love hearing what people do to be more productive or how they structure their typical work day- especially people who work in career fields I am interested in. I just find that kind of information inspiring.
Throughout the years, I’ve tried different methods with the hope of increasing my productivity. Some were good; some were crap. Below are a couple of productivity tips which I use on a regular basis that help me produce the results I want. Maybe they will do the same for you as well!
Make a weekly schedule of things to accomplish
Every Sunday, I put together a work schedule for the coming week. I break it down into days with each day having a section where I list tasks which I plan on completing that day. The key is to prioritize those tasks which must be done that day, then what tasks will take me closer to my goals, and tasks which would be nice to get done but are not crucial. One thing I find that helps keep me on track on those days when there is a lot to do is set a time limit for each task. I do this so I don’t end up spending all my time working on a couple of tasks, leaving the other tasks to try and complete on another day.
Keep pen and paper handy for notes
There are tons of programs out there which you can use to keep track of notes and ideas. But I have found just pen and paper to work just fine. What works best for me is a simple notebook which I keep open out on my desk here. Every day, I start with a new page with the day’s date at the top just so I can place a date with something I wrote down if need be.
Get the work done THEN relax
Working online as I do, it is tempting to surf different sites as I’m researching a post or something. This is something you have to keep aware of or you will find yourself surfing around till you have no time left to do what you had planned for the day! I’ve been as guilty of this as the next person.
So when I find myself mindlessly fitness, I’ll simply leave that browser tab open to read later. Simple as that. If I don’t get back to it before the end of the day, then I will either bookmark it for later or simply close it. Just like with email or Twitter, you have to use some discipline with web surfing or you’ll end up with a lot of nothing to show for your work day.
Just these three tips have helped me increase my productivity for the last couple of years now. And best of all- they cost nothing to implement! What are your productivity tips? What do you find helps you be more productive? Let me and everyone else know in the Comments below. Thanks!
