How to Be More Productive

This is one of the topics I find most comforting when it comes to self-help, because it gives a sense of meaningfulness and confidence in what you do.

The meaning of productivity is a state where you can produce useful products and services for the world or for yourself. There are simple ways to be productive:

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Tip 1 - Keep your table/study area/workplace clean and organized. I have this feeling of confusion when my table has too many things scattered on it. So, it's better if you keep as minimum things as possible on the area where you work. 

Tip 2 - Have a fresh mind. At this point, there is almost very little nature left in the world. The best thing you can do is plant little gardens in your balcony or backyard, and if possible, a whole community can together clear an area dedicated to nature, where they can place different plants and trees which are good for the environment and for us too. The color green is often associated with nature, calmness, and relaxation. Some studies have suggested that green can have a soothing effect on the eyes, as well as on the mind and body.  Another source claims that dark green color can absorb harmful UV rays and reduce glare, which can eliminate eye fatigue and anxiety. [However, the same source also notes that pure green cannot help your eyesight. Therefore, the color green may have some benefits for your eyes, but it is not a cure-all for vision problems.] So, you can conclude that looking at nature for a while can soothe you and keep your mind fresh. 

Tip 3 - Arrange your schedule. Sometimes at the end of the day, you might feel like you have too many tasks or issues to address in your work and you might not have time to complete it as the day is almost over. This may cause anxiety and stress during the night, which ruins your sleep. To fix this, you can try doing a 30-minute ritual (reference: Do It Today by Darius Foroux) during the evening on the days you feel overwhelmed. In this ritual:

• From minute 0 to minute 10: Close the Day
• From minute 10 to minute 20: Review Tomorrow's Calendar
• From minute 20 to minute 25: Prepare your Outfit (just don't waste your time and precious brain energy thinking about this in the morning)
• From minute 25 to minute 30: Visualize your Day.

You feel more planned about the next day, so that it's easy for you to fall asleep, knowing that every task you have ahead shall be attended to and solved tomorrow and today, all you have to do is sleep and recharge your brain.

Tip 4 - Disconnect from the Internet when you are doing something important. Let's take an example. Suppose you have to work on a project. If you have all sorts of social media like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and whatnot, people keep tweeting you and messaging you and you just can't write your book. At this point, I suggest you just log out of all social media and get disconnected from all those people who have no other work but distracting you. But another thing, just keep WhatsApp open and mute the notifications of every group and contact except for close family and friends [who have more common sense than to distract you] who may need to disturb you when it's something important. (If you disconnect from them too while doing your work, and they have something important to let you know but you just keep everything off, they'll blame me for writing this blog 😐)

Tip 5 - Record all your thoughts, ideas and plans. It's a good habit to keep a journal, because we all have RAM in our heads, and we can't remember everything. Unload your brain of few things and keep the brainpower for more useful stuff. When you are supposed to do certain tasks, list them down and prioritize them on paper, and then get to work. This prevents you from forgetting any task which is possible if you try to remember them in your head. It also increases efficiency of your work as you get to use your mind to the fullest while working.

Tip 6 - POMODORO TECHNIQUE! Let's grab some tomatoes! 🍅 It's good to take a 5-minute break every 30 to 45 minutes, or at least up to the time your brain can stay at work before wandering off to the movie theatre.

The Eisenhower Matrix is useful as it helps organize and prioritize your tasks as urgent or important. It helps you prioritize the important tasks, manage time efficiently in urgent tasks which do not necessarily state that YOU should do it, schedule important tasks that can wait, and eliminate tasks that are unnecessary all together. A sample Eisenhower Matrix-

Tip 7 - Eliminate your distractions. Are you addicted to unproductive Instagram reels? Delete Instagram. Or at least try signing out, if you really cannot delete it and you need to use it for a valid reason.

Tip 8 - Focus on one thing at a time. Sometimes it's better to allot a whole day to one specific task when it requires more attention and thinking. This way you can get the thing done efficiently.

Tip 9 - Stop Consuming Unnecessary Information. The brain has limited neurons which do not divide and multiply like other cells usually do. It is better if you use them for saving productive information.

Tip 10 - Stop Multitasking. A friend to all is a friend to none. I suppose you know this Aristotle quote. The same applies for tasks. If you do everything at once, nothing gets done. Multitasking splits your energy and at the end you might find yourself not being able to finish any task properly.

Tip 11 - No Smartphone during the first hour of your day. Let your first hour of the day be dedicated to yourself. No Internet, okay? It's a huge net.

Tip 12 - Exercise. It improves confidence and physical strength.

Tip 13 - Laugh. Hahahaha. It helps improve your mood.

Tip 14 - Read. It helps you learn new things and also refreshes your mind.

Tip 15 - Let Your Eyes Relax. Let them go green with nature or cucumber.

Tip 16 - Don't Carry the Work Everywhere. When you are studying, study, but when you come out of the study area, don't think about the studying you were doing. Enjoy the break or the family time you are having. Don't carry work into your family time or self-time. Stay present in the moment.

Let's get productive.

Picture credit: Google