Earlier this week we discussed why we want to get productive. Although there are a couple of reasons to be against productivity, I understand if you still want to be productive (so am I). Here are 12 tips on being productive.
- Shut down. Shut down everything around you, your tv, your cellphone and the radio. And shut down everything on your computer, twitter, email and instant messengers. You only need to look at what you need to do.
- Play a little bit of music. Your choice what you are listening to. I like to listen to slow music when I’m writing. Nothing hard, no party music, just some cool background music.
- Focus. And focus hard. Concentrate on that task only. Does something non-related pop up in your head? Write it down and continue with what you were doing.
- Know what your task is. Before you start, you should have already planned out what you are going to do. You’ve had your mindmap, you’ve had your brainstorm. Now is the time for the task.
- Have breaks. And if breaks work for you, have lots of breaks. Every thirty minutes you may watch a little youtube video. Have a break and continue with your task
- Set a time. Work expands if you give it more time (more on that later), so when you give a lot of time to a small task, the task will take a lot of time. You are going to do useless things to make the outcome of the task better, when you don’t need to. For example, if you are making a powerpoint presentation and you take a lot of time for that, you will keep looking for better pictures, play with all the possibilities, while you only need a presentation.
- Have a glass of water next to you. Don’t break your productivity hours with getting something to drink. Having a nip of the water every once in a while works like a miracle for your concentration also
- Reward yourself. Had a productive two hours? Give yourself 30 minutes to relax. Play a video game, rewarding works. But only if you had productive hours, if you haven’t concentrated for two hours and wasted time don’t reward yourself.
- Eliminate. Don’t do things you don’t need to do. When you look at your to-do list, how many tasks are actually not that useful? How many can you eliminate?
- Delegate. Somebody else in your workgroup is probably better at the giving task. Delegate it to that guy. ‘Hey, could you make the powerpoint, you are way better in it, I will take over a task from you!’ Do what you are good at.
- Powernap. Have a powernap when you feel tired and not like concentrating anymore. It recharges you!
- Have separated workspaces. Work on a task for school at the library, work on a task for your club at your desk and read on the couch. Everything at its place
With these 12 tips, you should get more productive. There are (of course) a lot more tips, but these tips are hitting the core well enough. I will post more tips in the future and work a couple of them out, write a little bit more about them. What is your way to get more productive?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
When I get stressed out I tend to get a headache which exponentially reduces my productivity. A great example of this is if I have to study for an exam and I get worried, I get the headache, I can’t concentrate etc. What I do when this happens is number 2 on your list- play a bit of music. Except I put my headphones in, turn the volume up, lock my door and dance. Somehow this relaxes my brain enough to rid me of my headache and let me get back to work (and the exercise helps too). Awesome ideas.
Hi Lizzie,
That sounds pretty awkward, but also pretty cool!
You actually do get the headache from studying then, I assume, because it’s going away when you relax again. Cool thoughts.
Thanks for your comment
Great list. Personally I think it all comes down to being refreshed, creating a todo-list and removing all your distractions.
Twitter: lionslinger
January 14, 2010 at 2:09 am
I feel unproductive most of the time and I don’t know what to do. Thanks you for sharing me this beneficial tips.
@ Stefan
Thanks buddy. Being refreshed is also a good one, when I had a party the night before, getting productive is pretty hard
@Walter
That is why you always need to know what the next action is. And if you don’t have that many projects, you should consider taking on another project, and don’t put any obligation on it. Learn another language ‘just when you have the time’.
I couldn’t agree more with power napping. I once had a desk job where the office manager actively encouraged people to take a nap if they felt they needed it, because it really makes a difference to your productivity. Where’s the sense in struggling to keep your eyes open to do “work” for two hours when you could nap for twenty minutes, do an hour and a half’s good quality, focused work and still have ten minutes for coffee?
I’d add don’t panic and persevere. Having a lot to do can be scary, but if you start early and keep going in small steps, you will get there
Just a note on the headaches – I used to get terrible headaches studying until I had an eye test. My optician prescribed me new glasses, since then no more headaches!
Hey Stefan:
This is a valuable post. Your suggestions are solid. I want to thank you for posting.
I think it is also a good idea to stretch in order to increase your productivity. Can you touch the ground? If not, take a yoga class and learn how. Stretching can help to improve your blood circulation and clear your mind. You feel so much better after a good stretch. It can increase your flexibility: good for bones, muscles.
In addition, make sure the chair you are sitting on is warm and comfortable. Otherwise, it can lead to bad body posture and hurt your back. In my case, it has led to stiff joints and other aches and pains. But now I have found a solution, however belatedly. I did not realise how a small thing like this could make such a huge difference. And make sure you sit in a proper way. There is a right way to sit down and a wrong way.
Breathe deeply: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Do this only for five minutes and you will reap the benefits. It will increase the supply of oxygen to your brain and your blood circulation will improve. And you will feel more bright and alert and ready to get back to work. It works for me too.