4 Tips to Help with Your Productivity
When you have a lot on your plate, do you often feel overwhelmed or stressed? Running a business, meeting the demands of a family and any other external factors can build up you can feel like a juggling act, hoping that you keep those balls up, through fear of them crashing down.
We are available to everyone with the simple send of an email, or message. This means we are effectively never switching off and taking care of our own needs. Follow the tips below to power up your productivity and beat the overwhelm.
1. Write Lists.
I swear by this. I would say having different lists for different areas of your life works best. For example; housework, work, and miscellaneous.
Writing your tasks down allows you to take mental clutter inside of your head and place it down into physical space. This lesson overwhelmed and stressed feelings.
If you wanted to save paper, you could download an app that allows you to organise your job list.
2. Colour Code Your Tasks.
I use a traffic light system to prioritise tasks. I use red for the tasks that absolutely cannot be missed. These are important to do ASAP.
Orange is used for the tasks that could do with being worked on, those that have a deadline soon, and for long tasks so I can slowly chip away at them.
Green is for easy tasks that I’m on top of. If the tasks are easy, it may help the workload to get one of these done amongst the red for a quick win. These don’t have an immediate deadline.
3. Step Away and Take a Break.
Once you have written and colour coded your list, I would strongly advise that you take a break and have a cuppa.
Gather your energy and thoughts. By doing this, you are banishing away those feelings of stress and feeling overwhelmed before embarking on your mission to tackle those jobs.
4. The 45/15 Rule.
It is important to take regular breaks otherwise you could end up burning out. I created a 45/15 minute rule to ensure that I reached maximum productivity, but also kept myself motivated as well as rested.
The 45/15 minute rule works by setting a timer for 45 minutes and working through your day’s work. When the buzzer goes off, ensure any work has been saved and then step away. You should then have a break for 15 mins (set the timer)- go and make a cuppa, go on a brisk walk around the garden or do some housework. When the buzzer goes off again, set it for 45 minutes and get back to work.
You continue this loop until you have finished your day’s work, or until you have reached a sufficient time scale for the day.
I find the tips above really help keep me motivated whilst pushing my productivity to the max. It ensures that I don’t burn myself out too quickly.
About the Author:
Gayleen Hodson
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