7 Tips on How to be Productive

Are you a person who is easily distracted but wants to be productive for at least 2 to 3 hours? No matter how much caffeine we take, we don't reach the peak of productivity. Tackling a busy workday, managing projects, or making the most of your time, not everyone knows how to be productive. It seems challenging to face procrastination, boring work, and no brainpower. 

It is said that people's ability to focus is around 4-5 hours a day max. If you have that much time, you should use the most of it.

Many people have misconceptions about productivity. If you want to focus and be productive, you might want to do fewer things first. You have to start with small things before doing big things later.  

When you aren't focused, you waste a lot of time staring at a screen. You spend your whole day working, yet you feel like you got nothing done. I know how it feels because I have been there, and most of us face it every day. You might be wondering how to be productive so that you don't waste time. 

Here are some tips on how to be productive.

How to Be Productive and Transform Your Workflow

1. Cutting Down Tasks

When you have a long to-do list, you will be overwhelmed and complete nothing towards the end of the day. Even if you want to get things done, you shouldn't fit everything in a day. Do you really have 15 tasks you need to get done today? 

Suppose you approach with a smaller to-do list. You might be able to get many things done compared to a longer list. If you want to learn how to be productive, you have to step back. You should cut your to-do list in half. In doing so, you can accomplish more things. 

If you don't cut down your list, you'll end up trying to use all your brainpower, which will cause you to feel burnout. This also makes you lose focus, and you end up wasting time.

2. Take More Mini Breaks

Oftentimes, your brain aches and starts to feel tired after working for so many hours. That is an alarm that is telling you to take a break. 

Since your brain has used up its energy, it is time for you to refresh and rejuvenate. This is the part you need to learn to practice self-care. It's great to work, but you need to balance your health and work. 

You can read a book, listen to music, take a 5-minute nap, go for a walk, or meditate. If you step away from your work for only a few minutes, you'll feel recharged and ready to work when you come back. 

Don't overwork yourself by piling up more tasks. No matter how badly you want to accomplish something, you must check how you feel. I know many people who love to work and get things done, but your health should always come first. 

3. Do Challenging Tasks Before Lunch

If you compare morning and afternoon, your brain is the freshest in the morning. When your brain is this fresh, you want to use that to your advantage. Do all your difficult tasks in the morning, so you don't have to worry about them later. If you have meetings or somewhere to go, you should save those for the afternoon. 

After lunch, a lot of people tend to get more sleepy and tired cause it's that time of day. However, if you schedule and prioritize your tasks, you can be more productive and manage your time accordingly. 

4. Create Your System

There is always a system to everything. Without a system, how can there be balance? By creating a system to manage your habits and schedule, you can accomplish more things in a day. If you continue doing this as a routine, it'll become a great habit for you. 

For some people, writing down a schedule and blocking the time out makes their day less stressful. When you have a plan, you can follow and stick with it. 

Everyone has their own system that works for them. Your system might be different from theirs. If you don't create a plan, you'll get distracted a lot, preventing you from accomplishing essential goals throughout your day. 

5. Avoid Multi-Tasking

Stop trying to do a million things at once! If you do around 10 tasks at once, nothing will be accomplished. Your brain can't perform multiple tasks at once. This will take a severe toll on productivity. 

If you think doing multiple things at once will complete things faster, you are wrong. It'll slow you down even more because you constantly have to switch your focus to something else. I have been in a situation like this before, and I completed nothing in the process. 

If you want to be efficient with your time, you have to focus on one task at a time. 

6. Understand Your Personal Pattern

Tracking your time and seeing how you work can help identify your working habits. This will help you see when you are productive and when you are not. 

If you track your time when you check emails, social media, and so forth, it can affect your workday.

If you try to understand your work patterns, you can re-arrange the time to work. 

7. Make the Phone Less Distracting 

The number one distraction that people have is their phones. With all the entertaining social media apps you have on your phone, they can be very tempting.

You need to turn off your notifications or download an app to lock your phone for a set period of time. If you do this, you can focus and complete the task you need to get done. 

Staying on Track

Learning how to be productive does not have to be difficult. You need to learn to understand yourself and what works best for you. People have their way of creating their habits and systems. You just have to find what works best for you!