Now is always a great time to refocus your energies and look into ways to becoming more productive. Here are a few ideas that you can use to help boost your productivity...
ᴿᴹ Get organised Organise your space- get rid of the things you don’t need or want and make space for everything else. Having a clean and organised surrounding helps for clarity in thought and action. You will also find that you will waste less time looking for things and more time focusing on your goals and projects. ᴿᴹ Have a routine
Have a daily routine, where you make time for the things you want to work on. A routine is a great way to structure your day while working on your goals. If you want to do something, schedule it in. Your time is precious so with effective forward planning, you can get the most of your days. ᴿᴹ Enjoy the process: Instead of focusing on the end goal, make your primary goal to enjoy the process. Once you find the enjoyment of reading, researching and writing up reports for instance, the end goal of getting that dream job/ career will seem less daunting and less hard to reach. You will get to your end goal; but it’s not going to happen overnight so don’t spend your time daydreaming about that end state instead focus on the present and learn to enjoy all the elements there are in getting to the end state. ᴿᴹ Challenge yourself: Don’t get too comfortable with your current skill level. Try to develop a critical eye on your work so you can always think of what went right and what you can improve on. Challenge yourself; take risks, develop your skills beyond what you think you are already capable of. ᴿᴹ Work SMART not hard You have probably heard the anagram, SMART- it stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time specific. For your work to be effective give yourself a specific goal and make sure it is measurable. For instance, if your goal is to workout three times a week, note down how often you go to the gym- that’s you measuring yourself. Be realistic with your goals- so instead of becoming a heavyweight boxer overnight, give yourself a more realistic goal and then work your way up. And finally, be time specific with your goals. ᴿᴹ Accept constructive criticism: As difficult as it, try not to get so emotionally invested into your work that you are not able to take constructive criticism. There is always room for growth and improvement so don’t be afraid of the critiques. Ask your peers, colleagues, friends, siblings, even your managers to have a look at your work and ask for some advice and tips. You may be surprised at some of the feedback you receive. ᴿᴹ Network: Sometimes, knowing the right people can be hugely beneficial. Saying this, I am not advising that you go and befriend every single person that works in the industry of your choosing. Instead, just keep yourself open to meeting new people and have conversations with them. Tell people what you are interested in and let the conversation flow. This is a great way to bond as you get to talk about your mutual passions and interests and thus effective networking. ᴿᴹ Hit flow: Many productivity advice blog posts will suggest that you block out set times of 25 minutes to work and then take a 15 minute break and then work for another 25 minutes. However, working in this way does not allow you to hit flow. Flow is that state that you reach when you are able to block out all distractions because you are completely focused and absorbed in the task at hand. When you hit flow, you lose a sense of self and a sense of time. It is the most enjoyable and productive way to work. ᴿᴹ Know when to say yes and when to say no One of the most common pieces of advice you will hear is to say yes to any experience that is in line with where you want to end up. Although this is a great way to build up your cv, sometimes it is wise to say no to some opportunities as they can take up more time and energy and have very little pay off. Be careful that you don’t fall into an endless loop of internships and voluntary work all in the name of building up your experience. ᴿᴹ Have a break Regular breaks are important. Don’t exhaust yourself by trying to get it all done in a short space of time. That way you will only overwhelm and exhaust yourself. Take regular breaks and reflect on your work and enjoy all the progresses you have made.
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