Was there a time when you pondered how other people found success in just a matter of a few months while you were out there barely moving the needle? This is because they have the vital techniques and resources that keep them away from distractions, boosting their productivity.
If you want to increase your productivity a hundredfold, then you’re in the right place. Here are the one-time decisions that can skyrocket your productivity to help you pull off your goals:
1. Get a whiteboard
In this period of high-tech living, it is relatively easy to resort to technology when we need to give our productivity a boost. But what if I tell you that a simple tool like a whiteboard is all you need to be productive like never before?
This first point sounds weird, but this is one heck of an effective productivity booster. There is a big difference between what is inside your head and what you personify into reality.
Whiteboards enable you to keep an eye on crucial information without having to face the temptation of jumping online if you’re using a digital productivity app. And compared to paper notes, they are easier to keep track of since you can just take one glance, and you’ll immediately see things you need to do for the rest of the day.
Moreover, having a whiteboard is paramount to progress because it enables you to take a step back and catch a clear sight of what you are trying to build. Having a whiteboard in your room or office makes you very much like an architect figuring out the things that could be improved.
2. Put a cap on consumption
Almost all people have a great tendency to overconsume since it was programmed into our DNA from time immemorial. This overconsumption lays to nearly everything like drugs, food, entertainment, and a lot more.
Hundreds of years ago, if people found plenty of berries on a tree, they would eat all of them, thinking that they would never be able to find more berries once again. It’s still happening in our today’s world— just in a different scenario.
Statistics have shown that more people are dying out of obesity (overconsumption) than hunger. A lot of people are crazily binge-watching online series that they really enjoy just to pass some time. Some worked hard to eat healthily for a week just to find themselves drinking recklessly because a good friend invited them to rave up.
Of course, you could do these things if you want to. However, you set yourself some limits on how far you can go. Don’t waste a lot of time on things that don’t bring you life-changing results.
3. Refrain from trying to remember everything
Unlike what most people think, our brain isn’t necessarily made for you to memorize things but to conceive ideas that will bring value to your life. Hence, instead of storing everything inside that brain of yours, begin writing things down.
Jot down every idea that comes to you. Begin creating a calendar for the things you need to do and events you need to attend.
4. Prepare the night before
Making preparations the night before is quite similar to some kind of cheat code. For instance, if you have already placed your training shoes by the door and tell yourself that you’re going running, you’re more likely to be motivated to wake up in the morning and actually do it.
With preparation, you will feel like everything will just fall naturally into its right place. There will be fewer distractions, so the more you’re likely to put in the work.
Preparing the night before takes you halfway to your goal.
5. 10 minutes of mind focus
A short 10-minute meditation can do wonders to your mind. It’s a real game-changer. The University of Waterloo stated that it could effectively prevent your mind from wandering on these negatives if you tend to have anxious, repetitive thoughts.
Every day after you wake up, spare some time to look out the window and defragment your thought like some sort of self-coaching and meditation. Think about the goals you have and puzzle out how you can achieve them.
There is a particular study that examines some techniques on how you can turn things around in your favor. Your mind is storage of knowledge that is filled with ideas from books you read a long time ago coupled with accumulated experience. This gives you a personal mentor in your mind, telling you the probable steps you could take.
6. Find your peak hours
Your “peak hours” are those times when you feel like you’re on top of your game. For some, their peak hours take place early in the morning, while for others, it begins in the first half of the day.
Some people think that they are more productive at night, but the truth is, it is just in their minds. A study has shown that our minds are more productive from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. Schedule the most important tasks in your peak hours.
7. Automate bill payments and investments
Paying bills can be time-consuming, a waste of energy, and undoubtedly boring. There was a time when we were forced to spare some of our precious time in waiting in lines to pay for monthly utility bills.
Fortunately, those days were over since bills could conveniently be paid through various online payment systems. Automating your bills can free up your time, letting you spend that hour or two doing the things that could make your day productive instead.
It would be a pretty nice idea if you would automate your investments. Go and set up recurring buys and parameters in your investments. When you set up parameters, that means your account would automatically sell or buy a particular stock when it hits the benchmark you have set. This would help you ride in the boat of the amount you’re aiming for.
8. One task to win the day
You’re mistaken if you think that you need to be some kind of superhuman, taking on a great number of tasks every day to get the things you want out of life. The truth is you only need consistently accomplish one task a day to push your life forward.
Every accomplishment means progress, no matter how small they are. Now, think of the things that you can do today that will move you forward just a little bit. Do your best to do it because you’re not winning the day unless you achieve that task.
