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Wednesday, February 28, 2018
5 Daily Habits That Will Increase Your Productivity Levels
Contributed By
Matt Mayberry
Speaker and Maximum Performance Strategist. CEO of Matt Mayberry Enterprises
Source: Entrepreneur
This article originally was published on Jan. 1, 2015.
“How can I become more productive?” is a question that will continue to always come up.
Everyone wants to get more done and feel a sense of accomplishment as each day comes to an end. There are a million different productivity tips out there, but here are five ways to increase your productivity levels that have worked wonders in my own life.
1. Arrive early, stay later
Living in a congested city such as Chicago, I have found that if I start my workday before everyone else, I can save time by beating traffic and getting to my most important tasks right away. Sitting in traffic will do nothing but frustrate you and set a negative tone for the rest of your day. The same goes for when the end of the work day rolls around.Your ability to save these extra hours can not only increase your productivity levels drastically, but help you become one of the highest paid and most productive people in your field. Arriving early and staying a little bit later could make all the difference in the world.
2. Plan each day the night before
This is a total game changer. If you spend just 15 minutes before you go to bed the night before creating your to-do list and prioritizing it, you will have a head start on your day when the morning rolls around. After I create my to-do list, I pick the most important tasks and put a little star next to them reminding me that these are the tasks that need to be done to push me forward with achieving big goals.3. Leave the office for lunch
This is something so small that can have such a powerful effect on how you work for the remainder of your day. Getting out of your work environment for lunch can ease stress levels, refresh your creativity and help you to re-focus for when it’s time to go back to work. I often take a short walk to clear my head and think about how I want the rest of my day to go.4. Minimize distractions
This seems self-explanatory, but in this day and age, distractions are everywhere. If you work from a computer, as most do, there is the temptation to check social media and surf the Internet, among many other things. When it’s time to work, work! If possible, close your door and have a "do not disturb" sign hanging on the door so your co-workers know not to bother you.Check This Out!: Need content for your Website, Blog, Newsletter, Brochure and other publications? Talk to our content production experts here!
Every company has those employees that love to talk about what was on TV the night before instead of actually getting important things done. Don’t let these average achievers hold you back. Set boundaries and try your very best to abide by them daily. Your ability to minimize distractions as much as possible can single handedly increase productivity.
5. Keep your goals in sight at all times
After setting extremely big and exciting goals that you want to accomplish, keep them in sight at all times. I keep a list of my goals in my phone, a note card that I carry in my pocket and in a spiral notebook. The main objective is to keep your goals in a place where you will end up seeing them many times throughout your day. When I glance down at my goals, my motivation levels to get things done goes through the roof.Start to picture yourself as the most productive person in your field. How does it feel? What tasks are you spending the majority of your time on? What is your philosophy on personal performance? Be in competition with yourself to see how much you can get done. Have fun with it. Make it a game.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Follow These 8 Steps to Stay Focused and Reach Your Goals
Decrease
the amount of noise in your head
Contributed By:Nina Zipkin
Source: Entrepreneur
Accomplishing a goal can be hard work. But even if a project is something you are passionate about and want to complete, distractions such as social media, doubts and other tasks can make it nearly impossible to concentrate on it. Don’t fret. We're here to help.
Check out these eight steps to help you prioritize and clear your mind.
1. Stop multitasking
Instead of trying to do a million things at once, take a step back and tackle one task at a time. And while your inclination might be to start your day with busy work -- like checking emails -- and then move onto to the harder things, you should try to get your brain moving by challenging yourself with with a bigger, more creative endeavor first thing.2. Block out your days
A good way to hold yourself accountable when it comes to quieting the noise all around you is to specifically block out time in your day -- maybe it’s 30 minutes or an hour -- to spend on a given project. Color code your calendar or set a timer to make sure you are accomplishing the goal at hand.Check This Out!: Need content for your Website, Blog, Newsletter, Brochure and other publications? Talk to our content production experts here!
3. Get your blood pumping
You can’t focus if your are stuck inside and staring at a
screen all day long. Turn off your computer and phone, and go for a walk for 20
minutes. The fresh air and the movement will clear your head. Also make sure
that you are drinking enough water and getting enough rest.
4. Help your technology help you
A platform like RescueTime,
a software that runs while you work and shows you how you are spending your
day, could help you understand why something is taking longer to complete than
it should. Options like Cold Turkey, Freedom and Self
Control block out the internet entirely to keep you off your Twitter feed
when you should be meeting deadlines.
5. Meditate
Get a recommendation for a yoga or meditation class, or even make it an office outing so everyone get some time to quiet their minds. Or look online for a plethora of apps and platforms whose stock and trade is mindfulness, like Meditation Made Simple, Calm and Headspace. For slightly more of a monetary investment, you could look into wearable tech like Thync, a device that produces electrical pulses to help your brain decrease stress.Read more: 10 Apps and Gadgets to Help You Find Zen
6. Change up what’s in your headphones
While background noise might help block out a loud office or
construction outside your window, you need to be careful that what you are
listening to isn’t distracting you more. Music with lyrics can sap your focus
from the task in front of you, so consider trying classical or electronic music
instead. Or use a playlist that is familiar to you, so you aren’t tempted to
turn all your attention to the new sound.
7. Streamline your communication
If you find that all of your focus gets trained on getting
your inbox down to zero, think about how you can get yourself out from under a
relentless deluge of email. Ask yourself and your colleagues to think about
whether this conversation would be most effective through email, on the phone
or in person. Taking five minutes to walk over to someone else’s workspace will
save you the time and energy invested into a redundant email chain and clarify
how you want to attack a problem more quickly.