We live in a world full of distractions, and it is very easy to waste time on things that aren’t contributing to a better life. Of course we should not only focus on improving our lives, as we would get burned out in no-time. But I have learned some tips and tricks when it comes to productivity that I would like to share that could also have a positive impact on your life. It helps to gain more clarity and to do things that you are excited about. In this article, I have given some tips to Boost Your Productivity that are helping me out.
Boost Your Productivity | Use your planning as a guideline
If you don’t plan anything you want to do, then you don’t have the clarity to get anything done. Many people think it is a motivation issue when they don’t reach their goals, but in reality it has a lot more to do with organized planning. I personally use a weekly schedule, where I put everything in from school lessons and homework to my fitness routine, and appointments. I mostly use my weekly agenda for deadlines and things that I know I am 100% going to do. Besides my weekly agenda, I also use a daily to-do list, where I put in everything that I need to do and also want to do. This is very useful for smaller more detailed tasks that I do every day. I use Google Calendar for my weekly planning and an app called Todoist for my daily planning. I am very positive about using electronic planners, because I find them more practical than physical agenda’s.
Create a balance between ‘have to’ and ‘want to’
It is very important to not only plan things that you have to do, like studying for finances, but also things that you want to do like reading a roman, or playing a video game. It should not always be about self-improvement and reaching goals. If you only plan things that you have to do, you will get bored with planning and quit all along. Continuously planning is not always easy, and that is why you have to make it more attractive by also adding things that you enjoy a lot. This way you also create moments every day that you look out for.
Find the right amount of tasks
You can become quite overwhelmed if you have a planning that is completely full without room for relaxation. Try to find the right amount of tasks per day or week that you feel comfortable with and is reasonable. I usually write down five or six daily tasks, which consists of things that I have to do and things that I want to do. This way I can make sure that I can check off every task, which gives me a boost. It is far more important that you can complete every task that you have planned, than completely filling in the schedule and only checking off two things. This takes some practice at first.
Conclusion
There are a lot more things you could do to be even more productive, but I think being productive doesn’t have to be hard or complex. Working with a planning and to-do list will ensure that you don’t forget anything and gives you more clarity. Finding a good balance between work and enjoyment will be more sustainable. Planning is a skill that you can learn, and by learning that skill you will automatically become more productive.
Check out this post to learn more about productivity and personal development.
Have a good day.
Mart Bergsma
