3 Productivity Hacks to Ensure You Win the Day
Your Environment is key
1. Schedule something fun later in the day that you can only do after you have completed your work
Develop a reward system with yourself — later you will do something fun. But only after you have completed 2 hours of disciplined work and finished the main goal for the day.
I have been guilty in the past of wasting time and saying I can do it later. But when later comes, I am often drained from the day.
If you know there is something fun scheduled for the evening that you do not want to miss, you will be more motivated than ever to get the task done.
2. Set One priority task and don’t move on to anything else until you complete it
This links to the first step, with a focus on task completion before moving on. Get that completed before you even think about anything else. Stops anxiety about long to-do lists.
How to prioritize: Think to yourself, if I only complete one thing, what would make a good day? The first thing that comes to your head is the first thing you should get over the line.
It is usually good to start with the most difficult task. The one thing you know you need to conquer.
Mark Twain's “eat the frog” quote rings true here, which was later adapted Brian Tracy and viewed as a metaphor for effective time management.
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
Once this big hurdle is completed, you have already won the day, so everything else you do will be a bonus and less pressure.
3. Put yourself in an environment that can make you want to work
Having a good desk setup with a comfy chair can make the resistance to sitting down and getting stuck into your work less difficult.
Something as simple as designing the workspace can really have huge benefits when it comes to motivation and productivity.
When lockdown first hit, I had a really uncomfy chair and a small desk and it honestly made me do anything not to sit down and work.
The moment I invested in one of those gaming chairs and a decent-sized desk I could put all my stuff on, was the moment I could actually sit down for an extended period without getting up. Concentration had increased emphatically.
I also found investing in a top-quality pair of noise-canceling headphones was a game-changer. Can no longer have the excuse of noisy neighbors distracting you from working so have to sit down and get the job done.
Summary — 3 Productivity Hacks to Ensure You Win the Day
- Schedule earned time later in the day to do something fun — but only if you finish your work
- Set one priority task and don’t move on until it is done — eat the frog
- Set up a workspace for success — invest in a good office space and quality headphones — reap rewards through newfound productivity.
