Almost everyone is struggling to find the right strategies to increase productivity. Because of this, several methods and approaches have been crafted to help people out. Unfortunately, however, not all of these productivity tricks work for everyone, especially since people’s priorities and needs vary.
Below, you’ll find three amazing strategies that can increase your focus, productivity, and time. Take a look and see which you can apply to your current situation.
1. Focus on deep work
It’s common for people to confuse business with productivity. They think that if they do a lot of work, they’re productive.
In reality, however, most of the things we do is only shallow work.
Georgetown University Professor, Cal Newport, describes shallow work as a “task that almost anyone, with minimum of training, could accomplish”. This includes drafting e-mail replies, logistical planning, tinkering with social media, and other related tasks.
For your goals, you should stay away from doing shallow work. Instead, you should focus on deep work.
Deep work involves cognitively demanding tasks that push you to improve. It includes activities such as writing a book, generating ideas, mass editing, and storytelling.
This kind of work requires intensity and a lot of energy. So, when you work deeply, make sure to balance it out with long breaks. You can take a nap, walk around, meditate or do some stretching. The idea is to feel relaxed.
Failure to take breaks can lead to burnout, which is a major productivity killer.
Frequent breaks can restore your energy. The more energy you have, the more deep work you can accomplish. The more deep work you do, the more productive you’ll be.
See Also: Top 7 Ways to Improve Your Productivity
2. Hijack your environment
The most common trait of highly productive people is their ability to concentrate.
Every year, Bill Gates goes on these “Think Weeks”. It’s a two-week-long retreat at a remote cabin. He goes there to think deeply and to assess the direction of his company.
J.K Rowling finished her last Harry Potter book at one of Scotland’s luxurious hotel. She was unable to concentrate at home, so she decided to radically change her environment to focus on writing.
That is how you hijack your environment.
You pick a place that isn’t fun. There shouldn’t be any distractions that can prevent you from working smart for your goals.
It’s one of the quickest ways to instantly boost your productivity.
See Also: How To Find Great Ideas For Writing A Story
3. Plan tomorrow before hitting the sheets
I can’t stress how many people don’t take the time to plan out their day. It’s often overlooked, yet it’s one of the simplest life-changing productivity hacks there is.
Before going to bed, write down what you plan to do the next day. It will help release your anxiety and stress. Aside from this benefit, planning also gives you more control of your success.
It will give you an overview of what still needs to be done and how far you are from achieving your goals.
The more you plan, the more you’ll be able to turn it into a habit.
One important thing to keep in mind with planning, however, is that you should avoid creating a to-do list. This is because not all tasks are equal.
Some tasks are more urgent and valuable than others. If you don’t focus on what’s important, you will never achieve success.
Instead of writing a to-do list, you can craft a success list to keep track of your most critical tasks.
Are you ready to get your productivity on?
The most common reason why a lot of people are always struggling to finish their work isn’t because of their inability to plan; it’s because of their refusal to take action. They don’t see their work as important enough to be prioritized, so they put in minimum to no effort to finish it on time.
If you want to be different, you have to make the commitment to be an executioner. You have to work deeply, kill your distractions, and plan out your day until you achieve your goals. This list of strategies to increase productivity is a good place to start changing your game plan.