There are millions of articles on the internet on how to boost your productivity. Just search on Google “Boost productivity” and you will find articles like :
- How to be more productive: 10 productivity tips
- 22 Amazing Tips to Increase Productivity
- 25 ways to increase productivity
- 10 simple ways to become more productive
- etc.
I went through all the articles on the first pages of Google. They are great and you can get great learnings out of them. But they all lack something crucial. Those “tips” lack long-term.
What is the point to have an extremely productive day today. And be tired the day after because of it. You might have a productive day. But your week won’t be.
Do you want to boost your productivity today only ? Or do you want to have the most productive year ever ?
If you choose the latter, then let’s get started.
The purpose of this article is : how can you boost productivity today. And tomorrow. And the day after… By doing some small efforts everyday, and by making sure that those efforts become parts of your routine, you will become more productive day by day.
First, know where you are today. Understanding your current comfort zone will help you define your effort zones.
How to boost your productivity ? Let’s start small…
Here are some small actions that you can add to your routine. Make sure that those small actions become habits before you go to the next level.
One hour without phone
The error that most of us do, is to use our phone as an alarm. So the first thing we do, after switching the alarm off (or to press the snooze buttons 30 times), is to check our notifications and start scrolling social media. It’s an error because our mornings are when our mind is clear.
There is a great article from Psychology Today which explains how it helps to reduce stress and improve mental health. And instead of pushing a lot of information in our brain, we should take this opportunity to focus on one thing. But focus on what ?
Minimize distractions by turning off notifications and limiting access to social media.
I know that it’s very difficult to do the full day without phone. So now that you have switched it on, let’s turn off the notifications. Turning off notifications is a simple yet effective way to boost productivity and reduce distractions. With the constant barrage of notifications from email, social media, and messaging apps, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose focus on the task at hand. By turning off notifications, you can regain control over your time and attention, allowing you to work more efficiently and effectively. This helps you stay present and focused on the task at hand, without being constantly interrupted by notifications. Additionally, turning off notifications can reduce stress and increase mindfulness, as you’re not constantly bombarded with information and stimuli. By taking control of your notifications and minimizing distractions, you can increase your productivity and achieve more in less time.
Create a to-do list
Creating a to-do list is a simple yet powerful productivity tool that can help you manage your time and stay focused on your goals. By writing down all the tasks you need to complete in a day, week, or month, you can prioritize them based on their importance and urgency. This helps you tackle the most critical tasks first and avoid getting sidetracked by less important ones. Additionally, a to-do list can help you stay organized and reduce the mental load of trying to remember everything you need to do. By keeping your to-do list visible and accessible throughout the day, you can monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed to stay on track.
Eat that frog
The concept of “eating the frog” comes from the book of Brian Tracy. is a productivity strategy that emphasizes doing the most difficult or unpleasant task first thing in the morning. The idea behind this approach is that by tackling the most challenging task when you have the most energy and focus, you can set a positive tone for the rest of the day and reduce procrastination. It also frees up mental space, allowing you to tackle the rest of your to-do list with greater ease and efficiency. By prioritizing the most challenging tasks and completing them early in the day, you can reduce stress and boost your productivity, ultimately helping you achieve your goals more effectively. Prioritize important tasks in the morning when energy levels are typically higher.
Avoid multitasking
It decrease productivity and increase errors. Do you want to boost your productivity ? Then do one thing at the time. And don’t start anything else until the first action is finished.
2 years ago, I wrote on a post-it : Are you productive ? And this post-it has been with me since them. It’s easy to be drown in a thousands of activities to do. But are they necessary ? Do they bring value ?
Clean your desk
Out of sight = out of mind. Clean your desk and remove any distractions in order to boost your productivity.
Boost your Productivity: Level Intermediate
Do you feel comfortable with the above ? Are they part of your routine ? You are now ready to enter the next level of effort zone.
2 hours without the phone
Yes … keep pushing yourself. Now that one hour without phone has become a habit, try to increase this time. You certainly realized that the first hour of your day was the most productive one. Why not having 2 like that ?
Take regular breaks to recharge and avoid burnout.
We all need :
- Daily Break
- Weekly Break
- Monthly Break
- Yearly Break
- And maybe an even longer break every decade
Daily Break: Treat yourself. Take a coffee without your phone. Do some sport. Go for a walk. Do some meditation. Take few minutes for yourself.
Weekly Break: Enjoy a complete day off. No work allowed. Make it a priority in your agenda if needed. Do something you like.
Monthly Break: I personally like to treat myself once per month with a massage or a weekend escape. It doesn’t have to be something crazy.
Yearly Break: Yes. The vacation we all need. 2 to 3 weeks off without any work to be done. Little by little, if you are an entrepreneur, try to increase this time off. You might be surprised to see a boost in your income
Decade Break: I have been working for 13 years now. And the biggest time off I took was last year during 1 month in Colombia. However, I have been thinking a lot about taking one year off recently.
Use time management techniques
There are several time management techniques such as the Pomodoro technique or time blocking. I like the Pomodoro one. But I also realize that it doesn’t work everyday for me. The main goal is to identify what works for you. Knowing that what works today might not work tomorrow. Keep learning more techniques. Stay interested about this topic.
Take care of physical health
Through exercise, healthy eating, and good sleep habits. Work smarter, not harder. It’s not the number of hours that count but the quality of them. So, make sure that you are in a healthy state to do productive work.
Set boundaries
Learn to say “no” to avoid overcommitting.
Boost your Productivity: Expert Mode
3 hours without phone
How do you feel with the 2 hours without phone ? Do you enjoy it ? Is it part of your habit and routine ? Are you ready to do the 3 first hours of the day without phone ?
If you wake up early, it should be possible. Of course, if you wake up around 8am to start work at 9am, then 3 hours would probably not be possible. But it’s okay. You are already doing great. So let’s continue with other tips.
Set achievable goals and break them down into smaller, manageable tasks.
Let’s assume that your objective is to have 1 million in your bank account. Will you procrastinate during 4 years and then struggle to make 1 million in 1 year ? I don’t assume it’s the right technique. So, as usual, let’s start smaller and break it down like this:
- Year 1 : 50.000 USD
- Year 2 : 75.000 USD
- Year 3 : 150.000 USD
- Year 4 : 300.000 USD
- Year 5 : 415.000 USD
Total : 1.000.000 USD
Now we know where to start : 50.000 USD on year 1. Let’s break it down again. 50.000 USD in 1 year = 4.200 / month. Which is a bit more than 1000 / week. Which makes 137 / day.
You understand the point. Let’s break it down to daily action. Whatever your big goal is. It has to start with small daily actions.
Delegate tasks to others
If you are in a manager role or entrepreneur, don’t try to do everything by your own. I know more than anyone how difficult it is. But I also know that you can bring more values.
For my own brand, I have tried to delegate the ads many times because it was taking a lot of time. However, after several disappointment I have taken the decision to keep this on my plate. And I now manage it myself. But if I take this, what can I delegate ?
I have delegated the management of my social platforms. Pamela is based in the Philippines and she has helped me a lot with the creative part and posting on my different social medias.
I have also delegated the website management to a team in India. They are responsible of the technical part.
Use tools and apps to automate repetitive tasks
Don’t get in the trap of too many tools. You think it will make yourself productive but it does the opposite. Find the tools you find useful and that bring values to you. And stick to this one. It can be a simple paper notebook. Or it can be more complex project management tools.
Learn new skills
Stay interested. Keep learning new skills to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
There is a great book, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. It explain that you should invest your lunch time to meet people.
Because I work from home and it’s not always easy to meet people on the lunch time, I have decided to invest my lunch time in a new course. During 2 years, I watched 15 minutes video every lunch about digital marketing. It was a great refresher. And what is 15 minutes in a day ? Not much. But it sum up to more than 100 hours of class after 2 years. Enough to become an “expert” in one subject.
Practice mindfulness or meditation
Always trying to be as productive as possible can backfire. You can burnout, feel exhausted and be less productive. Try including some mindfulness or meditation in your routines. It helps to reduce stress and increase focus.
I put it in the “Expert Mode” section because, at least for me, it was (and still is) very difficult. I am an active person and staying still is more difficult than it looks like.
Use positive self-talk and affirmations
To stay motivated. Realize the progress that you have done today. Make sure that you take the time to recognize the effort and the progress. You have written one page on your book ? Great ! That’s more than 99% of the people. At least you are doing some progress.
Seek feedback and adjust strategies
Do you have a manager? Then ask for feedback. Make sure that you are aligned on the objectives. Staying focused on the same goal will help to continually improve productivity.
Do you have a team? Also ask for their feedback frequently! Their productivity is your productivity. If your team bring a lot of value, so do you. Help them being more productive by guiding them towards the end goal. Share with them your vision.
Conclusion: how to boost your productivity
In conclusion, the strategies outlined, such as creating a to-do list, eating the frog, turning off notifications, and taking breaks, are essential for boosting productivity. These methods help to improve focus, prioritize tasks, and reduce distractions, ultimately allowing individuals to complete their work more efficiently and effectively.
Moreover, increasing productivity is essential in today’s fast-paced, competitive world, as it can lead to greater success and career advancement. It also enables individuals to have more time for leisure activities and personal pursuits, leading to a healthier work-life balance.
In summary, implementing productivity strategies can have a significant impact on personal and professional success, making it an important aspect to prioritize in one’s life.
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