Staying productive and motivated can be very tricky, even if you’re naturally a workaholic. Being more productive means learning how you best work, and how to consciously pay attention to your working cycle to get the most out of it.
Here is a guide to finding your most productive self.
Taking Regular Breaks Counts as Productivity, Too
To maximize your motivation, you don’t need to work for hours on end without stopping. This is a surefire way to burn out quickly and lose interest in your job, which you need to avoid to work effectively.
Try to spread regular breaks out throughout the day, so you know which break times you’re aiming towards. Or, if you feel as though you’re hitting a wall with your motivation, it’s better to take a quick break and return to your work with a clearer head. Breaks should ideally be spent away from your workstation, and spent doing something completely unrelated to work to distract your mind; you could read a book, take a brisk walk or use LottoGo on your mobile for a quick game.
Understand Your Productivity Levels
You shouldn’t compare yourself to a morning person if you work best at night; you shouldn’t feel inadequate if you fail to get motivated at certain times when everyone around you is at their peak performance. You’re your own person, which means you have your own levels of productivity, and they may be different from everyone else’s.
It’s important to recognize when you’re most productive to delegate the most important tasks to this timeframe.
Get Rid of Distractions
Decide what most distracts you and eliminate it so that your mind can fully focus. If you’re someone who needs to work in silence, then eliminate anything which causes a noise (as much as you can, anyway). If you know you have a habit of reaching for your phone to check notifications, then ensure your phone is not only away from the workstation, but out of reach, too.
Stay in Good Shape
Staying healthy and active makes for a keen mind which can better focus. You will work much more productively if you have high energy levels from a healthy diet and a good fitness routine.
The less in shape you are, the less you exercise and the less you take care of yourself, the more sluggish and unmotivated you are going to feel.
Consider working out before you start your working day to get your blood pumping, adrenaline flowing, and your brain more alert. Also, make sure you’re getting enough hours of sleep to avoid tiredness.
Work to Deadlines
If you don’t have official deadlines for completing tasks, then form your own. If you know you’re free to spend all day on something, you probably will. Set your own ideal finish time in your head – such as ‘I want to complete this task by midday before lunch’ – and then you will work more productively towards hitting that target.
