4 Tips for a Productive Week

We’ve all been there, feeling like we're wasting time and looking for ways to boost our productivity. The good news is that it's an achievable goal — here are some proven tips for making the most of your workday:?

• Use your internal clock to schedule important tasks that require the most attention and brain power
• Before going to sleep at night, plan your schedule for the next day. Planning makes us more likely to accomplish what we've set out—and written down—"to do."?
• Adapt your rituals to the type of work you do. Performing a particular task in a particular workspace or at a specific time may be required
• Make sure you aren't 100% booked. If your calendar looks full, schedule some time to do nothing. You can use this time as a buffer between meetings to tackle unexpected tasks during the day.? Try at least one of these tips and notice the difference in your weekly schedule.?

A fun fact - 90% of people check their mobile phones first thing in the morning. While this may seem harmless, waking up and seeing our phones first thing in the morning leads us to have a reacting day. Think about it - If the first thing you do when you roll out of bed is open your email, read your texts or listen to voicemails, you are essentially putting yourself second. Whether good, bad, or no news - you are letting other people set the tone for the day.?

Align your work with your body clock

Your body clock is the natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle that we all experience. Everyone has a different body clock and it influences the energy levels we feel throughout the day. Let’s say about 50% of the people like working in the mornings, and the rest enjoy being night owls.?The majority of us are somewhere in the middle, experiencing peak alertness before noon, a dip in energy after lunch, and a second wind in the late afternoon.

To plan your workday better, start by assessing your chronotype for a better understanding of how you work. The best way to plan your day is to align the tasks that require the most brain power and attention when your energy levels peak during the day.?

Plan your day the night before

A productive task requires planning - When we write down what we intend to do — and when and where we intend to do it — we are far more likely to achieve our goals. Use a planner and make a to-do list - Write down tasks that you can do between your meetings and take a few minutes. Whether it is making a phone call, or writing a work email. Take a few minutes to complete the task. As a result of this planning, you are likely to achieve many small tasks VS one big study!?

Curate different rituals for different tasks?

Structure your day by choosing your working location deliberately. Identify your main work categories and create rituals around them. The rituals might involve your physical location or the time of day you complete a certain task. For example, you may prefer taking zoom calls from the quiet in your bedroom or sitting out on a sunny porch while clearing your inbox.

Tip: Practice these rituals for at least a couple of weeks. It takes time to get into a flow, but when you do, it will become easier and happen more quickly the more your practice. Your brain will begin to associate cues — like your physical environment and the time of day — with certain types of work.?

Make sure you aren’t 100% booked

People tend to assume that the most productive people are booked solid for their entire day. Most of the people I've spoken to, however, disagree. If you have meetings all day long, you won't be able to live your everyday life. Having no free time limits your chances of having serendipitous conversations or inspiring creative moments.?

Pro Tip: A fully blocked day can create a false sense of productivity.? If your calendar looks full, deliberately schedule a time to do nothing or you can even use it for planned spontaneity – times for unexpected ideas to be sparked.

Productivity isn’t about how many hours you work, or how many to-do’s you’re able to cross off your list. It’s about doing the work in an efficient and time-effective manner and that starts with being intentional about your day. Don’t leave it to chance — use the tips above to get started.

- Kajal Sabherwal