When we talk about productivity, most of us will talk about many reasons why it is often too hard to be productive, and one is because there are only 24 hours in one day! While it could indeed be better if there were more hours in a day, we should also ask ourselves why and how could some people always seem to find time to get so many things done in a single day? They juggle multiple tasks and projects, but still, they are able to achieve their goals without fail.
If you want to make the most of your time and find a way to accomplish many things within the time that you have, perhaps it would be wise to look at how the super-productive people use their time. By mere observation, these are the things you will realize they do so well, which you should also try doing so you may have a productive day.
1. Avoid Touching Things Twice
Productive people don’t touch things twice because they know it’s a huge time waster! If you open an email for instance, respond to it then rather than at a later time. As soon as you find something that requires your immediate action, just act on it, assign it to someone, or just get rid of it.
2. Be Prepared for Tomorrow before You Leave the Office
One unique habit of productive people is to end the day by preparing for the next. This is a good practice to implement in your life as well, because it allows you to see what you’ve achieved today, and it gives you an idea about how productive you will be tomorrow. It shouldn’t take that long to figure out what needs to be done the following day, so don’t think of this as a waste of time.
3. Deal with the Worst First
Productive people know that it is always better to start the day with the most boring or difficult item on their list. When you take on the most difficult task of the day before anything else, you are allowing yourself to be more relaxed the rest of the day.
4. Stick to the Schedule When You Need to Attend Meetings
We all know that meetings can waste a lot of your precious time! And so, the best thing you can do is inform everyone right before the meeting starts that you have to stick to the intended schedule because you’ve got to get a lot of things done. This can actually motivate every individual in the meeting to be more focused so that no time will be wasted.
5. Learn to Say NO
NO is a very important word that you should not be afraid to say if you want to have a productive day. Saying no to another commitment, for instance, only means that you honor your existing commitments.
Keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with saying no. In fact, research shows that those who are not able to say no are the ones who often experience depression, stress, and burnout. Any personal coach would agree that saying no is an important ability that will help lift your mood and increase your productivity.
Don't be afraid to follow the steps listed above. You may find that you have more time in your day to tackle more projects and, by doing all of those nasty tasks first thing, you could end your day on a really good note. Now who doesn't want that?
Photo Courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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