Everyone wants to be able to do many things in a short time. It's easy to accept that some people are born more productive than others who tend to procrastinate. While that's true, productive people take advantage of some useful strategies that can help anyone.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Becoming a Organized Person
Step 1. Create a routine
Plan repetitive activities in your schedule so you can focus your energies on the specific tasks you need to do. Incorporate these activities into your daily routine (getting ready for work, lunch, etc.). Just as your body signals “lunch time” when you normally eat, you will be able to feel that “it is time to be productive”.
Step 2. Minimize large tasks
Don't focus on writing a book or painting the whole house; focus on completing a chapter or a room. The feeling that you've accomplished something will keep you going, and it can be a way of marking your progress toward a bigger goal.
Step 3. Set a deadline
Do you remember when you had to finish your homework one night? When there is a clear time limit, you have no other choice but to focus your energies and do the things that are important to achieving your goals.
- If you already have a deadline, set small deadlines to work on parts of your assignment.
- Try to be strict with yourself as it will be easy for you to break your self-imposed deadlines. Match your deadlines with scheduled meetings you can't miss or set a timer.
Step 4. Determine the amount of time it will take to complete your work
“Work piles up to pass the time”-the words that sound like old-fashioned advice can be applied using mathematical formulas, but the point of Parkinson's Law remains the same. In general, if you take a whole day to complete a task, you will find a way to complete it in one day (overdoing it). Find out the minimum amount of time you need to do your job well.
Step 5. Plan things out, but stay flexible
Do all the activities to establish routines and deadlines, but also realize that something will definitely disrupt the schedule you have set, and you must be able to adapt. Don't let distractions make you lose focus. Find other ways to take advantage of the situation, or stay away from it.
For example, if you're trying to finish a presentation for tomorrow morning and the power in your house goes out, ask someone else to help you practice the Q&A session until the power comes back on. Or use the incident as a joke the next day by telling how your rival tried to sabotage your presentation by turning off the power
Method 2 of 3: Listen to Your Body
Step 1. Know yourself
If you are someone who is used to getting up early or staying up late, take advantage of that trait of yours. Maximize your productive time. If music can help you focus, turn it on; if it bothers you, don't turn it on.
Think about the benefits you've felt when you were productive in the past. Would your end-of-term scores do better if you were stuck in the library or if your roommate was playing a game three steps away from where you studied?
Step 2. Rest without thoughts
When your brain is "on fire" and you need to rest, do it. Watch soap operas, walk your dog, clean up those dusty bookshelves that you've always wanted to clean.
You have to realize that you need time off, and incorporate time off into your schedule. That way, you won't feel like you're wasting time while you're resting (in a positive way)
Step 3. Bask in the sun
Natural sunlight helps keep your body's rhythm in balance, gives you energy, and feels good. Take a walk outside or work in front of a window if possible.
Step 4. Exercise
Exercise can keep your daily activities from being monotonous, relieve stress, help you refocus your mind, and exercise is very good for your body.
Step 5. Do a “brain dump” or “brain dump”
When you are working on a project, your mind will be filled with ideas, some ideas are relevant to your task, some are not. If your mind feels stuck or stuck while trying to complete a task, clear your mind of ideas that could distract you. But save those ideas just in case!
- Jot down your ideas in a notebook (or other, more modern means of technology) at the end of the day or when your brain feels full.
- Don't worry about continuing your ideas now. This is another form of idea gathering; think of lots of ideas, figure out which ones work and which ones don't, and figure out how to connect one idea to another.
Method 3 of 3: Prioritizing
Step 1. Be realistic
Some people who think that they are not productive are actually productive people who have too high expectations of themselves. Don't do anything beyond your capabilities. Productive people are not “superhumans”; they know what they can achieve (and their limits) and are focused on getting their job done.
- Consider whether or not you can get someone to complete as many tasks as you will. If you feel bad about having someone do that much work, you're probably being too hard on yourself.
- At the end of the day, write down a list of things you have completed. The results may surprise you, and may give you something else besides the to-do list you start in the morning.
Step 2. Keep it as simple as possible
Think about the important elements that you want or need to complete. It's easier to do the obvious.
Focus on the results of your work, not the time it takes to complete it. After all, we usually judge something by its outcome. We don't care how long it takes the baker to make our wedding cake or what method he uses; we just want the cake to look good and taste good
Step 3. Determine how important and urgent your task is
Like any good general (or a fairly agile president), Dwight Eisenhower knows a practical way to get things done. He has the idea of determining what is really important and urgent, and he is famous for his saying, namely, "Something important is sometimes urgent, and something urgent is sometimes important".
- The "Eisenhower Box" divides work into four categories: "Important and Urgent" (do it immediately); "Important but Not Urgent" (determine when you will work on it later); "Not Important but Urgent" (ask someone else to do it); "Not Important and Not Urgent" (remove it from your to-do list).
- Of course, not everyone has the same ability to get others to do your job as a general or president, but such tasks can be done in groups. Realize your strengths, and the strengths of those around you.
Step 4. Know what matters most
We all want to be more productive, but if your way to be more productive is to cut back on time with your family or limit something that really means a lot to you, take a break and put your interests first. If you manage to increase your productivity at the expense of something more valuable to you, what exactly do you get?
