10 Things That Make You More Productive in Life

Being productive is hard!

Being productive, whether it be work or at home can be really hard. Here are 10 ways to improve your productivity and achieve your goals. Do them!

1. Write It Down

Think in ink! Write it down, create a physical list of what you want to achieve and then tick it off once it’s done. You can even order the list in priority of what you want to do first.

Writing things down forces you to really consider what you want to do but also what you need to do. It’ll also give you a better picture (literally!) of all the things you’re trying to get done at any given time.

2. Start fast

Hit the ground running and smash through your to-do list at the beginning of the day. Look at the list and work out what 2–3 things you really must do today and get cracking!

Getting off to a good start on any day lays the foundation for clearing out the rest of your day. I like to get up early and be at my desk by 6 AM, it allows me to get so much done before most people's day even starts and gives me a huge amount of flexibility later in the day to do what I want, rather than what I need to do.

3. Do your worst first

Every one of us has one or more tasks on our to-do list that we dread doing. Maybe it’s that unpleasant phone call you don’t want to make, or that blog post you’ve been putting off writing because you don’t know how to start, or that project that just overwhelms you because it’s so massive.

Whatever it is, it hangs over your head, distracting you with guilt because it keeps getting pushed to the next day and the next. It’s time to end that cycle.

Do it first thing. Writer Michael Hyatt talks about slaying your dragons before breakfast — there’s nothing more motivating for the rest of your day than crossing that monster off your list first thing in the morning.[1]

But many people instead of doing the tough tasks first, do the easy ones. If you really want to be productive, there’re some tasks you shouldn’t do first in the morning: To Be More Productive, Never Do This To Start Your Morning

So make that call. Pull out a piece of paper and brainstorm ideas for that blog post.

Do something about that overwhelming task — maybe you can’t finish it in one day, but you can at least get started. Whatever it is, just do it.

Then, let the satisfaction of crossing it off your list carry you into the rest of your busy day.

4. Remove the distractions

Notifications, emails, social media, TV….whatever it is turn it off and allow yourself to focus on the task at hand. This is a real challenge in 2022 with so much designed to “improve our lives” but we actually become incredibly distracted. Check out Deep Work by Cal Newport for more advice on this and why becoming someone who isn’t easily distracted is a key but rare skill nowadays.

Rest assured if you can remove distractions, you won’t procrastinate and will begin smashing through that to-do list.

5. Take a break

You can’t work flat out 100% of the time and taking time to recharge your batteries is vital to ensuring long-term productivity. Sure we can all pull an all-nighter when life calls for it but it’s not sustainable or healthy.

Making taking a break part of your productivity. Schedule them if it helps and mark it as something you’ve done once you get to the end of your day. Make sure you get up and move, get some fresh air, food, and water and come back to your task mentally and physically refreshed.

You’ll thank yourself later.

There’s a limit to how long anybody can devote deep focus to a task.

6. Group tasks

Some tasks call for being done together, not least because it can avoid switching costs and help you avoid being distracted.

For example, it doesn’t make sense to reply to 1 email an hour. Turn on your email application and dedicate 20 minutes replying to any email you can within that time. Do the same with phone or virtual calls you need to make.

There is a lot to be said for being in a certain mindset and it takes a different set of skills to concentrate deeply on some data manipulation compared to ringing some clients back about a potential sales lead.

By grouping tasks together you can get in the right frame of mind for the task and get a lot more done.

7. Eat and drink healthily

Don’t skip breakfast, don’t rely on energy drinks and don’t eat junk food. People who eat healthy are generally more productive. They have more energy and less swings in their blood sugar levels that may lead to fatigue when seeking to complete that to-do list.

8. You’ve got to move it move it

And again! Move as much as you can! Not only will it give you an energy boost (ironically) but it also great for keeping your posture in check. Sitting at a desk all day is not good for your posture but moving helps ensure you avoid any issues that may cause the pain that slows you down and makes you less productive.

Exercising will also give you a huge mental health boost, clearing your mind and allowing you to approach the tasks you need to complete with the freshest possible mind ready to attack the problems of the day that lye ahead of you.

9. Delegate

It can feel bad to delegate but it’s a key part of getting things done. What tasks do you add value to or give you the greatest satisfaction in life? Those are the tasks you need to do, anything else is just slowing you down from completing the tasks you want to do.

We all have to muck in and do the dirty boring work sometimes but delegating what we can, to the right people is a skill worth conquering.

Take a look at your to-do list. Who might be able to do some of those tasks for you? What’s more would they actually be better or want to do it rather than yourself?

10. Less is more

Spend some time every day reviewing your to-do list and ruthlessly cutting what does not need to be done.

The fewer tasks you have on that list then ironically the more you can do. We all spend hours and hours in meetings every year so just removing 5% of your time in meetings can free up hours and hours of your time over a 12 month period to focus on other activities.

What’s been on your to-do list for months? If it has been there that long and not been done can it really be that important? If yes then great but then crack and get it done and remove something else!

The fewer tasks we need to complete then the less noise whirring around our brain, cluttering our thoughts and allowing us to focus on those small number of tasks that do need to be completed.

Come join Medium and consider supporting me and thousands of other writers by signing up for a membership. It’s only $5 per month, supporting us writers, hugely. You could also make money by writing too. The top writers (not me yet unfortunately!) can make $500+ per month. Sign up with this link, and you’ll support me directly, it won’t cost you any extra. Thank you in advance.