiving end. So, there isn’t a single hack that can make us a productive person in no time.

Firstly, we have to observe all the possible factors causing hindrance in our path of productivity. We see a lot of people complaining about time management.

Following are some everyday changes that can help us boost our productivity.

1. Ban unnecessary chats/calls :

Calls can be minimized by asking the person about the complete details of the task so it’s easier to decide if that very task can be covered over a voice note instead of scheduling a zoom call. This filtering process is helpful in productivity.

Chats are another headache for us while concentrating on work. Unimportant chats can be easily avoided by changing our messaging status to explain at what times we are available. Because being online doesn’t mean we are ready to respond to every less important message we might receive.

2. Check your emails only at the scheduled time :

Schedule specific times to check on your emails because they can be very distracting at times. We can keep our phones away from our work desk and only check them according to our fixed schedule. Some helpful tools such as ‘boomerang’ schedule emails for later enabling us to dive into a deep work session without wasting mental space thinking about what we should reply to.

3. Set a timer:

Estimate in your mind how much time you require for a specific task. Now there are different techniques for setting a timer for a task. Pomodoro technique can be followed which tells you to work for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break.

If you have a longer and bigger task, you can use timer-based apps like me. The Clockify app has been a huge help for me in managing my time and tasks. It is helpful for both freelancers and entrepreneurs; above all, it’s free of cost.

4. Listen to music in break time:

Some brain relaxing music is always an option to enjoy your break time. Classical music works for some people as well. Nature music and cinematic music are helpful as well.

5. Task prioritization:

As soon as you wake up, log all your tasks in your planner and pick the most dreadful task first. People usually begin their day by doing some light tasks such as checking emails or scrolling through social media. Instead, they should start the day with a more difficult task because you are the most energetic during that part of the day.

6. Look for hidden pockets of time:

Looking for hidden pockets of time during your professional or personal activities is a way to living a fuller existence. These pockets of time are present everywhere around you if you just start looking for them. They lie in the mere, daily life tasks of yours. Once you have found them, they can help you become a more productive person. For me, they are cooking and photography. These small activities are my mood changers, in fact, mood boosters. They help me keep going.

7. Find your peak performance time of the day:

Everyone has a productive time of the day when they can work better as compared to other hours of the day. For me, it’s the early morning time. It is my prime time and optimizes me towards productivity.

8. Just Start:

Sometimes people just stay idle and keep waiting for the right time to initiate a task. Force yourself to get up and begin your day because once you start, you get in the rhythm that could last for hours.

9. Give yourself small rewards:

Make a habit of appreciating and celebrating even your small wins. So every time you struggle, it will remind you of how far you have come.

10. Avoid multitasking:

People think that their habit of multitasking will lead them to achievements although it’s a huge misconception. It only stresses your mind and exhausts you faster. For optimum productivity, focus on one thing at a time.

11. Improve your thinking and typing speed:

This is an important factor and people don’t pay attention to it. I suppose an average office worker might receive about 80 emails every day and he sends about 40 emails. If he spends about 4 hours doing this but doubles his typing speed he could get himself a whole working day per week.

People complain that they don’t have enough. I rule out this excuse by making a planner every day on my phone, where I enter all my important tasks so I can never complain about not having enough time. Everybody has 24 hours in a day and what’s important is how you manage your time and your activities accordingly.

And usually the reason why we fail to create an effective priority list is because of our inability to make clear, quick and concise decisions free of fear, doubt and low self-esteem.

Find out how common people are making decisions free of those three tough demons here.

Remember You Too Can Be Great

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Steven Dossou