We all love having a productive day. No one would choose not to move a couple steps closer to their goal — yet, we find ourselves taking more steps back than forward.
Don’t worry, this is not another post about waking up at 5am and having a ‘Millionaire Morning Routine’. The reality is, everyone has separate lives, and finding you own path and own productive system is apart of the journey. Here are 7 ways to hopefully aid you to finding your own exciting productive lifestyle.
In his book Getting Things Done, David Allen talked about the ‘two-minute rule.’ The gist is — if you have a pending task that can be completed in two minutes, you should do it ASAP or it’ll take longer to review and finish later.
I recommend doing your daily chores like answering emails, making your bed and doing the dishes in the morning. This will allow you to start the day off with a boost and motivate you to keep gong throughout the day.
“It’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” — Mark Twain
Our brain isn’t wired to multitask. According to research, multitasking reduces productivity by 40%. Focus on giving your 100% to one task at a time. You can use apps like ‘RescueTime’ to prevent burning yourself out.
“Its not about finding more time, it’s about reallocating wasted time” — James Clear
After finishing that project or task you’ve been working on, give yourself a break! Do something for yourself, go out to eat, listen to your favourite music or call a friend.
These little rewards are motivation in itself.
We’ve all heard of the infamous ‘to-do list’ which I’m sure we all try to maintain (if not, start this NOW), but we rarely make a NOT to-do list. By having things which you should avoid laid out in front of you, we are less likely to get sucked back into our old habits as the guilt would set in a lot more.
In addition to to your will power, try making a list of procrastination habits which stare you down throughout the day.
“We must all suffer one of 2 things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment” — John Rohn
One of the best habits I’ve picked up is listening to podcasts and audio books on 2x speed while communing. This way you’re able to pick up such valuable information as a source of leisure. The same spotify playlist on repeat can get rough, make the whole commute a lot less boring with variation.
Hear me out. It’s proven that when we fall victim to procrastination it’s usually the kinetic movement of grabbing onto something else to avoid our work which takes us to our phone rather than the contents inside.
We always just end up meaninglessly scrolling through Instagram anyway, it’s never to complete an important task. Therefore, replace that kinetic urge by grabbing a cup of coffee or tea and take a step back from your work for a second.
This way you haven’t wasted 2 hours watching tribes build houses from mud and water, but rather replenished that kinetic urge with a short break.
Implementation of an evening routine can psychologically trick your brain into falling asleep earlier. By having a set structure to your evening to wind-down, your brain will tire more easily and allow you to wake up earlier the net day, enabling you to continue the cycle of productivity.
Evening routine ideas could include: drinking herbal tea, watching a movie, reading, planning your next day, meditation.
“Good habits stockpile pleasure, bad habits post-pone pain” — James Clear
Have a great week!
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