Increasing your productivity doesn’t have to be rocket science. Some of the simplest actions and micro-habits can have the biggest payoff in mental focus, energy, and overall productivity. No need for complicated productivity systems, new apps, or Navy SEAL-level habits. Just apply them to get more done and work smarter.
Plan Your Day The Night Before
Proper planning prevents poor performance
- Make a list of all the tasks you want to complete, rank them based on priority, and use time-blocking to create a schedule
- You’ll know exactly what needs to be done from the moment you wake up.
Drink Two Glasses of Water Right After Waking Up
After being without water for 6-8 hours, you’re pretty much dehydrated.
Reach Out To Your Type-A Friends
Being an introvert, you tend to forget to reach out to your most ambitious and positive friends.
- However, energy is infectious. Use it to your advantage
- The mindset and habits of the people you surround yourself with rub off.
Put Your Phone Away During Focus Hours
The smartphone is the biggest distraction for most knowledge workers
- If you want to regain your focus and get more done, you need to put it away for at least 2-3 hours per day
- Put it in your bag, hide it, or place it in a different room
Review Your Long-Term Goals Daily
When you lack a system to keep your goals top of mind, they’ll slowly fade away due to the busyness of life.
- To avoid this, I recommend reviewing your long-term goals every single morning – before you start working.
Have Fun
The more fun you have, the more creative and energized you will feel. Fun fuels your success.
Identify Your Top 3 Daily Targets
When you clearly identify your priorities, your entire day will be much more focused and purposeful
- Ask yourself, which 3 things, if achieved today, get me a big step closer to reaching my long-term goals
- Never start the workday without identifying your top 3 priorities
Use the Afternoon For Managing
In the afternoon, I tend to be more prone to distractions, have less energy, and tend to procrastinate more, so I perform’managing-type’ tasks such as email, meetings, admin work, and Zoom calls
Focus On The Payoff, Not the Effort
Overly focused on the effort while not reminding yourself enough about the payoff of your work
- Mental shift
- Instead of focusing so much on the pain, focus on the ‘gain’
- For example, writing an article would help you earn more money, grow your audience, and positively impact other people
Now Do It
Knowledge is only potential power
- If you want to make a real change in your life, you need to apply what you’ve learned
- Pick at least two micro-habits and apply them immediately
- Consider signing up to Medium
- You get unlimited access to all articles from thousands of writers
Do a 5-Minute Daily Review
Ask yourself: Did I accomplish my top 3 priorities of the day? If not, why not?
- Which tasks occupied my time and energy, but didn’t lead to meaningful results.
- Who and what activities sparked the most energy and happiness today? What would I do differently tomorrow?
Avoid Information Overload Early In The Day
80% of smartphone users check their mobile devices within 15 minutes of waking up every morning
- Use the morning to focus on your mission: your goals
- Don’t be reactive to other people’s stuff, but focus on moving your life forward
Use The Morning For Making
The morning is the most productive time of the day for 75% of knowledge workers
- One of the smartest moves is to use the morning for your most challenging and important tasks
- Since this is naturally at its peak in the morning, it’s the best window in the day to tackle your highest priority tasks
