When I was young I worked in a place where we often did productivity studies and speed tests. It was interesting to see how different scenarios, tools and environmental conditions affected the productivity of workers and how quickly they were able to get their work done.
I often find myself making my list for the day and then changing up the order of the list in a way that will enable me to get more done. I nearly always plan out my route when I run errands so that I go in more or less of a circle so that I start and stop at home. No crisscrossing town for this gal. I won’t let my errands take all day long if I can help it.
So it should come as no surprise that I’ve written more than a few articles here on Creative Income about productivity. I don’t know about you but there is ALWAYS more on my list than I will probably have time to do in a day. The best way for me to get the most out of my day is to be organized.
Take this one – 6 Ways to Get More Done In Less Time. It is a quick and dirty list of things I try to do every day to make myself more productive. Don’t feel like you need to do all of them to have a productive day. If you start with one new habit and incorporate it into your routine you will be one step closer to owning your to do list.
This article Why It’s Okay to Say No to Potential Clients might not seem like a productivity type of article but it really is. How many times have you said yes to a job only to find yourself dragging your feet and not wanting to get started on it. Or worse yet, quitting before you are finished because the work makes you miserable. Learning to say no when you really aren’t up for the job is a great time saver. Save your energy for work you enjoy and you’ll find yourself excited to get to work in the morning.
I heard someone say the other day that she was the queen of procrastination and I could relate. There are times when I find myself putting off work for one reason or another and allowing myself to be distracted by social networks or news feeds. I have learned over time that if I’m getting easily distracted that it might be a symptom of something else. Either I’m hungry, thirsty or maybe I haven’t gotten to move around enough for the day and I’m filling my time with distractions rather than getting my work done. If I take a few minutes to figure out why I’m so easily distracted and take care of whatever is going on – get a drink, a snack or walk down to the mailbox to stretch my legs – I can often return to work and be less easily distracted. For more ideas on beating procrastination check out this article. 5 Tricks to Beating Procrastination
One thing I have recently done to help make myself more productive is to find a partner who also wanted to be more productive. We text one another once during the day if we can and then email on Mondays and Fridays. On Mondays we share our goals for the week and on Fridays we check in and see how we did. We discuss any problems or setbacks we experienced and brainstorm ways to avoid or lesson those problems down the road. The biggest benefit though is just having someone to report to. I know that she will be checking in with me and I want to report that I’m doing what needs to be done.
How about you? What things have you tried to keep yourself focused and productive? How do you show your to do list who is boss?
By: Vicki O’Dell, The Creative Goddess
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