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There are 24 hours in a day, yet somehow, with all that time, wasting valuable hours is easier than ever. It’s a breeze to dream of all the things you wish to accomplish or to paint a picture in your head of the person you wish to be. Though, the reality is that finding the concentration and the energy to action tasks can be a struggle. Unless you possess the same magic that Beyonce seemingly exudes.
For the rest of us normal folk, achieving high levels of productivity is a difficult thing to master. With hectic schedules, expectations to meet, and daily stresses, succumbing to burn-out, the many distractions glaring us in the face and the comfort of idle behaviour all often win the battle.
They say you can’t change anything, habits, skills, career goals, without facing the music and understanding where your motivation and the majority of your time resides. The truth is, that we all need rejuvenation and downtime, but when laziness and mindless tasks take up a large chunk of your time, you need to reassess the sequence you’ve perhaps unknowingly slumped into.
While it’s significant to find new avenues to uplift and track productivity, you also need to know how to maintain it. Because, before you know it, that cozy and sluggish set-up you’re drawn to will glitter brighter than ever and drag you backwards.
Below are a few productivity hacks to get you started and some purposeful guidance to uphold it in all areas of your life.
Productivity Tracking Ideas
Examine all areas of your life, work, friendships, hobbies, family or fitness, and decide which areas require the most improvement. Do you want to build stronger relationships? Advance in your career? Learn a new skill? Or simply just build a better schedule and balance?
Whatever it may be, tracking the precise time you spend throughout the day can be a huge indicator of where it’s being wasted and what you’re purposefully or instinctively focusing on.
Here are a few hacks to track your productivity:
TimeIvy
TimeIvy is a time-tracking software that collates your online activity and showcases not only the total amount of time you spend on your phone, tablet and computer but also which specific apps and websites you spend the most time on. You can also use it to block specific time to focus on important tasks or to get work done. The main goal here is wellness, so if your balancing acts are out of whack, this could be the right tool for you.
Set timers
When you’re in the midst of downtime or browsing the web, make a habit of setting timers. For example, give yourself an hour of free reign, and once the timer goes, it’s an indicator to do something else – work, chores, exercise, whatever you know will help you excel as an individual and keep organized.
Set reminders
Add reminders for deadlines, meetings and key tasks on your phone, calendar or on conveniently placed sticky notes. Each time you accomplish one, make a note of it. By the end of the week, you can look back and see how many of these items you’ve progressed with or completed.
Keep your calendar tidy and accurate
Unless you’re some mystic creature, it’s beyond complicated to keep on track of meetings and workload without a tidy and up-to-date calendar. Once it’s neat and accurate, you can look back and see where your time is going and change it for the weeks ahead. For example, if unnecessary meetings block out three-quarters of your day, you need to rejig things a little so that you can finish actual work.
Keep a journal handy
Journalling is a great way to release energy, nurture mental health and visualize your goals. When used regularly, it can also be a fantastic way to monitor your daily activities. If you use it to mark your successes or as a planner, it creates a clear picture of your productivity and the steps you need to make to improve it.
Maintaining Productive Behaviour
As mentioned above, maintaining productivity is a little harder than tracking it. Though tracking it regularly can also help you to maintain it.
It’s a personal thing finding what lights a fire inside of you and gets you moving. Each of us is unique and functions in varied ways; however, the below tips might be just the trick you’ve been waiting for.
Organize your life
Ensure your office, home and digital space are organized and that things are convenient to find. The cleaner you are and the simpler it is to access files or items, the quicker you’ll be at getting to the task at hand. Use shelves and file-naming systems and avoid messes taking over.
Have a semi-strict routine
Routines enable a decluttered mindset. When we know what we expect from ourselves day in and day out, it’s less complicated to find the time to complete things. Allow for wiggle room, but try and keep consistency within your routine, and you’re sure to see your motivation ticking along regularly.
Be accountable
The only person that’s bettering your life is you, so be accountable for your mishaps and path diversions and make a conscious effort to evolve. Don’t be too hard on yourself though, as this will only worsen things.
Add some variety
We all need a little variety in our lives. The days are boring and dreary without it. So, fill your calendar with hobbies, social activities, work that inspires you and relax time, and don’t allow too much time in one particular area. Your energy and mood will match your schedule, so keeping it interesting and diverse can really help.
Finding the time to manage your productivity and setting boundaries around maintaining it are perhaps the most important elements of personal victory. They take a while to perfect, but they’re worthy and significant steps.
Though you may not be built like a superstar, you do possess aspects of that vigour within you, so let it shine and get acquainted with the most productive version of yourself.
