Boost your Productivity with these tried and tested techniques

For most people in the workforce, going to work on Monday mornings can be a struggle after a fun filled weekend.

The following 7 techniques will help you create new habits to increase and boost your productivity.

1. Jump into a regular routine

Set up a regular routine for all your activities during the day. By doing this, you will increase your personal efficiency and acclimate your body to doing certain tasks at certain times such as sleeping, eating lunch, working out, responding to emails, etc. One way to ensure that you are on track to the review your days productivity and setting priorities for the next day each evening before going to sleep. This will put your mind at ease and set the tone for the next day.

2. Do the tough things first

As human beings, we tend to leave that which brings us the most “pain” for last, or even worse yet, avoid doing them all together. This is part of the survival process which is embedded in our central nervous system and is usually the leading cause of failure in most people. Because of fearing rejection or our fear of failing, we procrastinate to act on ideas, projects or networking opportunities which are the difference maker to achieving success. Doing the “tough” things first will ensure that we build-up our tolerance muscles and make the easy things a blast.

3. Sleep on it

Any time you face a tough decision it might be a good idea to take the day to think about how best to approach it. You should consider the pros, the cons, and tasks needed to take this on. Sometimes making a rush decision can be counter productive and once made can’t be reversed. So just sleep on it and then tackle it with top priority the next day.

4. Note it all down

With the use of phones or tablets, we now have the ability to write down or record notes of all our ideas, tasks or whatever else we desire. We can even use free apps to help us schedule reminders, set priorities and even share ideas or tasks with others. Since we are always being bombarded with information, and other distractions, this is a great way for us to ensure we capture things which are truly important to keep us focused.

5. Clear your schedule once per week

I’m going to make this very simple. Schedule time to think, reflect, and focus on yourself. Use this time to “pay yourself” back for all the hard work you’ve done that week. Take this time to treat your body and mind to other possibilities. Not doing so will burn you out.

6. Control your activity for social media

Schedule and set timers for the amount of time you will spend on social media. Your time should be spent doing productive tasks such and networking, researching or posting content which is directly aligned with your goals. Delete connections from your timeline or whom you follow which bog down your time and which don’t bring you any value.