Do you plan on becoming successful at some point in the future? If the answer is yes, you need to understand that your current behavior and lifestyle may not support such an endeavor. One thing is for sure, to become successful, you will need to be productive. Now, the question is, how to increase productivity?
Even though you believe you have what it takes to increase productivity, it will require a lot of changes. And, many of these changes will have something to do with your current activities and behaviors. Changing these will not be easy, but it is possible if you are willing to accept the idea and commit to the processes.
Below, you will discover several ways to increase productivity that will help you jumpstart your efforts.
1. Monitor Time Spent On Tasks
Many people do not even consider the amount of time they spent on specific tasks. In fact, they could spend an hour doing the laundry and never realize it. Monitoring and tracking the time you spend on daily tasks, such as checking your email and social media messages, utilizing apps and conducting research, will be a great way to start.
Once you figure out how much time you are spending on these tasks, you will need to figure out if it is possible to reduce this time. In most cases, you will find it possible to reduce the time for every task by at least five minutes or even more in some cases.
Believe it or not, you may even find that doing this will help you concentrate on your future more.
2. Always Take time For Breaks
Taking breaks between specific tasks is a great way to improve your concentration. In fact, several research studies have revealed that breaking between tasks actually helps humans concentrate better.
However, this is only suitable for long tasks, which have shown to cause a decline in performance. Just take a short five- or ten-minute break to give yourself time to relax. This will result in overall better concentration.
3. Complete Project Right the First Time
If you are writing essays, you should learn how to better utilize your time for a more effective writing process. It has been determined that completing projects right the first time can help increase productivity.
Do you ever find yourself rushing through tasks and projects just to get them done? If so, it is highly likely that you have to go back and fix mistakes that you made in the process.
If you had completed these projects correctly the first time, you could have actually saved yourself some time. Since you are licking your calf over, you are wasting a lot of time that could be utilized more productively.
4. Never Delay
Some successful entrepreneurs recommend never delaying important and unimportant tasks.
If you are a procrastinator, it is highly likely that you are unproductive. If tasks need to be done, just go ahead and do them when you find the time. Delaying will only prolong the process and cause you misery in the long run.
5. Avoid Meetings
Most business people find themselves spending a lot of time in meetings. While these events seem important, they can hurt your productivity. Of course, you will not be able to avoid all of these meetings, it may be possible to not attend several of them without repercussions.
Figure out which meetings are important and only attend those. The other meetings will be able to go on without you, resulting in more time for more important tasks.
6. Never Multitask
You have probably been told your entire life that multitasking is a great way to increase efficiency. Well, believe it or not, it can actually hurt your productivity. According to psychological research, it has been discovered that performing multiple tasks simultaneously can result in lost productivity and time.
If you are accustomed to multitasking, you will find it difficult to get out of the habit. However, you should make it a priority to only focus on one task at a time. And, never move on to another task until you have finished the one you are currently working on.
7. Use Commute Time Constructively
Many people spend at least an hour commuting back and forth to work and school. This is downtime that could be utilized more constructively than emailing and Facebooking. Utilize this time to brainstorm and create to-do lists.