Productive or Just “Busy”?
Noun: ‘productivity’
The state or quality of producing something; the effectiveness of productive effort.
How many excuses do you hear yourself saying every day? ‘I couldn’t get this done today because… OR I didn’t have time to do that because…’
Sometimes all it takes to be more ‘productive’ is to simply stop sabotaging yourself and get out of your own way. But not confronting procrastination and all the “I’m too busy” excuses are shining examples of ‘standing in your own way’.
“Tomorrow becomes never. No matter how small the task, take the first step now!”
~ Tim Ferriss
So, you’ve got to prioritize achieving results ahead of staying in your comfort zone – and stop making excuses! You’ve probably also heard the phrase, “work smarter, not harder”?
Well, in this post we’re going to give you a ton of ideas for how to do just that… without making excuses.
Here are 17 “no excuses” ways to be more productive (and not just busy) every single day:
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- Clean out the clutter in the space intended for productivity – whether that’s your office, the kitchen or anywhere in your environment that requires you to GSD (Get Sh#t Done)!
- Use positive instead of negative self-talk – you would be surprised how impactful negative self-talk (which fuels our limiting beliefs) can be for flatlining productivity!
- Make your goals manageable – not unrealistic and unreachable.
- Set out the next day’s goals the night before. Revisit them for 5 minutes in the morning.
- BUT, systems and routines (over “goals”) are always the answer. Make priority lists not ‘To Do’ lists – and make it “tickable”. Checking off that box can be so rewarding!
- Create a plan that’s designed for action and automate repetitive tasks – again, systems!
- Don’t multitask – I know, this probably goes against what you’re actually trying to do but consider that doing multiple things at once (too many balls in the air) causes you to do each task much more slowly and less efficiently than if you were to just focus on just ONE task – and do it really well!
- Spend mornings GSD’ing, i.e. do your most important tasks before lunch.
Follow the Pareto Principle as it applies to productivity: “80% of the output or results will come from 20% of the input or action.”
Think of it as 80% of your work is done in 20% of your time. For most people, that time is right after waking up, so try to take advantage of the first few hours of your day.
- Robin Sharma says, “Get up at 5 am. Win the battle of the bed. Put mind over mattress. This habit alone will strengthen your willpower so it serves you more dutifully in the key areas of your life.”
- Identify your time thieves and energy vampires. It’s exactly how it sounds 😉
Do this: identify the activities and tasks that distract you, interrupt your workflow or send you down the “rabbit hole”. Curtail all those bad habits that keep you from performing at your best and you’ll dramatically improve your results! - Avoid distractions, e.g. turn off your phone notifications (aka, time thief!)
- Check email in the afternoon and set aside a specific time period to do social media (more time thieves are afoot!) – trying not to peek & peck at both of these all day long, i.e. don’t spend your day simply putting out fires!
- And if possible, focus on what you do best and delegate the rest, so you can really optimise your productivity.By delegating the things that you’re not so stellar at, and that someone else can do better in a fraction of time or cost – isn’t that just the definition of ‘productivity’
= the effectiveness of productive effort. - Recognise your accomplishments and build in rewards for effort – but not necessarily for the achievement itself.
- Drink more water. Did you know that being just mildly dehydrated can lower your work performance by 25-50%?!
- Get an accountability partner – someone to literally keep you on task and moving forward.
- And finally… don’t say ‘yes’ to everything. ‘No’ is perfectly acceptable once in a while 🙂
Which of these 17 tips will you use first?
Which are you already using?
I’d love to know! Let me know over in my Facebook group, Living Midlife with Attitude!
REFERENCES
Healthline – 17 Healthy and Practical Ways to Break Out of Laziness
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stop-being-lazy
Robin Sharma – 21 Tips to Become the Most Productive Person You Know
https://www.robinsharma.com/article/21-tips-to-become-the-most-productive-person-you-know
Forbes – 7 Ways to Be More Productive
https://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbridges/2018/07/26/7-ways-to-be-more-productive/#8648417d9f78
Lifehack – How to Be More Productive: 4 Tiny Tweaks That Will 10x Your Productivity
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/more-productive-4-ways-that-really-work.html
Medium (The Startup) – How to Be Productive: 10 Ways to Actually Work Smarter
https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-be-productive-10-ways-to-actually-work-smarter-16fea8087ead
Actioned – How to Be More Productive: The Ultimate Guide
https://www.actioned.com/how-to-be-more-productive/
AquaCooler Direct – 10 Facts: Dehydration and Its Effect on Productivity at Work
University Health News Daily – Chocolate Benefits for Your Brain: Memory and Mood Improvement