Post 6: Productive or Not Productive...That is the Question!

Productivity!  At the end of the day can you honestly say, "I have been so productive today!"  Most would answer "no" due to so many excuses:  too tired, too busy, too little time, too distracted, too overwhelmed, etc.  Often I look back upon the day and I'm discouraged at my own lack of productivity! 

Well, I don't know about you, but when I'm lying in bed at night I get energized thinking about tomorrow's day!   I think to myself that I am going to get up early, exercise, get dinner started, get the grocery shopping done in the morning before it gets too busy, fix a healthy lunch, clean up the house, make a few phone calls, and still have time to read in my big comfy chair.  Then I wake up...it's a bit disheartening. 

Here are tips that I found that I think may help get us heading in the right direction:

1.  Daily goals. Without a clear focus, it’s too easy to succumb to distractions. Set targets for each day in advance. Decide what you’ll do; then do it.
2.  Worst first. To defeat procrastination learn to tackle your most unpleasant task first thing in the morning instead of delaying it until later in the day. This small victory will set the tone for a very productive day.
3.  Timeboxing. Give yourself a fixed time period, like 30 minutes, to make a dent in a task. Don’t worry about how far you get. Just put in the time. 
4.  Batching. Batch similar tasks like phone calls or errands into a single chunk, and knock them off in a single session.
5.  Early bird. Get up early in the morning, like at 5am, and go straight to work on your most important task. You can often get more done before 8am than most people do in a day.
6.  Relaxify. Reduce stress by cultivating a relaxing, clutter-free workspace.
7.  Promise. Tell others of your commitments, since they’ll help hold you accountable.

Today actually was a very productive day for me and it felt great! Get up early tomorrow and get your day started! No going back to bed or napping! Set your goals, accomplish them, and bask in the glory of your productive day!