Feeling overwhelmed with the giant pile of tasks on your desk, but you have no motivation to do them? In need of some amazing productivity hacks to help you out?
It happens to the best of us.
Anyone who says they are motivated all the time is just straight-up lying!
Sometimes it feels like nothing you can do can help with the situation. You've tried powering through, but the reality is that you feel exhausted.
Whether you work for yourself or in a large corporation, this can affect you. If it hasn't yet, your time will come.
Back When Things Were All Rosy
Remember when you first started your new job, venture or project? You had this overwhelming excitement to make an impression, do a good job and show off what you can do.
That new excitement made you feel like you had your life together, and things couldn't be better!
The world was your oyster, and you felt like you could achieve anything!
You woke up every day ready, energetic and happy to face new challenges.
You were a self-appointed productivity ninja.
So what happened?
The Slump, the Doom, the Gloom
One day, you remember sitting at your desk looking at your task board or whatever you use and feeling no will to do anything.
As time went on, more and more tasks were piling up, and you were slowly getting less and less done.
It's now at the point where people are starting to notice and question what you are doing.
You feel the frustrations around you, and you know you need to snap yourself out of this low...and FAST!
So what can you do?
3 Productivity Hacks That Actually Work
GOOD NEWS!
It's not too late to turn things around (unless you've been fired or quit).
Simple changes in your life can help you return to being a productivity ninja, just like before.
Let's begin.
1/ Stop Multitasking
Before you can boost your productivity, you must first stop multitasking.
This is one of those old habits of busy people who wish to save time by doing multiple things at once or switching between jobs.
Unfortunately, multitasking is sometimes completely counterproductive and takes more time than it saves.
Also, multitasking has been shown to have many negative consequences for the human brain.
"Doing more than one task at a time, especially more than one complex task, takes a toll on productivity. Although that shouldn't surprise anyone who has talked on the phone while checking Email or talked on a cell phone while driving, the extent of the problem might come as a shock. Psychologists who study what happens to cognition (mental processes) when people try to perform more than one task at a time have found that the mind and brain were not designed for heavy-duty multitasking. Psychologists tend to liken the job to choreography or air-traffic control, noting that in these operations, as in others, mental overload can result in catastrophe."
At first, it may feel impossible to not have to multitask. But it comes down to two things:
Scheduling - planning out your tasks in order or priority
Being honest - telling others you are unable to take on any more work at that time
Another point is that the more tasks you take on and the less focus and time you spend on each task, the worse the performance or outcome will be.
Try it.
Ditching multitasking is a simple productivity hack that can make a huge difference.
2/ Create a Working Timetable
I kind of touched on this point in the previous section,
Schedule your day in priority of tasks. Stick to it as close as possible.
Assigning tasks to timeslots helps to avoid procrastination.
This is one of my favourite hacks I use every day.
I start the day by checking my task board or list of things that need to be done.
Next, I write down how long I think each task might take.
Then I plot the tasks on my daily calendar.
Doing this will determine if you have enough time for today's tasks or if you need to delegate things to other people.
Important tip: Don't forget to include breaks! Include 10-15 minutes every couple of hours to get a coffee or water or go to the bathroom. Sometimes it's good to refresh and move a little.
Here is an example of what an average day of mine looks like up until lunch:
7.30am - Plan day / Tasks
8:30am - Admin (emails, CRM cleaning, opening web apps)
9:00am - Research (market trends, competitor analysis etc)
10:00am - Marketing Campaigns (planning, delegating, reviewing)
12:00am - Design Work (posters, emails, social posts, flyers etc)
1:00pm - Lunchtime
Include deadlines - a productivity hack for making sure you get things done.
3/ Reduce Death by Meetings
There's something we just love about meetings.
The gathering of humans all around the table with fresh hot coffee and maybe some tasty jam doughnuts (if you're in a "modern" workplace).
We are social beings and can chat for hours.
In a previous blog post, 'Business Productivity Tips From Elon Musk' I discussed Elon's top tip on how to reduce meetings. Here's a quick summary:
It's not rude to leave a meeting if you're not contributing.
Say your part, then leave if you are no longer needed.
DON'T HAVE MEETINGS FOR MEETING SAKE!
Having so many meetings reduces our time for other tasks and affects our ability to focus.
Here's what you should do instead:
Our go to meetings if you must and will contribute (otherwise, ask for minutes)
Make sure there is an agenda with a time dedicated for each section (and stick to it)
In between meetings, book time to refocus and concentrate.
Better Place, Better Work, Happier All-Round
If you've read this far, you know that it's mostly being unorganised, unmotivated and distracted what kills productivity.
Try these tips to see if they can get you out of your slump.
Make an effort to do these 3 things:
Avoid doing too much (multitasking)
Plan your days
Reduce your number of meetings
You'll be amazed by how much better you feel about yourself and life.
Your love for working will hopefully come flooding back.
The days you wake up excited and ready to take on the day will soon be a reality rather than a memory.
Remember: Don't try to be perfect. Just try your best.
That's all anyone can really do, right?
But it doesn't have to be as difficult as it seems! With a few small changes, you can be as productive as ever.
And that's the key - just a few small tweaks, and you can start feeling more motivated, creative and energised than ever before.
Did you find these productivity hacks useful? Let me know in the comments.
Interested in learning more productivity hacks? Why not learn from the most successful people on the planet?
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