Wednesday, March 23, 2011

7 Efficient Ways To Double Your Productivity


Do you find yourself struggling to do all the tasks that you need to do every day? Do you want to learn simple, effective methods to increase your productivity in ways you never thought possible? It’s time that you learn how to properly double or triple your productivity! Here are 7 tips that can get you started on the right track:

Work at your energy peaks

We all have our own time of the day where we feel at our very best. Some people are more energized in the morning, while others in the evening. Figure out what part of the day you are at your very best mentally and physically, and this is the time that you should be doing your most important and demanding task. Also, by keeping a healthy lifestyle, you will make your energy peak periods last longer, which is to your advantage in becoming more productive.

Prioritize your to-do list

Separate your to-do list into different parts, depending on their level of importance. For example, break down your list in parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. In part 1, list all your most important tasks. Then in 2, list the second most important tasks, and so on. Then, ONLY work on part 2 items when ALL part 1 items are completed. This will not only help you organize your to-do list into a more practical manner, it will also make you focus only on the most important tasks at hand. Imagine how productive you get if you always work on the most crucial task at any given moment!

Do worst thing first

Stop procrastinating the task that you don’t want to do. Get it done, and get it out of the way as soon as possible. You will feel better, trust me! If you linger around, doing other things, you will never get that harder task done. Usually, the harder tasks are the more important tasks, so if you can master this rule, you will witness your productivity skyrocket. Take the habit of doing the things you feel less like doing first, as this is the key to self discipline, which will boost your efficiency.

Organize your work area

Many people tend to work in a cluttered environment, with all kinds of papers and documents lying all over their desk. They claim that they can "find themselves" throughout all that mess. This is a common occurrence. Truth is, a clean desk equals clean work. So stop telling yourself that "this is how I work", because you are fooling yourself into accepting less than optimal conditions to increase your productivity and success. Develop the habit of always filing away what you don’t need right away, and throw away things that you do not use. Keep your desk and work area clean, and in order. Your productivity can only be maximized within such an environment. You might want to read 10 Tips For Productive Desk Work for more information on this.

Use commute time effectively

Most people spend over an hour per day commuting to work and back home. Think of the most effective way that you can use this hour of your day to enhance your productivity. You can take that time to read a book, or go over important documents or notes. If you are driving, you can listen to motivational audiotapes, or audiobooks. In any event, there are many ways that you can use this commute time more appropriately so that you can benefit as much as possible from it.

Optimize your work processes

In many of our tasks, there are steps that can be fixed, skipped, or optimized. This can save us a tremendous amount of time, as research has shown that up to 30% of processes can be optimized. Take a look at the processes involved in your tasks, and see if you can optimize them as much as possible. Work requiring less steps is also more likely to be of better quality, as well as a huge time saver. See if you can do your work in batches for example. Remember that there is always a more efficient way of doing what you do, so keep that in mind and let it motivate you to improve your work processes.

Balance out your life

Keep in mind that while we live in a success and achievement driven society, most of our happiness comes from our relationships with one another. So make it your duty to spend time with your loved ones and cultivate your friendships. Happier people work better and more efficiently. This leads to more success and more free time for your relationships, so you can see how this comes full circle. Boosting your productivity will end up making you a happier, more successful person as a whole!

55 comments:

  1. Awesome post! Productivity is a big issue for me, because I tend to lose focus. Maybe if I use some things from your post I can get better at this.

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  2. nice list - the "work at your energy peaks" really opened my eyes.. i realize, now that i really think about it, that i'm much more energetic in the late afternoon to evening and i should take much more advantage of that!

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  3. Good general info. I'll stop procrastinating right now!

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  4. Wow... 4 desktop screens would be awesome. Like, seriously, digital workspace to the max! :D

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  5. Nice list. I lie the 4 monitors setup :)

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  6. Thanks for the great advise

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  7. I like this advice, being a fairly un-organized person most of the time. =p

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  8. Once again, another great post. Keep it up!

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  9. Hah! I'm like the most disorganized person ever. Which probably explains my lack of productivity at work. Makes sense. LOL

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  10. great info, thx so much for sharing

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  11. This was really useful, nice setup...

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  12. Good advices my friend. But in fakt sometimes we don't need to do worse things, someone else will do :D

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  13. hah when i clean my work area i end up cleaning the entire room, vacuuming and scrubbing the tables!

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  14. nice list :)

    http://le-nerd.blogspot.com/

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  15. this was a interesting read

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  16. This was pretty good. Tell me how to stop procrastinating now and you're my new hero :P

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  17. thanks for the tips, really helpful

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  18. Such good advice!!! I should read this every day, because I always seem to get off track. Old habits die hard:-#

    I'll keep following, follow me!
    AllAboutSerialKillers.blogspot.com

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  19. My morale always goes up when my workplace looks clean and presentable. Good tips.

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  20. this post was great, i am having major difficulties being motivated enough to pay attention on work/school

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  21. if you don't keep a clean work area then you're bound to get distracted by something. That's why it's always good to have a clean work area.

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  22. Perfect information when im working in the Arctic. Will need this when im huddled in my office.

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  23. You, sir, are very talented at what you do. And this guide has certain merit; I agree wholly with your tips. Multitasking is an important skill

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  24. I need a plan in order to make a plan.

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  25. Great post! I personally find it nearly impossible to work if the area around me isn't organized. I go into procrastination/OCD mode and by the time I'm done cleaning I'm exhausted.

    Another thing I've noticed that makes me actually complete tasks on my to-do list is a reasonable number of tasks. If I put everything I need done at some point in the near future down, I get overwhelmed and get very little down. If I write down my most essential tasks for the day, and that day only, I will be more likely to go through my whole list.

    Keep posting! You have a great blog going :)

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  26. Awesome! I'm digging the tips you shared here. I'll definitely put some of them to good use!

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  27. the desktop clean thing has moved me to spend the next 20 minutes tidying my desk up. well done sir

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  28. I definitely need to work with some of these. Nice blog by the way! Followed

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  29. interesting, yet im thinking im to lazy to follow all of those things

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  30. Working during my most productive hours and organizing my workspace really helped when I was trying to become more productive. I was surprised at how much it helped to just keep my desk clean.

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  31. Balancing out my life is my problem! =/
    interesting blog btw! :) following
    http://belgianbeerblog.blogspot.com/

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  32. Advise everyone could use. I'll try to keep this in mind.

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  33. i have a massive problem with procrastination haha, hopefully this post will help me a little XD

    http://fullyfreefitness.blogspot.com/

    http://gadgetsreviewsite.blogspot.com/

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  34. I always like doing my worst thing first. It makes the rest of my tasks easier. :)

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  35. I'm pretty good at most of those things, though I usually don't do the worst thing first.

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  36. Excellent information. One can also optimize their work process by "blocking" your time. In other words, only take and make calls during say a 1 or 2 hour period every day. Keep you from getting to many interruptions. Will be checking back regularly and $upporting!

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  37. definitely need this to get me to stop procrastinating right now :P

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  38. Pretty good ideas. If only I had a proper workspace in which to implement them.

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  39. Those are good advices!

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  40. Good reality check, and good advice.. definatly a good post :)

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  41. Really nice tips i´ll try to use it :3

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  42. Thanks for the tips!

    *followed*

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  43. +1 with the clean workspace point. I wish i would have figured that out years ago. also +1 follow :D

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  44. This was great post, thank you very much.

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