Have you ever had one of those days when you find yourself getting up from your desk, answering phone calls from family members, and clicking through web pages only to realize it’s noon and you still haven’t accomplished anything? We’ve all been there. But when this becomes a daily occurrence, it’s time to take action. Use the following tips to maximize productivity, whether at work, school or home.
1. List “Time-Wasters”
Start your day with a list of things you know you tend to waste time on. Keep the list nearby. When you notice you’re wasting time, add that time-waster to the list. This will serve as a reminder of things you shouldn’t allow yourself to do–like watching cat videos when you should be sending emails.
2. Hide Or Uninstall Social Media Apps
Among those who use social media, the average person spends 3.6 hours per day socializing online, reveals research conducted by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange. That’s about a quarter of the time you’re awake! Imagine what you could do with those extra hours.
To keep yourself from wasting this time, remove social networking apps from your mobile device’s home screen and the toolbar on your computer’s browser. While the sites won’t be completely out of reach, this practice can keep you from checking updates on impulse (when let’s face it, there’s nothing new there anyway).
3. Set Daily Goals With Reminders
Every day comes with new tasks to accomplish. Make it easy for yourself to complete each task by taking life one day at a time. Do you have a huge report due next month? Consider what you’ll do each day to finish it instead of waiting until the last minute. Use apps like Google Calendar to stay on top of your daily goals. You can set up reminders to stay organized and make sure you don’t forget anything.
4. Complete Most Important Tasks First
It’s easy to start your day with the simplest tasks. It makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something even when you’re avoiding your big project. But by the time you’re done with your less important tasks, you’re already worn out and even more reluctant to start on your priority work.
Switch things up and perform the most important tasks first. It will be a relief once you’re done, and the rest of your day will run more smoothly.
5. Stop Multitasking
Multitasking is a myth! As NPR reports, humans can’t physically multitask. Our brains instead juggle attention from one task to the other so quick we’re given the illusion we’re multitasking.
But we’re not very efficient at it. If you try to do too many things at once, you probably won’t finish those tasks to a high standard. Plus, it could take you more time than if you simply focused on one task at a time, meaning you only hinder your productivity by multitasking.
6. Make Use Of Dead Time
What do you do when you’re waiting in the doctor’s office or headed home on the train? If you’re staring out the window, you’re wasting valuable time. Instead, you could be sending emails or brainstorming and taking notes on your next project at work or school. You could even use this dead time to work in your daily stress-relieving breathing exercises as long as you’re doing something productive.
7. Read Time-Management Books (And Take The Advice!)
To get the best advice on how to manage your time, consider reading time-management books. They’ll likely be more useful to you since they’re more in-depth. You’ll often find exercises to help you apply the concepts, too.
Try books like “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity,” “The Skinny on Time Management: How to Maximize Your 24-Hour Gift,” or “Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.”
Ready to become more productive? Start with the mentioned tips, and then share these ideas with your friends by tweeting this post.
Maximize your productivity now: 10 one-minute time hacks that will make you more productive
Featured photo credit: Viktor Hanacek via picjumbo.com
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