How to be more productive
I’d like to help you change the way you work. This isn’t as difficult as you might think, as simple ideas can make a big difference when it comes to productivity. I consider it essential, because we all need to do things by a certain time and it can be very stressful when things go wrong.
These ideas will help you work smarter, rather than harder. They can also help you feel better.
This is just the beginning though, as we’ll explore a lot more in future. Whatever you’re doing, do these three easy things to be more productive:
Get organised
I don’t just view productivity as something that helps me get things done, as I also use it to help me feel better and keep things under control. You’ll naturally feel assured when you know everything is in place and you only need to focus on what’s important right now. You can also take a lot of the stress out of your work if you approach it the right way. Here are three easy things you can do right now to help you get organised.
Create four folders
This is by far the most effective piece of productivity advice I can share with you, and it’s one of the simplest things you can do. You just have to set up four folders in the app you use for your to-do list:
Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly
Your overwhelming list of tasks can instantly be made a lot more manageable and the best thing is, you only need to worry about what you have to do right now.
This is also a great example of how effective productivity systems can take so much stress out of your life, because you’re creating natural boundaries. Using these four folders, you’ll know everything is under control and accounted for. You’ll also get a reminder when you need it. All you have to do is make sure everything is in place and that you’ll see things when they need your attention.
For more on this, take a look at my video, The magic of four folders >
Set place markers
I think the quickest way to get out of control is to try to use your memory. It’s worth remembering that your mind is there to come up with great ideas, not for storing them. This means you really need to make sure you’re reminded when it’s time to do things.
If you have a conversation with someone and they ask you to meet with them next month, you need to mark it on a calendar. If you’re given a task to complete by a specific time, it needs to be on some sort of to-do list with some sort of reminder put in place. It’s also important that anything that comes into your world that needs actioning, like a letter or an email, is stored in some way that reminds you it’s there when it requires your attention.
I honestly believe that the key to being more productive is creating a system you can trust. This will allow you to remove your focus from things that don’t matter at that point in time. When they are important though, you need to be reminded and be certain that nothing can be forgotten.
To create your own unique system, take a look at my post, How to get organised >
Get an in-tray
Even in the 21st century, I’m pretty sure you need an in-tray. To be honest I didn’t, but it’s now something I can’t live without, at home and at work. My simple, three-shelf in-tray instantly lets me see what I need to do, what’s waiting for something else to happen before I deal with it and what I’m likely to need to access quickly.
Like me, I’m sure you don’t realise how much physical stuff is still out there and how many letters you get that require some sort of action when you receive them. It also helps you keep everything in one place and instantly see what you need to do.
It can also help you deal with distractions. If you’re interrupted while writing something, just place it in the top tray and it will be crying out for your attention when you need to get back to it. This obviously keeps you on track and reduces the chances of urgent tasks being forgotten, or urgent notes getting lost when you really need them.
Discover deep work
It’s so easy to sit at your desk for a few hours and not really get anything done. The phone rings, you get new emails and notifications popping up everywhere and then there are people around you asking all sorts of questions. In this age of distraction, we really need to learn how to ‘work deeply’ whenever we can and give what we’re trying to do our full attention. Here are three easy things that will help you discover deep work.
Isolate yourself
The key to working without distractions is to simply find somewhere you can work without them. Failing that, do you really need to check your email every few seconds and then respond to everything the second you receive it?
Just a couple of hours focusing on your most important task can really make a difference. The consequences of missing things may not be as serious as you think either.
This isn’t just something to consider at work though, as it’s often helpful at home when you’ve got things to do. You should also think about where you work and how you could improve it.
In case you’re wondering where to start, just set aside a couple of hours and see what happens.
Work in 25 Minute Intervals
It’s so easy to run out of steam, so here’s a simple thing you can do. Work in 25-minute intervals and take short breaks of around 3-5 mins in-between, even if it’s just looking at something else. This should really help you stay focussed and manage your energy and attention. After working around 4 of these intervals, take a longer break of around 15-30 minutes.
This is a time management technique that was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo and it’s called the Pomodoro Technique. It’s even easier to implement if you have a voice assistant like Alexa or Siri to keep track of the time and remind you.
Make some noise
You’ll find that some background noise can really help you focus. If you can, try to play some non-vocal music at an unobtrusive volume while you work. Just try it and see what happens. This is also the reason why a lot of people like to work in cafes.
Do nothing
This may sound like an odd thing to say, but doing nothing can really help you be more productive. Although it goes against what we’re often lead to believe, doing nothing helps our brains make connections behind the scenes. It’s also how we increase our chances of receiving sudden flashes of inspiration. Here are three easy things that will help you do nothing, but still get great ideas.
Go for walks
We rarely get great ideas when we’re hard at work at our desks. If you want to get something done, or more importantly create something, I suggest you head out for a walk with a notepad or a digital device. If you can, try to walk an unpredictable, random path and really try to relax and let your mind go free.
All you have to do is record all the great ideas that should hopefully appear from nowhere. This is also a great way to distance yourself and really consider what you’re trying to achieve.
I explore this a lot more closely in my post, How to get great ideas from your team >
Watch clouds
When I say do nothing, I really do mean do nothing. If you can, simply take some time to just relax somewhere and watch clouds. Just try this and see how you feel afterwards. You can then count the ideas you’ve come up with. Seriously, doing nothing can help us be more productive.
Sleep
So many people ignore the importance of sleep when it comes to our productivity and performance. Although we all need different amounts of sleep to get by, most of us need around 7-8 hours a night and have to catch up if we go below this. This may sound obvious, but you should naturally have a good idea of how much you need by the way you feel throughout the day.
It’s simple, your brain just isn’t the same without sleep so you can’t expect your best results or great ideas when you’re tired.
While there will be times when you’ve just got to go for it, it’s always best to get the right amount of rest if you want to be more productive. The biggest problem here though is that you’re unlikely to be aware of just how it’s affecting your performance. My advice is to try to weigh up the cost of a late night against the loss of ability the next day. You’ll probably have better interactions with people as well.
I’m sure there’s something here that will help you be more productive. I hope you also understand now why I see productivity as something we need to focus on if we want to improve our mental health and wellbeing.
Just take a second to imagine what it will feel like when you’ve put it all into action. This is just the beginning though, as I’ll share a lot more as the site expands.
Let’s all start to change the way we work.