We live in a hustle culture, and while that can be a good thing, it can also lead to burnout and frustration. Me personally, I believe that we all require seasons of grind. Seasons where the focus is on working hard to expedite the progress of our goals. Once the season ends, things can go back to normal, and you can incorporate a lot more fun.
Regardless of whatever season you’re in, prioritizing being productive should always be a goal. Being productive means you’re making the most of your time to get things done. It doesn’t mean working harder but working smarter and more efficiently. I’m sharing 7 habits to help boost your productivity, so you can get more done and feel better about the work you’re doing.
7 Habits to Help Boost Your Productivity
#1 Leverage “Do Not Disturb” regularly
Now, I understand this may be difficult for those with children, but iPhone has different “Do Not Disturb” statuses that can include exceptions. For example, you can block all incoming calls except for calls from specific numbers.
The point is to give yourself some uninterrupted time to get work done. I like to leverage DND when I need to crush out an article or record a podcast episode, then I’ll check my phone before moving to the next one. It helps me stay in the flow while I’m working, but then gives me the opportunity to check out before moving on to the next task.
#2 Add pops of color or live plants
According to interior designer Jenny Guald of Turnstone, “Color can have a major effect on your mood and productivity throughout the day”. For example, the color blue promotes feelings of calm and focus, while red may be great for work that requires accuracy or stronger attention to detail.
Another way to boost your productivity is to work in an environment with live plants. A study by the American Society for Horticultural Science found that workers who were exposed to plants in their workspace reported feeling less stressed and more productive.
#3 Try listening to instrumental music or binaural beats when working
I know admitting this is going to make me sound so weird, but I’ve been obsessed with the Stranger Things Relaxing Things Mix 2 playlist on YouTube. For some reason, these sounds help increase my productivity and give me great vibes while I’m working.
My point is to listen to music that promotes productivity, instead of music with words. When we hear the words, we get distracted from the work we’re doing. You don’t have to make the switch permanently, but give it a try and see how it impacts your productivity.
#4 Focus on the most important tasks first
This habit has been one of my most impactful productivity hacks. Every day, I list out what needs to get done (i.e. what tasks are reflected in Asana). Then, I pick the top 1-3 tasks from that list that are the most important. I work on those tasks first.
Getting the most important tasks completed first helps me feel accomplished and ensures that I truly do get the highest priority tasks done in my day. Sometimes things do come up that interfere with my most important tasks, but usually when I work on them first, they get done.
#5 Break up your day by getting outside
Not only does getting outside give you an automatic mood boost, but the activity of walking around your house or place of work can make you feel better overall. It’s like you give yourself a “mini checkout”, so you can get back inside and feel ready to get back to work!
I break up my day at the office at least 2 or 3 times. This helps me hit my goal of 10,000 steps per day and allows me to come back feeling ready for the next task!
#6 Start batching your work or tasks
Taken directly from 5 Ways a Type A Personality Stays Organized: If you haven’t heard of batching, I’m going to blow your mind. Batching is the process of scheduling similar tasks to be completed in one sitting. This means that your dedicated hours or days are spent completing the same tasks, just for months in advance.
A perfect example of this is writing articles. Personally, I batch my City Girl Savings articles. That means that one week every quarter is dedicated to writing articles for the next quarter. It takes me a few days to get one quarter’s worth of articles written. That means I won’t have to worry about writing any more articles until the next quarter.
Batching is helpful for a few reasons. First, it allows you to get things done in advance. Second, it keeps your focus on one task at a time. I’m already in the zone after writing one article, I may as well keep it going to get the other articles written too!
The beauty of batching is that it can be implemented in any area of your life, career, or business. Use it to get similar work tasks completed. Use it to get personal or home chores done in advance. Leverage it to make sure your business responsibilities are covered. Try it on a small scale, then start taking it up a notch – you’ll see how much better planned and organized you are.
#7 Learn to give yourself grace if everything doesn’t get done
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes things come up. Life happens. Learning to give myself grace has allowed me to get back to work (when the time allows) and not feel defeated. It’s not always easy, and I’ll admit that I do struggle with this one, but it truly does make a difference in my overall productivity.
Related: 5 Task Management Tools I Can’t Live Without
Being productive doesn’t just mean hustle, go, and don’t stop. Productivity is your ability to get things done in the most efficient and effective ways possible. I hope the habits listed above can help you feel more accomplished and productive throughout your days. It feels good to get things done! Do you have any productivity tips? What helps you make the most of your time when working? Drop a comment below to share!
-Raya
The CGS Team
