A guide to maximizing productivity sans the stress!

All of us are working to achieve success. We often face setbacks and challenges, which causes us to procrastinate and put things off for later. In such cases, how do we manage our tasks? What should we do to get work done?

A skill that all of us need to cultivate in order to excel personally and professionally is productivity. All of us understand what productivity is, but how many of us actually know the true essence of the word?

In this article, we have put together some helpful tips and suggestions which will help you be more productive without experiencing burnout.

• Get rid of the guilt.

In order to make the most of your time and be productive, it is very important to rid yourself of the guilt you feel when you procrastinate. Procrastination is the enemy of productivity, and feeling guilty might make you realize that you aren’t using your time too well. But beyond that, it serves no purpose. That is why, you must mentally prepare yourself by acknowledging that you are procrastinating, and deciding that you want to do something about it. This will put you on the path to productivity.?

• Prioritize your tasks logically.

Very often, the reason we don’t get work done is that we fail to prioritize tasks. The time-management matrix given by Stephen Covey is very helpful for everyone who wants to work on the prioritization of tasks. It is important to take up urgent and important tasks first while cutting down on the time spent behind those tasks which don’t really give any tangible results. Time management and prioritization require proper planning, and these decisions require disciple, as David Allen discusses in his book Getting Things Done.?

• Tackle the difficult tasks first.

This is a very helpful practice that helps get things done in a more efficient and hassle-free way. When you take up the challenging tasks first, you are in fresh mind space, that allows you to get done with them. After that, you have plenty of time to take care of the other tasks, without overburdening yourself. Doing this also gives you a sense of accomplishment, which motivates you to complete the other tasks on your to-do list, thus making you more productive. As Brian Tracy rightly says in his book Eat That Frog, “If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first."

This is another way of saying that if you have two important tasks before you, start with the biggest, hardest, and most important task first.”

• Practice self-review.

One of the best ways to stay productive is to review your performance on a regular basis. You can choose to do it daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. No matter what field you are working in, having an action plan and assessing your progress is a great way to stay on track and understand your shortcomings. It also allows you to introspect and figure out the areas that need more work and helps you to be motivated from within. Self-review can also help you put things into perspective, and set your priorities according to your goals.

• Understand the true essence of productivity

For a lot of people, productivity means constant work without any breaks. Many people blindly chase a goal, and do not stop to rest because they think it might be a “waste of time”. However, it is very important to remember that in order to ensure maximum productivity, adequate rest is very important. You need to take care of your physical and mental health because otherwise, you will face burnout. Recovering from burnout can take up a lot of time and energy. Therefore, you must understand the real definition of productivity, and take small steps rather than trying to get everything done all at once.

Thus, we can all be productive by making simple changes to our routines. It will help us achieve the desired outcome from the effort that we put in, without adding to our stress.

It is a very helpful skill for success in our personal and professional lives.?

“When enough of the right action steps have been taken, some situation will have been created that matches your initial picture of the outcome closely enough that you can call it “done.”

- David Allen (Getting Things Done)