Everyone strives to work where they can enhance their productivity. A decade ago, that indicated a comfy chair inside your cubicle or a posh office. Today, when the evolution of workplace technology is fast, and when your workspace may be your home, an airport lounge, the park, or a coffee shop, it is furthermore essential to rethink productivity.
You must have tried like every productivity approaches and rules in the book. Still, you don’t sense any more productive than previously. Don’t blame yourself too badly. Just because one approach works for someone else, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you as well. Also, most productivity approaches don’t consider general concerns, such as defeating procrastination.
Do you think that you’re in this position? If so, it’s time to rethink your approach to productivity. Here are a few pointers for you to remember while you are rethinking productivity.
1. Kickstarting your day with coffee
Coffee has been proven to influence productivity by boosting mental performance and alertness. It can also improve your willpower and also increases your willpower as well. Sadly, you have been drinking it at the wrong time.
Research from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth says that enjoying a cup of coffee first thing in the morning is really a bad idea. But what is the reason? It conflicts with the time when cortisol, a stress hormone, is rising in your body. As an outcome, this can increase your stress levels. Rather, it’s recommended that drink coffee between 10 am and noon or 2 pm and 5 pm when cortisol levels are less.
Related: 4 Best Time-Management Practices When You Work From Home
2. Take the 1-3-5 rule more seriously
Although there are imperfections with the to-do-lists, you still require them. The solution is to narrow it down so that it’s easy to manage so that you complete every task on-time. And, the most reliable way to do this? Adapt the 1-3-5 rule.
The theory is straightforward. Every evening jot down one big task, three medium tasks, and five small jobs that are required to be accomplished the day after. Next, attach them to your calendar so that you are aware of precisely what you’re working on and when.
Another great thing about this 1-3-5 rule. You can drop a couple of the medium or small job slots free so that if something pops-up suddenly you can handle it without hindering your productivity flow.
3. Make your deadlines more motivational
It’s fun to be working under deadlines. They keep us responsible, help us reach our goals, prevent wasting time, and get us to quit procrastinating. On the flip side, they are stressful. Primarily, this is because we’re simply bad at measuring time. As a consequence, we over-or-underestimate how long it should take to perform a task.
Therefore, while self-imposed deadlines can be advantageous, they can also backfire sometimes. Thankfully, you can set your deadlines that are more motivating and practical, such as:
- Rather than setting a single deadline for a particular project, have deadlines for each and every job.
- Set more immediate deadlines as more distant deadlines to encourage procrastination.
- Utilize gamification. Battle against monotony by transforming tasks into games with rewards and all.
- Share your aims and progress with others. Study shows that it can improve your possibilities of reaching a goal of 65%. The reason? It generates more accountability.
- Discover your ideal stress level based on the job. More straightforward tasks have better outcomes when stress levels are higher, while complex tasks are performed best when the level of stress is moderate or low.
4. Stop relying on to-do-lists
You shouldn’t rely too heavily on your to-do lists. Lists have a habit of becoming so lengthy sometimes that you become puzzled with everything you are required to do. Because they’re not prioritized, you end up working on the wrong things at the wrong time.
Rather, go a different road with a done list.
To be honest, this isn’t a ground-breaking idea. Form done lists so that you can check what you’ve achieved. In turn, these releases give you the drive to keep forging ahead.
Rather than a to-do list, you require a success list — a list that is purposefully designed around exceptional outcomes.
And, if that isn’t enough, done lists can support you to improve your memory, develop healthy habits, and recognize what you’re thankful for.
The sum total of these abilities after rethinking your productivity is a more humanistic way of working together, helping your business and your employees. Making work “more satisfying” for your employees not only boosts productivity but loyalty as well. Sometimes you are required to shake things up a little bit. It’s a fabulous way to open up to fresh experiences and opportunities. And, this versatility will also spark innovation and creativity.
