How to Improve Your Daily Routine to Increase Productivity
Productivity is an essential factor in making every second worthy of accomplishing your daily goals. Every one of us wants to work smarter, not harder. That’s why we always strive to achieve more each day. However, most of us still struggle with productivity.
The way you start your morning can influence the rest of the day. Have you ever experienced waking up in the morning feeling exhausted and too lazy to get up? You almost throw that alarm clock that keeps ringing you to jump off the bed. If that’s how you start your day, imagine how you will spend the next hours? How can you be productive and make excellent results from the goals you set for the day?
For most of us, the usual routine would be starting your day with the sound of your alarm clock, going to work, beating deadlines, creating plans, and going home tired and stressed. Being busy seems to be monotonous. But, being busy doesn’t mean you're productive. Some busy people accomplish less, and some individuals accomplish more by doing less.
Successful People Have Their Productivity Hacks
Every successful person you idolize has his or her ways and techniques on how to deal with every course they have for the day. Practically every successful person you’ve ever heard of, from celebrities, athletes, politicians and entrepreneurs, all have this one key thing in common: they know how to make their days more productive – and they have their significant way to start their day.
Ophrah Winfrey, regardless of her busy daily schedule, always try to find time in meditating and doing a workout before she faces the pressure of the intense working day.
Pop Music Icon Lady Gaga never failed to allot 5 minutes of her time in creating compassionate thoughts for self-directed love and gratitude
“Hour Power” is a morning ritual performed by motivational speaker and coach Tony Robbins.
Even the famous Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s richest billionaire have learnt to do his mind and body exercise every morning. He spends an hour doing a cardio workout on the treadmill and watches instructional videos from the Teaching Company. He ensures that his health is always in good condition.
Besides, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs starts his day by asking this question to himself, “If today was the last day of my life, would I be happy with what I’m about to do today?” He knew that something needs to be changed if he answered this question with a No!
If you want to improve your career and to look for ways to make your day more productive, here’s what you need to do:
#1 Wake up early
Waking up early can give you additional hours in the day and work on some things free from distractions. You can do some exercises first or write down your thoughts on a journal. This is very helpful because, by the time that other people are just starting to get up from their beds, you’re already prepared and energized to continue working on the rest of the tasks.
#2 Create a great morning routine.
There are various ways to spend your morning. Are you someone who checks your phone or social media account right after you wake up? Regardless of what’s the first thing you do, it is crucial that you create a great morning routine. Here are some ideas to start your day right :
- Eat a healthy breakfast.
- Do some creative and productive works such as journalizing or reading a book.
- Make sure to set the alarm time for you to wake up.
- Be consistent with your morning routines.
- Enjoy what you are doing.
#3 Learn to prioritize.
One of the biggest challenges you will face as an entrepreneur is to prioritize the work that matters daily accurately.
Avoid procrastinating. Do what you can do today instead of piling tasks up for tomorrow.
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey
It is crucial to collect the tasks you have in a day. You need to identify the works that are urgent and what’s important. Do what is required to be done at the end of the day.
Part of learning to prioritize is the fact that you have to be flexible and adaptable. With this, you will learn to focus on the tasks you’re committed to finishing while being open to sudden changes.
#4 Plan ahead.
It’s a great idea to have a plan before going to bed. Create a to-do list. This can be a list of the most important things you want to accomplish the next day.
According to the famous motivational speaker and writer, Brian Tracy, planning your day the night before can be a big help. Your subconscious goes to work on your plans and goals while you’re sleeping. That makes you more motivated to start your activities when you wake up in the morning.
#5 Learn how to multitask.
Multitasking is one of the keys to a productive day. Not only will it lessen your workloads, but it will also allow you to finish a particular project in a shorter time resulting in more time for relaxation.
Take it from Bill Gates. Bill Gates uses three monitors. One set up for displaying incoming emails, one serves as his regular desktop, and the other one is set for whatever email he’s doing. Gates gives each correspondence the time, focus and attention it needs. It is something that you can implement in your life.
#6 Relax and take productive breaks.
"There is a virtue in work, and there is a virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither." - Alan Cohen
Your body and mind can be tired, too. Do not push your health to the limit. When you feel tired or fatigued, you will not be able to accomplish the goals you need to complete. Sometimes, you have to spend some time to relax and have a break mentally, emotionally and physically. It can help you get away from the stress of the busy world. This will free your mind from worry and will refresh yourself to get back into work again.
#7 Take care of your body.
Stay fit and healthy. In spite of your busy schedule, you have to give yourself time to exercise. Your body needs it. Also, get enough sleep, so you won’t find yourself running empty. Sleep is not just right for the body, but it is also good for the mind. Remember, you can accomplish great things with a healthy body and mind.
#8 Be happy, celebrate, and enjoy life.
Make the most of everything and take time to appreciate the little things around you. It’s not just the big things that deserve a celebration. Every day should be a happy day. You have so much more to be thankful for in life! Enjoying life is the key to happiness.
#9 Utilize the power of today’s productivity tools.
Today’s technology offers some apps and project management tools that can help you get more organized in planning, scheduling, delegating, and implementing tasks. A calendar app on your mobile phone can be a big help, so you’ll not miss any meetings and events. Also, other tools can help you monitor your productivity levels so you’ll be on a proper track.
#10 Reward yourself for finishing a big task.
Rewarding yourself after finishing a big task will help you become more motivated in everything you will do. Whether it is a small or big task, you need to keep track of it and celebrate your milestones. Whenever you will look back and realize how you’ve learned to become productive, you will get more motivated and grateful.
We are all given 24 hrs a day, and if we wonder why there are individuals who accomplish more as compared to other people. The reason for that is how they spend their time and make the most of it. So, with all the tips as mentioned above, you can start changing your daily routine and turn each day to be more productive.