10 daily habits for productivity

We’ve all gone through times when we know that we’ve worked hard, felt exhausted, and yet missed our set targets! This may apply to both, your personal/professional circumstances.

While I’m not a ‘Productivity Guru’, I’ve spent consequent amount of time reading about the subject and practicing, so that I improve myself. In this blog post, I’ll share with you 10 tips, that have contributed towards my betterment…

Among various definitions of the word ‘productive’ by The Oxford Dictionaries, I find ‘Achieving a significant amount or result’, to be the most appropriate for the context of my blog.

How to be productive, achieve your goals/objectives, and keep a cool head all at the same time? These are my top 10 daily habits:

1. To-do list

Always plan your professional and personal commitments. Have a to-do list, each for your daily, weekly, monthly and longer-term/strategic needs. Always plan in advance and cater for contingencies, when possible.

2. Prioritize tasks

While you plan in view of achieving many things in a timely manner, not everything is important and urgent. Prioritizing your tasks will help you to make sure that the most important/urgent ones get done, preferably first thing in the morning, especially if it requires the most energy to accomplish.

3. Eliminate tasks

While you make sure that the priority goals are tackled first, the others are also achieved during the day, you may need to scan your to-do list (especially if lengthy), to determine if all things listed are still relevant.

Eliminate the unnecessary/redundant ones, and postpone the less important/non urgent ones (a very lengthy list) for another day/week/month/year. Just like spring cleaning!

4. Take breaks

Remember to take breaks regularly, as you need to be careful of burning out with work, and also get back to your desk, feeling refreshed and energized!

5. Avoid distractions

Avoid looking at your phone screen unnecessarily, checking your email, social media and instant messaging too often and when not important. Set times for checking ordinary emails, and make use of the priority folder for filtering of important ones.

Adjust your device notifications, switch off your mobile phone during meetings. You may even find that having ‘no screen time’ during dinner with your family, is a true blessing!

6. Work smart

Do work hard, but work smart as well! Do not duplicate work done, and use time-saving methods and best practices in your relevant field.

7. Delegate

Delegating work helps you to concentrate and focus on tasks and responsibilities that only you’re required to see to, and will empower your well-performing subordinates at the same time!

8. Set goals

SMART goals are often used. They’re specific (well-defined), measurable (i.e. use metrics), achievable (e.g. based on your available resources/expertise), realistic (e.g. not a fairy tale story!) and time-bound (for the short/middle/long-term) goals.

You may instead prefer other types of goal-setting techniques. However, goals need to be reviewed, to remain relevant/be updated.

9. Ongoing learning

When you’re always learning, you remain updated with current industry knowledge. Practicing learned skills, you’re more likely to be productive.

10. Wellness

Last but not least, taking care of your health and well-being, will have positive effects on your daily productivity. Having a proper breakfast, enough sleep, maintaining a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, exercising, meditating, spending time with loved ones, listening to music, enjoying your hobbies… All contribute to your holistic wellness which in turn, will aid improve productivity.

What are your views about improving productivity? Would you like to share your tips? Please do so. Thank you!

Photo courtesy: Canva

Resources:

Definition of productive

Definition of productivity

Productivity