Are you tired of feeling there isn’t enough time? Not Enough time to get everything done? Always distracted and thinking about how to be more productive?
You are not alone.
There is an old proverb that says- “Time is Money.” Why?
Because it’s the only resource you can’t get back once you spend.
That’s where the importance of productivity comes in.
Most people fail at productivity because they don’t know where to start.
Today, we all spend our day-to-day lives running on a treadmill. We do lots of things, being busy every day, but we still feel like we are not progressing.
We wake up with grand plans, only to get distracted by social media notifications with endless emails, and unexpected tasks. At the end of the day, we feel the same: unaccomplished and frustrated in bed.
But what if I told you there is a way out of this trap in 3 simple ways? What if you could take control of your time, complete your most important tasks, and finally end your days feeling satisfied and accomplished?
The good news is, you can. By implementing these strategies, you can dramatically transform yourself and discover how to be more productive.
These strategies aren’t just theoretical concepts. They are practical techniques you can start using today to take control of your day immediately.
The secret lies in simplicity.
Ready to know how to be more productive? Let’s get started.
How to be more productive, Step 1:
Set Priorities.
Make wise decisions daily.
A productive Entrepreneur starts the day with reflection. Every day, when you wake up in the morning, you should have a sense of passion for your life.
Don’t fall into the trap of living like a robot or machine: waking up, working all day, and then sleeping again. Each day, take a few seconds to pause and reflect. Consider why you go to work every day, what you do, and, most importantly, why you do it.
By reflecting, you edit your actions and design your life. The sad truth is that those who do not reflect neither edit nor design; they simply respond. “They are only being designed by others which they do not love.”
It’s time to take control of your own story. So, every morning, start your day by asking yourself-
What is the reason you wake up every day?
Find the reason why do you exist.
To have a sense of passion gives you a sense of purpose.
And having a sense of purpose really leads to success.
Identify Your Key Tasks (Urgent vs. Important)
One of the most effective ways to set priorities is by using the Urgent vs. Important matrix.
Stephen Covey’s classic work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People introduces a transformative way to think about tasks through the lens of Urgency and Importance.
Urgent tasks demand immediate attention but may not contribute to your long-term objectives. While important tasks align closely with your goals but may not seem pressing at first glance.
By focusing on Quadrants II, you ensure that you address critical tasks while also investing in long-term goals.
Ask your self-
What is the one thing I could do if I did every day,
that would make a tremendous positive difference in my life?
Then start working on that.
Create a task list using The ABCDE Method.
A value-driven professional knows how to prioritize their highest return opportunity. They know where to invest hard-earned calories and what work to avoid or delegate.
An effective prioritization strategy is the ABCDE method by Brian Tracy, which can further help you make wise decisions daily:
A Must Do -Highly important task.
B Should Do -Important but not as critical as task A.
C Nice to Do -Nice to do but don’t carry significance.
D Delegate -Can be delegated to someone else.
E Eliminate -Should be eliminated.
Don’t list more than three prioritized tasks. Because more than three will feel too burdensome and will likely make you want to quit before you begin.
Start with the Wildly Important:
Focusing on your Most Important Task (MIT) each day is a concept from “Eat That Frog.” Your MIT is the one task that, if completed, will make the biggest difference in your work or life.
It’s often referred to as “eating the frog” –
Tackling the hardest, most significant task at first in the morning as referred to as “Eating the frog.”
By focusing on MIT in the morning, you ensure that you are making progress on your highest priorities. This also provides a sense of accomplishment for the rest of the day.
Ask yourself-
What is the most important thing you can do today?
If you can answer this question, morning after morning, you will join the elite group of professionals.
How to be more productive, Step 2:
Say No to Distractions
Distraction is like a parasite to the mind
If you don’t kill your distraction,
distraction will kill your dreams.
A value-driven professional knows how to say no to distractions so they can say yes to priorities.
If we don’t know what our priorities are, we will say yes to everything and mislead our stories so much that our lives and work will no longer make sense.
Ask yourself- What are you saying no in order to say yes to a focused and meaningful life?
It’s time to take back control and create a distraction-free life to be more productive.
Strategies to Eliminate Distractions to be more productive
Creating a Distraction-Free Environment
To truly understand how to be more productive, it is crucial to create a distraction-free environment for focus and creativity. Follow these steps and create a distraction-free environment to become more productive.
Declutter Your Workspace:
Remove unnecessary items from your desk.
Keep only essential items that you need for your tasks.
Organize Your Physical Surroundings:
Ensure everything has a place and is easily accessible.
Regularly clean and maintain your workspace to prevent clutter from building up.
Enhance Mental Clarity:
A tidy environment signals to your brain that it’s time to work.
Use noise reduction apps like Noisli to improve focus.
Personalize Your Workspace:
Add motivational quotes or images that inspire you.
Create a positive atmosphere that is conducive to productivity.
Increase Friction to Distractions
Sometimes, simply removing distractions isn’t enough. You need to make it harder for them to creep back into your day. Use these techniques to increase friction:
Turn on Do Not Disturb:
Use features like Do Not Disturb or Focus mode to turn off unnecessary notifications.
Batch similar tasks:
Group together similar tasks to minimize switching and maintain focus.
Email management:
Instead of constantly checking your inbox, select specific times for email management.
The two-minute rule:
If a task can be completed in two minutes or less, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up and becoming distractions later.
The Multitasking Myth
Do you often forget where you placed your pen, key, or remote? Or what did you eat or wear the day before yesterday? It’s because you were thinking or doing something else at that time, like scrolling social media while eating.
We’ve all been told that multitasking is a superpower. But the truth is, our brains are wired for focus, not for juggling multiple tasks simultaneously.
Research shows that it takes 23 minutes on avg. to regain focus after distraction. When we switch from Task A to Task B, our brain doesn’t instantly shift gears. Some of our attention still remains on Task A, distracting Task B.
That’s how trying to do too much at once leads to errors, decreased productivity, and increased stress.
Focus on One Task at a Time: Follow the principle of single-tasking, dedicating your full attention to one Task at a time. This approach leads to higher quality work, and day by day it will increase your focus.
Digital Detox
It’s no accident that you reach for your phone and open Instagram whenever you’re bored. Or that you scroll through social media when you feel left out of a conversation. These behaviors are the result of strategic designs by some of the world’s best behavioral scientists. They make it your habit without letting you know.
That’s why digital detoxes can significantly help you prevent getting distracted easily:
Scheduled offline time: Designate specific hours or days for disconnecting from digital devices.
Social media fasts: Take breaks from social platforms to reclaim time and mental energy.
How to be more productive, Step 3:
Block your time
Time is like the multiple lanes of a freeway. Some lanes really do move faster than others.
For the most part, if we can get all the way over on the left side of the freeway, we will move more quickly.
Blocking periods of time in which you cannot be distracted is the equivalent of getting into the fast lane and pressing the gas pedal.
A value-driven professional knows how to block time to bring the greatest return. And because life is not all about work, they know how to get the most done so they can spend more of their precious time with friends, family, and enjoy hobbies.
Strategies to block your time to be more productive
Track your time:
Before you can effectively block your time, you need to understand how you currently spend it. Use a paper pen or a simple spreadsheet to log your activities hourly throughout the day.
Once you have a clear picture of your time usage. You can identify patterns, and pinpoint time-wasting activities to spot where your time is going.
Schedule Deep Work Sessions
Once you have a clear picture of your time usage, it’s time to schedule dedicated blocks for deep work.
Cal Newport’s concept of “Deep Work” is a period of intense, uninterrupted focus on your most challenging and important tasks.
Identify the activities in your business that require deep concentration like strategic planning, content creation, complex problem-solving, etc.
Start with 60-90-minute deep work blocks, aligning with your body’s natural ultradian rhythm. You might be amazed at how much you can accomplish in these focused sprints.
Maximize Power hours
Everybody’s brain works a little bit differently, but for most people, especially people over twenty-five, their best work gets done in the morning.
Your brain is like a smartphone battery.
Each day, your brain burns 600-800 calories processing information.
The mental energy you have in the morning is stronger and more alert than the energy you’ll have after lunch.
While you sleep, your brain recharges and is ready to face the following day. So block your morning hours for crucial projects.
Also by completing significant tasks early, you’ll face the rest of the day with a sense of accomplishment.
Conclusion
Productivity is a skill like any other – with practice and patience, you’ll be able to achieve more than you ever thought possible. Like any other skill, becoming more productive takes dedication, persistence, and commitment.
So, take the first step towards learning how to be more productive by implementing one or two strategies and see the difference yourself.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is productivity. Keep at it and you’ll see the results!
Best of luck in your Entrepreneurial journey to be more productive.
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