What does productivity mean to you? For some the word is dull and boring, it conjures up images of routines and schedules and no spontaneity. For me it’s my saviour, my life revolves around my productivity.
Why? Because I believe in its power, in its simmering potentiality. I believe the missing link between our greatness and our current state is in the action we fail to take as a result of our lack of organization, our procrastination and our indecision.
Give a person a way to work effectively, a way to organize their lives, their work and their stuff and you will see great things happen.
Productivity as you have heard before is not about getting things done, it’s about getting the things that matter done, it’s about simplifying your life by eliminating the work that doesn’t matter, the things that clutter our minds and our physical space and the distractions that take us away from what’s important.
Productivity is about freeing time and space for Creativity.
No one can create magnificent work when they are feeling overwhelmed or chaotic. Productivity lays the foundation for greatness; it’s the catalyst for fulfilling ones potential and purpose.
What does this mean to you and me? How can it make a difference in your life? It can make a difference on many levels, I know because Productivity has given me back my life.
At Home
Organising my life has impacted the people around me. When I am stressed by all the work that I need to do and can’t find the time to get done, this stress doesn’t just affect me, it affects everyone I love and my relationships in general. But when I can get my work done in less time with less stress I free up time to have more fun with the people that matter to me. Being more organised and productive with my time has resulted in greater happiness and harmony at home.
At Work
Being able to properly manage my workflow means I experience less stress. It also means I can get more done, I know what’s important what I should be focusing my attention on and what I need to disregard or eliminate from my work day. By scheduling my workday I become more efficient and effective everyday.
Here are 10 suggestions what you can do today to increase your productivity
- 1. Set goals
- 2. Eliminate time wasting activities
- 3. Drink more water
- 4. Get daily exercise
- 5. Schedule work daily
- 6. Declutter your work space
- 7. Prioritise your tasks
- 8. Take regular stretch breaks
- 9. Learn to say no
- 10. Work to your personal energy
Try and implement one of these suggestions today, do it for 3 or 4 weeks to create a habit before creating your second positive habit. Little by little you will see your energy levels and your productive increase without too much effort.
Photo Credit: Productivity by Sean MacEntee
Great tips, Ciara. I probably need to work on the declutter your workspace weekly! I have an electronic sticky note on my desktop saying ‘Is this the best use of your time’ which is a great reminder as well.
Hi Claire, that’s a great idea to have the sticky note as your conscience! Try the declutter, for me that has been powerful for my focus. Just recently I moved my in tray from my desk to a shelf beside my desk and that has really helped too. When you can see clutter even if it is organized clutter it somehow has an effect on your inner calm. Thanks for stopping by.
Nice one Ciara!
You sure asked a lot of questions at the start but then gave us a lot of answers at the end. I try to gravitate to the simplicity/minimalist end of the spectrum so this resonated with me a bit.
Out of your 10 suggestions the regular stretch breaks is the biggest one I need to work on. But good news…I’m working on it.
Heh Joel, I’m also guilty of sitting to long, when you get engrossed in something and feel in the flow it can be hard to tear yourself away. I have heard that the brain starts to crave oxygen after 90 minutes of sitting so we should definitely move around a bit more. Have a great day
“Work to your personal energy” This is sometimes that hardest for me. With a list of responsibilities and obligations that need to be done. I don’t always have the opportunity to work when I am best focused.
But by following through on the other items on the list, I am able to move into an ideal situation faster and for longer.
Great Tips!!
Great post. I need to really focus on the decluttering my art studio. I like to work in a mess but often find that I am searching for something. In the end it doesn’t work well. I also like the tip to work to your personal energy. I have become so accustom to working a schedule by the clock. I do know that I am at my very best and productive in the morning.
Hi Lori, I agree working to your personal energy is probably the most difficult to do, but if you can identify your most important task, ie writing if you are a writer or selling if you are a sales person it really can produce twice the amount of work if you do this task when you have abundant energy. All we can do is keep trying !
Hi Jane, one always expects the creative den to be disorganized chaos, an image of the stereotypical artist, but as you have mentioned it doesn’t always serve you well. Remember if you have a place for everything it makes decluttering so much easier. Good Luck
Hey Ciara, great ideas! The one that tends to work for me best is #7 – reward achievements. Because I’m easily distracted, I dangle an enjoyable activity or break in front of me as a reward for completing a task. Otherwise, I’ll use up a lot of time staring into space, thinking, thinking, thinking . . .
Not that there’s anything wrong with that . . . 😉
Ciara,
Great post and I absolutely love tip number 5! I always end my day by scheduling 3 major tasks I need to get done tomorrow. No matter what happens during the day, or what work gets thrown my way, my priority is to always get my 3 tasks done.
I’ve gotten so far ahead in my work and as a result, my stress has plummeted to almost nothing.
The 1% idea is a great one. I started picking up the habit of catching myself when I do things that are unproductive, like suddenly cruising FB or pinterest and bringing myself back to either what I was in the midst of doing, or I have my list of thing weekly things to accomplish. I pick one and start at it.
I realize my trigger is when I feel like I’m stuck or losing my creative edge… I stray with my attention. The 1% more productive thing is another way for me to keep myself productive and on track. In the long run, that makes me the happiest. Thank you.
Hi Jt, thanks for that, it really is so easy to get distracted by social media, hours can go by browsing. Make sure you recognize the 1% improvement and add them all up to see a big difference at the end of the month. Aloha 🙂
That’s fantastic Vito, well done, it’s such a great feeling of achievement to get what you had planned done, keep up the good work
Hi Bobbi, yes I love the reward idea, I’ve only started to use it recently, I’m sure a hard task master always driving myself to do more but I’ve realized that its so important to recognize my achievements and bask in their glory every now and again, I usually do it over a spicy chai in my local coffee shop!
Productivity is about freeing time and space for Creativity – LOVED this statement!!!
Sorry, could not post a reply on AListers 🙁
Thanks Ani, it definitely is a nicer way of looking at it don’t you think!
Have a great day
Great tips and reminders – thanks for these Ciara. I definitely struggle with remaining productive staying focused when my desk and surrounding areas are piled with clutter and unfinished projects. Still working on systems to keep this in check! It makes a huge difference if I take just a few minutes to organize this clutter (even if it’s just a semblance of organization) before beginning my work day.
I also find that clearing the psychic space can help with my productivity and focus. Sometimes I light a candle and set an intention and that can do wonders!
Interesting Sarah I was told to light a candle only yesterday to help me with my writing, it must be a sign to start buying more candles! thanks for that