Do you often find your workday spiraling out of control? You start each day with a plan to get so much done, but soon find yourself becoming distracted, focusing on low-priority tasks and, simply, procrastinating. So how can you regain control of your time? One-size-fits-all lists on how to be more productive don’t work; we’ll outline productivity techniques that can be adapted to your personality and working style.
Five Basics of Productivity
Use these principles to help guide you through your workday.
All workers and workdays are unique. With fewer companies and employees adhering to a traditional 9-to-5 day, the differences in our workdays are becoming more pronounced. But putting those differences aside, three overarching ideas apply to all our productivity tips:
- Trust the Small Increments
You can’t expect to change years of working habits overnight. Small changes in how you work can gradually add up to big changes in productivity. Try one tip to start, and keep adding more as you find the strategies that work best for you.
- Be Accountable
Whether it’s weekly check-ins with a co-worker or setting your own deadlines and announcing them to others, having to answer to someone else can often force you to get the job done.
- Forgive Yourself
You are human: Accept that you are sometimes going to slip up, become distracted, and have a bad day. It’s more important to move on than to dwell on your mistakes.
- Use a To-Do list
A to-do list must contain ALL the activities that you need to do. If the activities aren’t included in your master to-do list, they will most likely not get done.
When new important tasks occur prioritize FAST. Because no matter how well you plan your day, new tasks seem to magically appear from nowhere. Therefore, always prioritize your tasks, giving priority to the urgent tasks first.
- Start Saying No
You should immediately start saying no to unreasonable requests. Successful & Super productive people are very good at saying no.
Constantly saying yes to everything and everyone drains us of time and energy. You should prioritize your to-do list tasks and not other people’s tasks.
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