If you are less than satisfied with your daily accomplishments, follow these tips to make the most of your time.
1. Wake up early. Whether you are a “morning person” or not, you will find getting up earlier is a great way to start the day. If an hour is too much for you, take baby steps. Maybe getting up just ten or fifteen minutes earlier is a good start, and every two weeks you get up fifteen more minutes earlier. Pretty soon you will be there.
2. Prioritize your tasks. Be clear about what you want to achieve each day. If you are too “fuzzy” to think about that clearly in the morning, jot down the night before what you want to accomplish. Tackle the most important task first and stay with it until finished. If you get sidetracked, don’t become flustered, but just resume your task when you can.
3. Create a bright, organized workplace free of clutter. Having all your tools handy where you can find them, along with an ergonomically comfortable chair goes a long way to not only maintain productivity, but also to reduce stress.
4. Set boundaries and learn to say “No.” Let others in your workplace, household, or circle of friends know when you are working and don’t want to be bothered.
5. Turn off the distractions. This can mean phone calls, text messages, the Internet, radio, and television.
6. Monitor your progress. . And take time each week to chart and track your accomplishments so as to see how you are doing against your plan.
7. Celebrate your accomplishments. In whatever way you want, have little celebrations for your accomplishments and it’s okay to include a memento or two around your space to remind yourself of them.
8. Get away from your usual workstation. Nowadays with laptops and other mobile devices, visit the library, coffee shop, or anywhere else you can enjoy a change of scenery in a productive environment.
9. Exercise and schedule fun both by yourself and with others. Productivity is about the quality of output, not the number of hours worked. Changes of scenery and exposure such as reading, listening to music, exercise, games and sports , and other people all provide unexpected portals to new ideas and thoughts to add richness and productivity to your life. And exercise is so very vital to maintaining your energy and productivity.
10. Eat and sleep well. Energy is the key to productivity and if your body is running short on it, you can’t expect to be productive for any extended period of time.
