How Do I Become More Productive?

I've always been a procrastinator, even though my Dad told me not to be. As an adult, I find that the more things I have to do, the harder it is for me to get anything done at all. This is a problem when you're responsible for running your own business. So what's the solution? How do I get past my procrastination and start being more productive?

Stop asking yourself how to be more productive, and start taking action.

Stop asking yourself how to be more productive, and start taking action. The only way you'll ever figure out how to be more productive is by moving forward and taking action. You can't just sit around thinking about it all day long, because that doesn't really get anything done. It's like trying to lose weight by watching commercials for fitness equipment—you're not going anywhere fast! So stop asking yourself how to be more productive, and start taking action instead.

If you want to become more productive, you need to eliminate the tasks that keep you from working on what matters most.

If you want to become more productive, you need to eliminate the tasks that keep you from working on what matters most. This can be as simple as reducing clutter in your house or office and only keeping those items that are necessary for your work. You might find yourself with extra time when there aren't any papers or objects lying around.

If something isn't important, don't do it! It's easy to fall into traps of doing things that don't matter—or even worse, things that make us feel bad about ourselves: work emails sent unnecessarily late at night or a pile of dishes in the sink after dinner (and then having them sit there for days). We tend to justify these behaviours by thinking they'll take care of themselves somehow, but I promise they won't! And besides, if we're constantly busy putting out fires and dealing with minutiae instead of focusing on our goals and priorities, how can we achieve them?

Consider setting a timer.

Consider setting a timer for a short period of time. If you have an overwhelming amount of work to do, it's easy to get stuck in that mindset and think that all your tasks are equally important. But if you only set the timer for an hour or two, and then check in on the progress made after that amount of time has passed, it can really help encourage focus and productivity—and combat procrastination.

Set a timer for longer periods of time. If working on one task at a time sounds like too much commitment, try setting timers for entire days or weeks at once! This will help keep track of how much work gets done over larger periods of time and allow you to stay accountable for various goals you set in advance (such as saving money).

Set a timer specifically for certain types of tasks or people/locations involved with those tasks. For example: if someone has been emailing me every day asking when they'll hear back from me about something I'm supposed to do but haven't done yet because I've been distracted by other things...

Make your goals manageable.

You can't do everything at once, so don't try. Instead, make your goals manageable by breaking them down into smaller chunks and focusing on one or two goals at a time.

For example, if you want to get more organized and start budgeting for your expenses, try starting with just keeping track of how much money goes out each month (a small goal). Once that's done, focus on creating an actual budget and sticking with it (a bigger goal).

• How much are your monthly expenses?
• What are some ways they could be reduced?

Practice saying "no."

You know what's the best way to avoid being tired? Saying "no" when you need a break. It might seem counterintuitive, but it's actually one of the best ways to ensure that you're not over-stressing yourself. In fact, some experts believe that taking breaks throughout your workday is actually more important than working straight through.

If you find it difficult to say no—or if you feel guilty about doing so—here are some tips for making it easier:

• Make sure that whatever you're saying no to doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things (like those invites from friends).
• Don't give into pressure from other people, especially if they're trying to guilt trip or manipulate you into something (like going on vacation with them).
• Remember that no one can make us do something we don't want to do; we have complete control over our own actions and reactions!

Set specific times for work and for rest.

To become more productive, you need to set aside specific times for work and for rest. This is easier said than done, but it's a practice that will pay off in the long run.

When you're ready to work, there are a few ways to tell if you've had enough rest. If your body feels heavy or sluggish and you're having trouble sitting still or focusing on what needs to be done, then it probably means that it's time for another break!

When taking breaks during your workday (or at any point), don't just sit around doing nothing—do something active instead. This can mean going outside and taking a walk around the block or even just stretching while watching TV (which is recommended by many doctors).

Keep track of your energy level throughout the day.

To be productive, it's important to pay attention to how you feel throughout the day. You can do this by keeping track of your energy level on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being "exhausted" and 10 being "full of energy."

• What is your energy level like in the morning?
• How does that compare with how you feel after lunch?
• Do you notice any patterns over time — do certain activities make you more or less energetic at any given time?

It's also important to think about what actions would make you more energetic at different points in your day. For instance: if I know that I do my best work when I'm most energized (say around noon), then it might be helpful for me to schedule my most important tasks for then rather than later in the day.

Reward small victories.

When you're trying to get things done, it can be tempting to think that rewards will only make you feel bad if they don't come quickly enough. That's not true: rewards are actually a key motivator and a great way to boost productivity. However, in order for rewards to be effective at increasing your productivity levels and ensuring that you keep up the good work, they need to be meaningful and consistent.

It's also important that whatever reward you choose is one that works well with your personality type and interests. For example, if you enjoy reading as much as I do (and if so—I have SO many recommendations!), then reading novels could be an excellent way for me to reward myself during my work sessions; however, some people might find this too distracting from their actual tasks at hand! If possible, try experimenting with different types of rewards until one clicks for you—this could mean finding something new like listening to podcasts or re-watching old episodes of Friends; it could also mean doing something old favourites like taking yourself out for coffee every once in awhile (you deserve it!).

Productivity is a habit, not something you can accomplish by trying harder.

Productivity is a skill. It's also a mindset, one that you can adopt.

Productivity isn't something you achieve by trying harder, or even trying at all. In fact, productivity is much more about what you do than about how hard you work. If it were just about being diligent and putting in more hours at your desk, then everyone would be productive! Obviously we're not all working from 9am to 5pm every day just like we're supposed to be—because if they were productive enough, they'd already have finished their memo and gone home by now!

Why? Because the way most people think about productivity isn't right: it's not something that happens when someone works harder; instead it has everything to do with how well someone understands the process of being productive (which is why there are so many different methods for doing so).

The first step toward improving your productivity habits is understanding what exactly those habits are and where they come from: as soon as you know what makes up your current system and how it works (or doesn't), then you can take steps toward making improvements that fit into your lifestyle without disrupting anything else important to yourself or others around you

Conclusion

If you’re like most people, being more productive and getting more done each day is important to you. And if you’re reading this post, it seems that becoming more productive is also a priority for you. Luckily, there are steps we can all take to become better at what we do—no matter what our field or industry might be. If we focus on the things that matter most (our families! our health! our work!), we can live happier lives while doing less overall work per day—all thanks to productivity hacks like those above.