Productivity Tips
How do you stay productive throughout the day? What about an entire month or through unexpected circumstances?
In my experience, there are two things that help me the most when it comes to productivity and those are: drinking adequate amount of water everyday and having goals that I truly care about that will bring me the future that I want.
Here are my top tips to increase productivity and motivation to help you get through barriers when trying to get things done:
Drink more water!
I didn’t realize how much hydration directly affects my productivity levels. For one week, I increased my water intake from an average of 32oz to around a gallon a day and saw a huge difference on the second day on. The reason why I didn’t continue is because I wasn’t used to drinking that much water and so I was going back to my habits fairly quickly. By day two I realized that I had more energy and focus to work on projects and stay working on them without losing interest or motivation as much as before. Now I just incorporate more raw fruits and veggies in my diet and make smoothies often to replenish as they too keep me hydrated just as much.
The 4AM CLUB
Some of the highly successful people and the over-achievers swear by this; waking up early enough to have a few hours to yourself when everyone else is still asleep. Think about it, if you start waking up at 4 everyday and most of your family and friends wake up at 6 or 7, you have a few hours to yourself that no one can take from you. Nobody will be talking with you or texting/calling. So, what can you work on everyday if you had 2 or 3 hours all to yourself? Within a year of daily 2 hour practice, you may learn to play an instrument or write a book or two. In one year you can have 200+ blogs or vlogs made! that’s impressive and is doable if you’re willing to put time and effort into it. You may be thinking ‘one year is a lot’ but always think of the long term effects and how it will impact your life.
Make daily to-do lists and tackle the more important or the hardest tasks first
If you’re anything like me, you would keep piling tasks in your head until you become very overwhelmed and feel that you have no sense of direction in your life. Every year I buy a calendar that I can physically write in instead of having a digital one. The calendar has separate sections for goals, to-do lists, reminders, and notes. The goals and to-do lists are monthly and that’s where I write down what I want to achieve each month. For example, for the month of February, I want to complete 5 blog posts and gain x followers on my social media. In the daily to-do list and notes is where I work on the projects to meet my end goal for the month. The reason why the majority of the people say to do the important or the hardest tasks first is because early on in the day we have more energy and focus compared to later in the afternoon or evening where we lose energy and motivation and that’s when we get tempted to procrastinate.
Limit exposure to distractions (Phone, TV, Video games)
If you want more productivity, one of the simplest ways is to limit your screen time. When we start scrolling through social media or watch a show on TV, we slowly become sluggish and a lot of us tend to procrastinate, not to mention binge watch! It’s easy to get lost in screens because all of these apps and tv programs are designed to keep our eyes locked in them. This is how I started thinking of it, instead of making other people wealthy, I want to devote time to creating something of my own that will make me wealthy in the future and help out many in the process. Nobody watches TV for free, we’re paying for it with our time and time is money. So, in essence, learn what your distractions and triggers are, and slowly decrease the amount of time that you give into them.
Breathe deeply and stretch
Breathing deeply and stretching can help increase productivity by reducing stress and fatique. By taking some time to relax and focus on your breath, you can reduce stress and mentally prepare for work. Stretching can also help alleviate tension in the body and improve circulation, making it easier to stay focused and alert during the day. I have made a habit to get up and stretch every 30 minutes when I’m working on a long project because it’s amazing at bringing my mental clarity back so I can get my focus back.
Take mini breaks if you need to
When working on a longer project or pursuing a long-term goal, it’s ok to take breaks as it’s been shown that it has many benefits. For example, I made this blog post a few months ago without any descriptions of the list that I had made. I took a long break from it and when I got back, it was so refreshing to work on it again. My view on certain subjects had changed and there was more clarity and resemblance to write from experience.
More food=less energy
If a full stomach makes you lethargic like it does to me, sometimes it’s good to postpone your meal until after you’ve finished your main tasks. Working in a fasted state keeps me accountable in working on a task for a longer period of time knowing that later there’s a reward of eating. Energy is everything! When we lack energy, we go down fairly quickly mentally, emotionally, and physically. For me personally, the more I eat throughout the day, the less energy I have. For a lot of people it’s the opposite and so it’s a good idea to spend some time and study yourself in this aspect and figure out what takes your energy and motivation away and the associated triggers.
Have an accountability partner
Having someone that you can count on to redirect you to your path (whom is also on the same road as you are) is beneficial for both parties. We all go through phases where we feel so down or are on a verge of giving up our dreams and it can be so nice to have that one friend, family, or partner that you can call anytime and ask for help. There is nothing wrong with asking for a little help when you need it and also be there for them when they need the help as well. Some of the benefits from having an accountability partner are that they provide support and push you through the difficult times, they may help you plan and find different ways of achieving your goals if you need it, they keep you motivated to continue working on your goals, and together by celebrating your achievements you can both gain more self confidence in pursuing your goals.
Keep envisioning your end result
Many people have vision boards, some make it their wallpapers and background photos, and some even meditate on it every night before going to bed. Remembering why you want to pursue x everyday will motivate you to change your mental attitude towards doing the tasks that sometimes you don’t feel like doing. For example, if you want to become an online coach, remembering how good it would feel if you changed someone’s life by helping them overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams. You did that! You are the reason they are happy and content with their lives. Remembering how good it would feel to not have to work for anyone anymore and dedicate most of your time for a 9-5 job; you are your own boss. All this is going to do is strengthen your will to go past those days that you lose interest or aren’t feeling of working for your future.
