Increasing Productivity

It’s so easy to just lay in bed or sit and watch TV all day thinking about the million things to do and putting them off for even longer. I can go for days thinking about one task I need to do but I can’t seem to get my head around it so I need to give myself a kick up the bum to get going and work at things, re-focus my energy and keep going. Here’s what I do to increase my productivity…

1 – Switch off social media!
We know videos on social media are never that long but when you watch one, and then get sucked in by the 10 others posted on there too, well, it can waste away a good few hours! I think my personal worst distraction in Instagram. I can get lost for hours and hours browsing art, stationery, outfits, make up, tattoos, more art – you get the picture! So now I just keep my phone away from me so I can’t see that notification light flickering at me and make sure I’m not logged into anything on my computer too.

2 – Close emails.
I read this a while ago on the Internet and thought I’d give it a go. I used to keep my emails open all day long so I could answer queries straight away and pack up orders etc. but it meant I wasn’t really concentrating on what I was meant to be doing – that didn’t make sense. So now, I check my emails twice a day. Once in the morning and then again in the afternoon just after lunch or around 4.30ish. Sometimes I will check emails in the evening around 8ish but I tend not to reply to any unless they are urgent. I find I waste less time logging in and out of things and it gives me time to think about what I’m doing rather than having to reply to certain emails.

3 – Use the Pomodoro Technique
What is this? It is basically like a time-management tool. It helps you work in blocks and take a break. I’m really rubbish at taking breaks. I find that if I set myself say an hour to work on something, I can reward myself with after with a cuppa chai etc. You can find more in this technique here.

4 – Plan ahead – Make a list!
I love to-do lists. It’s the satisfaction of crossing something off and the sense of achievement no matter how big or small. I will always start the day with a list. I will either have made a list in the the previous day or I will make one before I start my day. This helps me focus on what I want to achieve that day and I will always start with the most important tasks that way, if It’s a bit list, I can move things to-do the next day.

5- Focus.
One thing that always gets me is my focus. I will admit, I am easily distracted so I have to really focus on tasks, especially if I’m not enjoying them. Focusing on one task at a time, take small steps and break things down into smaller chunks if that helps. Also, take a break and come back to your task if you really can’t get your head around something. Sometimes we just need to get out and go for a walk, come back and re-focus to get things done.

That’s it really. Do you have any ways that keep you productive?