6 Ways To Improve Your Productivity
Productivity is defined as the measure of the efficiency of a person in converting inputs into useful outputs. It is computed by dividing the average output per period by the total costs incurred.
When measuring the productivity of yourself, one of the costs you need to consider is the cost to your health. Caffeine and other stimulants are not the answer to increasing your productivity. Instead, try implementing some of the six tips below.
1. Stop Multi-Tasking: When you are trying to do many things at once, you are losing productivity. Instead, focus on one task at a time and complete it before moving on to the next. On that same note, cut back on your to-do list by making sure only the important tasks are written down. You don’t need to have thirty items on your to-do list to make it look impressive, cut it back by 50% and you will find yourself accomplishing more.
2. Take Breaks: Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center evaluated the lifestyles of over 17,000 of male and female subject over a period of 13 years. They found that 54% of those people were likely to die of heart attacks. This was because most of them were sitting for most of the day. Taking a break and going for a daily walk will get your blood moving and increase your energy while making it easier to focus.
3. Tackle The Challenging Tasks First: The challenging tasks are the ones that are going to take more time to accomplish and are usually the ones that don’t get done. By accomplishing these tasks first, you are going to be tackling them while your brain is at its freshest, and you will be left feeling a sense of accomplishment which will make it easier to tackle the rest of your to-do list.
4. Schedule Your Day: If you are the kind of person who likes to check their email continuously throughout the day, and keep up to date on social media, block out time specifically to do that and turn off the alerts. If you are dropping everything to check up on your email and social media every time you get an alert, you are going to be constantly distracting yourself from accomplishing your tasks and will end your day feeling as though you accomplished nothing. Setting out a specific time to watch television, read a book, or meditate will also help you balance your self-care along with the things you need to accomplish.
5. Take Time To Prepare For The Next Day: Mornings can be chaotic, the less you have to do before you have to be out the door to start your day, the smoother your day will go and the more you will be able to accomplish. Decide what you are going to wear the next day, prepare your lunch and even set up the coffee maker so all you have to do it flip it on before you head to the shower. Don’t respond to emails, or check your social media. Take the morning to focus on yourself and set yourself up for a successful day.
6. Sleep Early And Wake Up Early: You are going to be significantly less productive if you stay up late and wake up early. Doing this will result in you feeling lethargic and your brain will definitely not be working at its best. Getting enough sleep will help you function at your best and promote your productivity.
By taking steps to change your habits slightly, you will soon be able to not just accomplish more in the run of a day, but also be able to feel healthier and happier while you do it. Implementing even just one or two of the above tips into your daily life will show you just how easy it is.