5 Tips on How to Manage your Productivity
By: Eka Navallasca
Keeping on your schedule and managing your time to keep up with your tasks in a day could be too overwhelming, especially with the number of tasks assigned. It's hard to keep track of everything going on when you get too occupied. We sometimes get stressed and frustrated when a lot is going on with our schedule.
We've been in that situation where there isn't enough time in the day to get all the tasks complete. There are days when we have to catch up with the deadlines - and doing everything last minute and blaming our lack of time - we always make ourselves busy without being productive.
Here are five tips on how to keep track of your productivity - and be ahead of your schedule.
1. Prioritize Your Tasks
All tasks assigned to us are important - but we must know the difference between what is urgent and what is - important. We must take a look at the bigger picture and prioritize effectively, highlighting what is urgent and what needs to get done promptly to be able - to be ahead of your deadlines.
We sometimes get too overwhelmed - with our To-Do-list that we take so much time to jump on every task without finishing at least one at the end of the day.
Being busy doesn't necessarily mean being productive - it is like being busy without having a purpose that leads to time wasted. Always keep in mind your goal at the end of the day.
2. Create a To-Do-List
Creating an efficient To-Do-List is a better way to keep up with your schedules. Not everyone is a fan of taking notes or writing down their to-do list - if you feel like you cannot manage your tasks in a day - not just with your work, but also applies to your daily routine, there are a lot of applications or websites that you can use or download to keep track of your time. Creating a to-do list helps us to remember our tasks in a day. In this way, it could help us avoid planning indefinitely and - be able to get concrete plans.
Be intentional with your daily tasks focus on completing your work that has progressed at the end of the day. It's not just about meeting the deadlines but also making a difference and contributing to your team.
3. Manage Your Focus Time
Life could be full of distractions - there are times when we struggle to concentrate and get distracted by many things that we cannot control. Split tasks into steps dedicated to a time with no destruction - to create a focus time or take it to a step-by-step process because it is essential to take breaks or at least give yourself time to snap out of the situation.
Create a destruction-free zone to deepen your focus - you can also download applications for management focus time and a lot at least 30 minutes of focus time and a 5-10 minutes break between every task.
4. Stay Organized
Multi-tasking and working on a list of tasks in a day could be too overwhelming that can affect you and how you deal with your work. We sometimes panic because we don't know where to start and finish everything on time. Our minds could be a mess during these times, besides our workstation or work area.
It is also necessary to keep your space clean and organized - along with this - you can easily stay on top of things and avoid stress. Staying organized is a life skill that you can develop over time.
Take things lightly - if you have to take baby steps towards making a good habit - go for it. A little progress is still progress, it is better than doing nothing at all.
5. Don't Overcommit
Most of the time - we overcommit to increase our productivity. We tend to say yes every time without thinking - to avoid disappointments and for people not to say that we cannot do it or multi-task things. However, committing without considering how much time it will take - put us under a lot of pressure.
Going above and beyond is a good trait but not all the time. When you learn to prioritize time management, you must also learn how to prioritize yourself.
Do not feel guilty whenever you say no - it doesn't mean you failed. Overcommitting could put you in trouble - when you say yes to a certain thing because you wanted to look good for getting it done when no one else can, feel good - but putting yourself in a situation that would make you stressed could affect the output of your work.
In the long run, being honest and staying true to yourself and others is worse than saying yes - know what you can finish in a day - after all, we are just human being that only has 24 hours a day.
Take it easy on yourself - we all carry being stressed and frustrated in any aspect of life. Working hard doesn't necessarily mean putting yourself under too much pressure. Work hard with good intentions and keep an eye on your goal.
Being busy is different from being productive. Sometimes we think that if we have a busy schedule - we are most likely to get things done during work hours. But being productive is accomplishing important tasks with purpose. We must know the difference between what is urgent and what is - important.
Busyness makes us jump from one task to another without finishing everything at the end of the day. Doing your tasks without laying them out on paper could cause stress and anxiety. Take control of your schedule to be more focused and efficient.
As the saying goes by an American Educator, Author, and businessman "The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule but to schedule your priorities."