I’ve always been someone who values my time. Because of that, one of my main goals is to use my time as efficiently and effectively as possible.
This means I’m always on the lookout for new productivity tips.
Over the years, I’ve come to adopt productivity philosophies that I swear by, and some are even a little surprising.
Today, I’m sharing with you my top ten productivity tips in the hopes that they will help you as much as they’ve helped me!
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Prioritize
It doesn’t matter if you have fifty things on your to-do list or five, every task as a different level of importance. Making the best use of your time starts with prioritizing your tasks so you can use your time and energy in the best way possible.
The best way prioritize is by considering the urgency and the consequences of not completing a task at a desired time.
The more urgent and more consequential tasks should be higher on your priority list than those that are happening down the line or have little negative impact.
Make a plan
Now that you’ve got your priorities sorted out, it’s time to make a plan on how you’re going to complete these tasks.
The key here is to be realistic and consider the specifics of what a task entails and how much time it will take.
Then plan exactly when you will set the time aside to complete that task. Do the same thing for your next priority.
I find a planner to be particularly help! My favorite planner is this Passion Planner. It helps you make short term and long term plans and encourages you to manage your time in a way that you enjoy.
Give yourself extra time
When you’re making your plan, consider giving yourself more time than you realistically think you’ll need. This will prevent you from rushing through a task or feeling like you’re falling behind if a task takes longer than you planned.
This may seem counter-intuitive, but I’ve found that giving myself plenty of time to complete something keeps me from getting overwhelmed with everything I have to get done. This, in turn, makes it easier to focus on the task at hand.
Try doing less
And speaking of giving yourself extra time, consider doing less every day. This under-scheduling technique was inspired by minimalist Courtney Carver who has said that she has gotten more done in years when she planned less than in years where she’s planned more.
I believe part of this is because planning less means you’re creating a more sustainable workflow, which makes it easier to be constantly productive.
If you try to do too much, you’re more likely to burn out and/or require more extended time off, which is a hindrance to your productivity in the long run.
This is honestly one of my favorite productivity tips because it’s helped me get more done while reducing pressure and stress.
Batch tasks
You can save a lot of time by doing related tasks all at once.
For example, instead of cooking dinner every night, you can set a weekend afternoon aside and do all of your cooking. Then you can freeze meals for the week that you just have to reheat.
This saves time because you can have meals cooking simultaneously if you have something in the oven and something on the stove. And if you plan meals that use some of the same ingredients, it will make the prep process go even smoother.
This mentality is particularly helpful with small tasks (like answering emails) that chip away at your time without you even realizing it. Instead, of answering emails as they come in, set aside a block of time and do all of your reading and responding then.
Silence your phone (and put it away from you)
Every time your cell phone buzzes or bings, it takes you away from what you’re doing.
One of the best ways to keep your production moving forward is to remove the cell phone distraction all together by silencing your phone and putting it out of reach.
My cell phone used to be such a serious distraction for me! Every notification would take me right out of my work, and 99% of the time the notification wasn’t one that needed my immediate attention.
Now when I’m working, I silence my phone and put it on the other side of the room so it’s out of reach, and I’ve been so much more productive ever since!
And I have my phone set so that if someone calls twice within 15 minutes my phone will ring. This way, I’m still reachable in an emergency.
Turn off the internet or use a site blocker
While you’re silencing your phone, you might want to think about turning off your internet while you’re working on the computer.
The internet can be a wonderful resource, but it can also be used to avoid and distract from the task at hand. If you don’t need the internet for what you’re working on, consider turning it off until you’re finished.
And if you do need to be online for your task, consider downloading a site blocker like Self Control or Cold Turkey to keep you off the sites that aren’t relevant to your work.
Take breaks
I think it can be easy for us to get caught up in the idea that productivity is being continually productive in the time you have available to you. But I’ve found that I’m often more productive when I designate some of my productivity time to a break.
Breaks give you mind a chance to reset, which will likely give you a mental boost and allow you to use the rest of your time more efficiently than you would have if you hadn’t taken a break.
I’ve also found that this typically means you get more done overall than you would have if you pushed through without a break.
Take care of yourself
And while you’re taking a break, don’t forget to take care of yourself. Often times, we sacrifice ourselves in exchange for a pressing task at hand. And sure, there may be times when that’s unavoidable, but most of the time, it is!
Beyond that, taking care of yourself can benefit your productivity.
This means making time to eat, bathe, and sleep. These are things that can often seem like a luxury when you’re under the wire, but they’re not!
Doing these things will give you the energy you need to be productive. And like taking a break, you’ll often be more productive overall if you make time for this stuff than if make the sacrifice.
Don’t try to catch up–make a new plan instead
If you find that things didn’t go as planned, you’ve fallen behind, and you now have a mountain of work to do, one of the most unproductive things you can do is try to play catch up.
Catch up is a path to burnout, which leads to the opposite of production. Instead, take a time out, go back to the top of this post, reprioritize, and make a new plan.
A huge part of being and staying productive is feeling accomplishment and motivation to push you forward. Trying to catch up and letting work compile usually has the opposite effect.
Don’t beat yourself up when you fall behind. Accept where you are, make a new manageable plan, and get back at it!
For more life and productivity tips, check out the other Life, Health, and Wellness posts.
Sound off: What are your favorite productivity tips? Tell us about it in the comments!