Aug 1, 2019
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Is there anything better than laying in bed after a productive day, feeling satisfied with yourself and the work that you accomplished? There is a fine line between feeling productive and feeling overwhelmed, but there are ways that you can structure your day so that you are getting as much done as you can without feeling like you are being pulled in 20 separate directions.
Start Your Day Right
While many people swear up and down that they are the most productive in the morning, there are some limitations to that. What you work on in the morning determines how productive you will be. If you wake up and start your day with the hardest task after you wake up, then you are more likely to distract yourself and you won’t be using 100% of your brain power. Melatonin is a hormone that is released in your brain that is used to regulate your sleep cycle, and levels stay elevated until just after 7:30 am on average. This can cause you to feel groggy and tired after you wake up so the best solution is to wake up and complete tasks that don’t require your full thought process like exercising, yoga, listening to an audiobook, or making a list of goals for the day. Some experts suggest skipping the cup of coffee all together and drinking lemon water instead for your daily morning boost.
During the Day
Mark Twain once said,“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Essentially, if you do the hardest tasks first, then every other task won’t seem as bad. Procrastination is not a sign of laziness, it usually stems from anxiety about the outcome of the project. If you can acknowledge the reason that you are avoiding a project and work towards overcoming it, then it should be easier to get started. Rewarding yourself after you have worked on a project like planned breaks or small treats are a good way to motivate yourself to complete tasks. The less likely you are to stop and grab a coffee or talk to a coworker, the more you will be able to concentrate on the task at hand.
Regulate Your Tasks
Some people are proud of how well they can multitask, but the truth is you are just paying less attention each individual task at hand. Multitasking can make you feel like you are only completing one small piece of a project at a time, so the best way to be productive is to work in blocks of time. Also, the best thing that you can do for yourself is learning to be honest with yourself and with others. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help or to say no to projects that you know you can’t take on by yourself. If you feel like you are overwhelmed at work due to a never ending stream of projects, then take in the time to organize them in order of importance and communicate your plan with your peers so everyone is on the same page.
Everyone knows what is best for them, and maybe the most productive you are is at night with music blaring and on three cups of coffee. If that is how you best operate, then by all means continue on. But for those who just need a little tweak to their daily routine so they can get better results, then these methods seem the be the most helpful across the board. Creating a system that is streamlined and efficient is our goal, and we would love to help you achieve yours.