The Power of Productivity: Achieving More, Stressing Less
This blog post was written by Cameron Norfleet Pivach
In today’s world, time is money and becoming more efficient and productive can lead you to accomplish your goals even faster than expected. With the end of the year approaching, this is a perfect time to self-evaluate and find ways to increase your productivity. This blog will cover ways to investigate how you currently operate, set goals, and maintain a happy and healthy mindset around your work!
Why is your productivity and happiness so important?
Being productive is a way to live a more relaxed and happier life. If you can reduce the time it takes to complete tasks, you can have more time to take care of yourself or do even more things that you enjoy (time with friends/family, hobbies, travel, etc.). Having a higher productive output can help you do more things in less time and can also motivate you to get even more done. Your improved productivity can also yield better work because you’re able to stay focused and prioritize on items that achieve more for you.
Higher productivity is the unlock in improving not only the quantity of work you finish, but the quality of work you do! Your stress will lessen because you’ll feel like you have more control over the tasks you’re responsible for. This will also assist in not letting deadlines overwhelm you. The more you are able to beat deadlines and accomplish the goals you have set for yourself, the happier you’ll be. Research shows that the more goals you complete, the more dopamine is released, leaving you less stressed and happier!
So, let’s dive into ways to become a more productive and even better version of yourself!
5 Ways to Become More Productive:
Start With the Big Picture, Then Go Granular
Set goals for your month, week, day. You need to create SMART goals for yourself. They need to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. You can have multiple goals, but the most important thing is that they are tangible and measurable. This allows you to really plan and be task-oriented to reaching your goals. A great thing to implement in goal setting is creating milestones that you can celebrate along the way. It is important to give yourself grace, but also the recognition that you deserve. This will keep you motivated to keep going and make the process more enjoyable!
Start looking at everything and then reverse engineer how you can get it all done! Make a plan and ways to track your progress. Come up with a detailed plan for your day, week, month to accurately monitor and be aware of the progress you are or are not making.
How to Create Your To-Do Lists
Must-dos are always first. If you know that you are the most productive in the mornings, then this is a great time to plan for working on your most important tasks. You should make whatever part of the day you feel the most productive or motivated, a non-negotiable time for those top priorities. We cannot sustain high productivity for 9 hours straight, 5 days a week, so plan out your top tasks during your most optimal working hours.
Give yourself time frames throughout the working day. Time can easily slip away and we’re not always aware of how much time goes by while we’re focusing on so many different things. It is recommended to estimate the time it will take on each task to plan for your day or week. This will put in perspective how long different tasks may or may not take you and to be better at time management. The more you monitor this, the better understanding you can get on how fast you operate and planning for future goals.
Take Breaks Often
Plan out timed breaks for yourself. Like we mentioned earlier, you are human and you only have so much energy to expend. Research shows that taking breaks actually leads to higher performance. “Microbreaks” can positively impact your work and are highly encouraged. This could be short, 5-minute breaks every 30 minutes to an 1 hour that will help you sustain more concentration throughout a two-hour work period.
Choose breaks that will rest & serve you (walks, yoga, playing with your pups, etc.). It’s important to be selective and intentional with how you spend your breaks. If you’re already dealing with sensory overload, the last place you should go for a “break” is scrolling on social media. Even though it may feel like social media is a place to escape, it can bring up different emotions that are counterproductive, cause fatigue for your eyes, demand more attention, and be a trap to losing precious time. The goal of a break is to reduce stress, improve focus, and increase creativity. Getting outside is one of the best ways to take a break and give yourself a breather!
Add Activities That Make Work More Enjoyable
Listening to music or podcasts can be a great way to enhance your work environment. Depending on your work style, this can be a way to boost your mood, motivation, and creativity. One thing to remember is that it can act as a distraction if you’re not careful. Overall, light music or even classical music can increase your productivity and focus.
Drink a favorite drink or have a yummy snack! One of your breaks can include getting a snack you’re looking forward to or these treats can also be used to link to goals you have set during the day. Maybe you have one or two things you need to complete before getting to enjoy the drink/snack you bought for yourself.
Change your environment (if you can). Make sure your work environment is optimal and motivating. It should be a space that makes you comfortable and elicits positive energy. If you need, bring in elements that bring you joy and make you happy! This could be a more comfortable chair, pictures of family or friends, a plant, etc. Anything that makes you feel more “at home” and can inspire you and your work is worth looking into!
Self-Evaluate
Weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly evaluations are necessary to improve your productivity. We already established that you have to track and monitor your progress in order to know if you’re hitting your goals or not. This will tell you where you can improve and strategize on how to do better the next time. You will have to be self-aware and make changes to your current operations to see if you can get better results.
How much time did I spend on certain tasks? This is where time management comes into play. You need to look to see how long you’re taking on certain tasks, what tasks are taking up most of your time, and what changes need to be made. If you start noticing that a lot of tasks are monopolizing your day and not serving you, then now you’re in a better position to brainstorm ways to change this. What ideas do you have to cut these tasks out or control them? We want to make sure we’re spending time and energy on the most productive tasks that bring you more growth and success!
In conclusion, higher productivity can be a way to enhance your work output and lead to a more confident, positive version of yourself. Burnout is a topic we hear a lot and we want to make sure you stay away from burnout and lead a happier, more productive life. Through more meaningful and quality work, you can get closer to your desired goals faster. Productivity will lead to more personal growth, less stress, and a happier life…which is what we all should be striving for.
Sources:
https://irisreading.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-being-productive/
https://eller.arizona.edu/news/2022/03/7-effective-goal-setting-tips-improve-productivity
https://www.integrify.com/blog/posts/4-reasons-taking-breaks-is-beneficial-to-your-productivity/
https://blog.noisli.com/benefits-of-personal-productivity-and-why-it-is-important/
This blog post was written by guest writer Maria Marchewka, Senior Manager of Brand Marketing at Newswire, Copywriter, and Mom of two.
