How to stay productive a whole day
Staying productive throughout the day can be very challenging, especially in this digital world full of distractions.
Whether you work from home or in an office, if you want to maintain your productivity, a whole day requires some strategies and habits.
I experienced that I was only 2 hours productive a day, so I started observing myself and what I did during the day. From this, I took some action; surprisingly, my productivity during the day went up significantly. And only because I changed a few things.
In this article, I will show you the 4 main pillars to stay productive a whole day.
1. Have a morning routine
Productivity is not something that starts when you arrive at your working desk. How productive your day will be starts with a good morning routine.
A good and effective morning routine should energize and motivate you for the upcoming day.
A morning routine is unique for everyone, but try to include the following points in it:
Wake up early
Excercise
These exercises don't need to be hard or intense; a short walk or some stretching can already make a big difference.
Healthy breakfast
It doesn't need to be a gigantic meal; try to keep it a bit healthy, like having eggs, nuts, vegetables, or fruits as breakfast.
Have your day planned
Not only is making a list important, but sticking to it is even more important.
2. Work smarter, not harder
Your time and energy are limited and aren't things to be wasted. Working smarter helps you to spend less time burning your energy and to save time for other things.
Here are some tips to work smarter instead of harder:
Mute app notifications
It can be hard for some to leave their phone all day, but there are ways to prevent picking up your phone. One of them is turning on distraction mode, which will mute app notifications.
Automate tasks
Automate repetitive tasks using tools like Zapier or IFTTT (this is not a sponsored post). Automation can save time and reduce the mental load of managing boring tasks.
If you're not allowed to use these tools, try to group these tasks together and do them at the end of your day.
Declutter
Regularly clean up your digital workspace. Organize your files, clear your inbox, and declutter your desktop to create a more efficient environment free of distraction.
Note from the author: you don't want to know how many icons I had on my desktop when I was still working. Sometimes, it took several minutes to find something. Cleaning up my desktop did miracles to my productivity.
Learn to say 'no'
By learning to say 'no,' you will keep your energy and focus on yourself. This doesn't mean you never should help others, but it recognizes that your work takes priority.
Note from the author: When I was still working, I was kind of a pleaser, always wanting to help others. This sometimes brought me into troubles getting a deadline. You have no idea how much extra I got when I finally learned to say 'No'. I now had lots of time to finish my own tasks. What a relief that was (and gone was the deadline stress).
3. Focus on time, not energy
Time is a very limited resource, so we should spend it very wisely.
Time management techniques can significantly improve your productivity, prevent procrastination, and ensure you complete your important work on time. Good time management helps you to preserve your precious energy and focus.
The 30/30 technique
After four cycles, take a longer break, from 15 to 30 minutes.
Note from the author: it took me years to realize that this is a variation of the 'Pomodoro Technique'.
Time blocking and boxing
This helps you to structure your day and ensures you dedicate enough time to each task.
Parkinson's law
Important tasks first
After finishing these tasks, you have the rest of your day to complete the smaller tasks of your to-do list without having to stress out to do the hardest thing on your list.
This is called the 'Eat the frog' technique.
4. Balance your personal and profesional life
A good balance between your personal and professional life is especially important for people working from home. There are no clear boundaries between your office and your home. So, it can be challenging to know when you leave work on your desk and when your personal life starts.
That is why it is important to define your work hours and stick to them by avoiding work-related activities during 'home time'.
When you have finished your work, try to do some hobbies instead of lying on your couch and watching TV. Pursuing hobbies gives you a mental break and increases your overall happiness, energy, and productivity.
Most people forget that good quality sleep is one of the most important parts of the day. It is essential for recharging your batteries, mood regulation, and overall health.
Can everyone do it?
The answer to this is simple: yes! Everyone can be productive a whole (working) day.
But you need to be willing to do it and accept failures because this isn't something that happens overnight. It takes some time and you will witness drawbacks and you will have to tweak and adjust some techniques, but at the end you will be amazed by the result.
As a starter, I would recommend reading '11 tips to save time and be more productive' and reflect on it. Being productive is not about working harder but working smarter.
By implementing time management methods into your daily routines, you will be able to work more efficiently and so doing more in less time. And this means you will have more time left in your day to spend on your hobbies, on your family, ...
Why aren't people productive a whole day?
Let's be honest: we are not robots. We can't productive a whole day One of the main reasons of not being productive or efficient is because many of us (me included) like to procrastinate, and this is completely normal. But the good news is that it's easy to beat procrastination, as you can read in '9 Reasons why you procrastinate'.
Another big obstacle to being a high-productive person is the willingness to become one. You will have to develop a complete new mindset (see 'Unleash your full potential and become an achiever').
You not only change your mindset, breaking out of your comfort-zone ('How to break out of your comfort zone') is probably the most difficult part.
You still have no idea how it comes you aren't as productive as you want to be. Probably you have some negative habits that are killing your efficiency. But, as always, these habits can be turned into something positive (see '9 toxic habits that kill your productivity'.
How I became efficient
You probably ask yourself why I am writing all this and wondering if I have any experience myself.
I have been working in a major American company where everything was focussed on efficiency (and safety). I followed several productivity and time management courses. And as time passed by, I became obsessed by working as efficient as possible, integrating several method in my own life. This doesn't mean I have every planned to the second, but I know I now have much more free time than ever before.
Intrigued by how successful people managed their time and energy, I started reading biographies (Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, etc.) and came to the conclusion that they not only have brilliant minds but they are also masters in managing their precious time. '9 habits of successful entrepreneurs'
