How to Maximize Your Productivity

The majority of people are not as productive as they aim to be. Whether it’s down to energy levels, lapses in concentration or spending too much time procrastinating, here are some simple ways you can increase your productivity and get more done in your day.

Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important bodily processes and it is the foundation of everything we do. If you don’t get enough sleep, you simply don’t have enough energy to work productively. Poor sleep leads to a limited attention span, a lack of time management, impaired logical reasoning, difficulties with memory, and more. In other words, sleep deprivation isn’t conducive to good performance. This is why it’s so vital for your performance at work that you are getting enough sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for a typical adult is between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.

If you’re struggling to reach this target, it can really help to set up a regular routine and practice sleep hygiene. This includes cutting out caffeine in the evening; being more physically active during the day, blocking out light and noise when trying to get to sleep and reducing your consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. If you still struggle to reach the recommended amount of sleep, or still feel tired during the day, it might be beneficial to try incorporating short naps into your daily routine.

Additionally, you need to make sure you’re not in a sleep debt to your body. This occurs when you deprive your body of sleep, so your body then needs more rest to try and catch up and give you the energy you need to be productive. This is a lot to change on your own, so if you need some help to establish healthy sleeping patterns and routines, try downloading Rise Science, an app which uses the most up to date sleep science to help you get a better night’s sleep, and consequently, improve your daily productivity. You’ll find this the most effective way to make sure you really get your sleep sorted!

Organization

Being organized will allow you to achieve so much more in your day and will provide you with the focus you need to enhance your productivity. A really easy but helpful way to practice organization is by writing to-do lists with all your tasks for the day. It’s a good idea to write a to-do list at the end of the day or each night so you don’t have to waste time in the morning figuring out what to do and can instead use that time, at your most energized, to start on and complete tasks. Physically noting down everything you need to do will additionally save you the stress of trying to remember everything and will prevent you forgetting anything important. This will allow you to focus more on your list of tasks and get more done in a shorter period of time.

The same principle of organization aiding productivity also applies about your workspace and supplies. If you initially decide to take a little time to organize everything, you will save time in the long run as you will have access to everything when you need it rather than wasting time, searching through everything to try and locate the bits you need. In fact, there are so many simple ways you can improve your organization which will therefore inevitably enhance your productivity and reduce time wasted.

Look After Yourself

It may seem counter-productive to put yourself before work or take more breaks, but it has been proven that this actually increases productivity. If you work constantly and don’t allow yourself to break or think about other things, you will become burnt-out, and your productivity will drop drastically. Taking regular breaks has been shown to aid concentration and can even boost your mood. Short but often breaks are the most effective and will help you focus and complete more tasks when you return to your work.

Additionally, the same logic applies when it comes to making time for things that you enjoy and things that are good for you and your health besides work. Someone who is happy, healthy, and content is going to work and function a lot more efficiently than someone who is burnt-out and exhausted. A really positive way to look after yourself is by breaking up your day with a period of physical activity. Exercise promotes brain function, learning, concentration and aids social relationships. Therefore, it is a really good way to put yourself first while improving your ability to be productive at work.

These are just a few of the simple lifestyle changes you can make to try to become more productive during the day. They are not quick-fixes and so will likely take some time until you see a real impact but, hopefully, they will help you achieve your long-term goals faster and more efficiently.