Everyone has friends who have time for everything. They go to the gym, work, and even place bets on the online sportsbook daily. Want to be so productive? Follow these easy tips.
Say No to Multitasking
Avoid multitasking at the same time. The harm of multitasking is proven: when performing several tasks at once a person loses concentration, organization and attention to detail. Simplify your life with a “to do list” of tasks which will be lined up one by one.
Rest
Stop working too much. It suppresses productivity. It sounds paradoxical, but the urge to work more suffers from work efficiency. Find a balance between work and rest, your battery needs to recharge!
Use the 25-Minute Method
Its essence is that, to begin with, a person determines the task that needs to be done, and sets a timer for 25 minutes. During this time, one should work as much as possible, not be distracted or do anything in passing. When the time expires, one must rest, even if the task is not completely solved.
It is important to understand that 25 minutes is time that should be spent only on continuous work. Otherwise, everything is reset and begins all over again. The “change” between these cycles is five minutes. After four 25-minute “crossovers,” longer breaks of 20-30 minutes each are taken.
Prioritize
Before you tackle another task, ask yourself four questions:
- Why am I doing this?
- What is it supposed to lead me to?
- Am I doing it right?
- Is it helpful?
Discard a task if it doesn’t help you reach your goal. Don’t confuse development to broaden your horizons and development to advance specifically in your profession.
People ask themselves: “Why am I not the boss? I’m so much smarter than my boss.” It is necessary to understand that erudition is not always an indicator of intelligence. For example, reading fiction will be useless if a person works as a driver. Self-development should be applied, if you set yourself a real goal. Take away activities that will not help you achieve your goal.
Develop a System
Making a daily routine is much more effective than regular self-discipline. To do this, use the “80/20” method. 80% is results and the other 20% is effort spent.
What tasks do you spend 80% of your time on? On parsing email, social media? Remember that it only brings 20% value, and focus on the things you need to do.
And what part of your work brings you 80% success, demand, and respect? Determine which activities increase your productivity and which decrease it. Then design your daily routine with this knowledge in mind.
Stop Time Vampires
A time vampire is something that sucks your time without giving anything in return. Give it up. So, if someone calls you while you’re working, just say, “I’d love to talk, but I’m busy right now working on a project that’s very important to me. And I’d like to finish it first.”
If you let the person know that it’s important to you, they won’t distract you anymore. And you’ll get down to business, leaving all the unnecessary stuff behind. If you talk on the phone for 5 minutes, it will only cost you 5 minutes of work time, but it will also take you out of the work atmosphere, distract you and disperse your attention.
Say No to Things That Empty Your Head
These things can include anything that makes your brain useless. It severely screws up your ability to reach your goals. So, if you drink alcoholic beverages in the evening and suffer from a hangover in the morning, will your work day be effective? What do you think about watching soap operas until 2 a.m.? It’s not worth it!
Wake Up Your Brain by Toning Down Your Body
If you’re already short on time, you’re not going for a run before work. But you can set a timer for 3 minutes and do a series of jumps, squats, and push-ups at a fast pace. You’ll get the benefit of exercise – endorphins and adrenaline. It will energize you and make you think faster.
Do Mindfulness Exercises
If you know how to meditate, taking 10 minutes a day to do it is enough. But, if meditation doesn’t work for you, use the Pen Play method.
Take a piece of paper and write any word on it (preferably a long word). First, write the word with the hand you usually write with. Write it from left to right and then from right to left. As you write the word, pay attention to the direction of the pen and the way you move it. Then do the same thing with your left hand. Think of 5 more words and repeat everything from the beginning. This exercise develops the part of the brain responsible for willpower and attention.
