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 write a book. 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 damn 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 and ideas. 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.

Tip 6 - POMODORO TECHNIQUE! Let's go 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.

ALTERNATIVE

The Eisenhower Matrix can work out for people who get distracted when they take a break. This technique helps organize and prioritize your tasks as urgent or important. Another thing which can be useful, especially for students, is the blurting method, where you read your notes and then put it aside and summarize whatever you remember in another sheet of paper without looking at the original notes [I always do this and never knew the name until today 😅 It really works].

Tip 7 - Eliminate your distractions. Are you addicted to unproductive Instagram reels? Delete Instagram. 

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. I don't even have to say anything much about it. It's pretty straight to the point.

Tip 10 - QUIT 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. So, stop multitasking.

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 Out Loud (LOL). Hahahaha. It helps improve your mood.

Tip 14 - Read A LOT. Be Bill Gates.

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

Let's get productive.

Picture credit: Bing