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5 Quick Productivity Tips That Will Make You A Time-Saving Superstar!
- Sleep and Wake Up Early
Ever heard that ‘early to bed, early to rise…makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ nursery rhyme? Well as much as it is a nursery rhyme, it also remains a proven fact! Coined from a quote from one of America’s founding fathers- Benjamin Franklin- understanding the power of tapping into the morning hours (including times of quiet meditation, exercise), will set you apart and put you in the league of the wealthy . I have a friend who kept reminding me that a new day starts at 00.01 hours- and not 08:00am as many would think. Think of how much you can accomplish as an early riser putting you in the right frame of mind for the next productivity tip
- Divide up your task
Too many people let their list get massive and unruly, which leads to overwhelm. When this happens it’s easy to find yourself at a total standstill, frozen by the sheer magnitude of everything you need to do.
The solution is to set your task in manageable chunks. Set a weekly tasks list, and revisit your priorities daily. Pick three things that you want to ( a must) achieve each day and focus on them. Don’t just choose the easiest tasks – low hanging fruit is great for some quick wins, but focusing on tasks that fulfill big goals will drive your business further in the long run. So choose the tasks that offer you the highest yield per hour of effort.
Do not confuse the urgent with the important – keep the 80/20 rule in mind. You’ll gain 80% of your success from 20% of your daily tasks. Anything not done today can be re-prioritized for tomorrow – and many unimportant tasks will simply take care of themselves and drop off your radar.
- Remove Distractions
One of the greatest distractions is the social media. In as much as this serves as a marketing and networking tool- if not handled properly constitutes a great distraction. Most people have been found to check their emails first thing each day. This is something one needs to stop doing, if you want to stay productive. Why? Because it means that you’re starting your day in a reactive state, and putting the power over your day in the hands of others!
Instead, start your day with the tasks you have planned to do. You can use apps such as www.hootsuite.com in scheduling and monitoring your social networks and setting an automatic reply on your email to help you respond at appropriate times without being distracted.
- Take Regular Breaks
It may seem counterproductive for a busy person to take a break. But you know what? Your brain is not a machine that can run non-stop for hours. It’s like a muscle – it fatigues and needs rest after sustained use. And when the brain fatigues, one become slow and easily distracted. Tasks become harder and take longer to accomplish, even simple ones.
Taking a break helps us to regain our focus. It reboots the brain, and motivates us to re-engage with what we’re doing. This builds efficiency, enhances productivity and prevents burnout.
So give yourself regular ‘recharge’ breaks – preferably ones that involve movement.
Going for a brief walk outside gets your blood pumping and refreshes your brain, boosting creative thought. But anything to break your state will do. Eat a nourishing snack, read non work related book, look at nature just daydream and have some good laugh will do you great!
- Plan for the Next Day
Like any other project, monitoring and evaluating your output will not only help you take stock of your accomplished task but also re-schedule and plan on what needs to re-prioritized, re-visited or put on hold. This keeps you organised for the next day, as you know exactly how you start the following day without being cluttered.
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