Each day we have a lot on our plates. We juggle work, life, pets, and even the not-so-important things like laundry and grocery shopping. However, despite all this pressure some people are so productive that they don’t seem to be able to blink without getting something done! Others of us (you know who you are) would love to have a life that is less hectic but do not quite know how to make it happen.
If you are looking for some ways in which you can bring order back into your crazy life then read on! This article will give five steps for increasing productivity and bringing more order into your day.
1. Track Your Time
Time is money and it is also a competitive resource that we all use up in our day to day lives. Setting aside at least 15 minutes to track our time each day will help us make decisions so that we can keep track of our progress. This can be done on a daily basis or weekly, but whatever your schedule you should try to keep track of what has been accomplished (and not accomplished) each day. It is easier to see how much time is being devoted to work and personal projects when you have some kind of formula for the amount of time you spend on them (ex: the outline for the last chapter was about 10 paragraphs long). Tracking time is much more effective than making a brain dump of information which will usually end up being forgotten.
2. Do the Right Thing
When it comes to delegating tasks it is important to do the right thing rather than the fastest thing. If you always go for the lowest bidder then you will only get things half done because no one truly completes everything on time and to your satisfaction. Even if you are paying a bit above market rate (i.e., competitive) and someone performs above par it is better to be paid a little over or below your expectation because they might do even better in the future (i.e., competitive). You don’t want to sound like a haggler on price and then be surprised when you get something less than you thought.
3. Use the Right Tools
In order to be productive it is best if you have the right tools at your disposal. Although, sometimes we fall short of our less expensive counterparts (like the $14 box cutter), in our attempts to save money we kind of forget about those tools that would truly make our work easier, faster and more effective.
4. Have a Place to Go
If you don’t know where your work is going to on a daily basis then it is much more difficult to develop an overall strategy for completing the tasks at hand. Without an outline or plan you can work long and hard on something that doesn’t really matter in the end. It may help if you keep track of your progress each day and make a point of crossing things off your lengthy to-do list.
5. Get Some Rest
Sometimes we become so stressed by our own workload that we forget what it takes to replenish our energy reserves. The best way to ensure that you don’t fall into this trap it to establish a routine of getting some rest. This will help you focus on the day and make sure that you are fully rested when the time comes to get started again. Even if you are getting enough sleep, there is no substitute for quality shut eye.
In order to be productive there is a certain amount of discipline involved in the process. You need to be realistic and understand that things are not going without effort on your part, but at the same time, you can’t rest everything on your boss’s (or someone else’s) shoulders.