Summary

The article outlines four strategies to enhance daily productivity, emphasizing the importance of planning, sleep, physical activity, setting deadlines, and minimizing distractions.

Abstract

The author of the article, who does not claim to be a productivity expert but has learned through personal experience, suggests that a productive day begins with planning the night before and prioritizing sleep. The article emphasizes the benefits of physical activity for mental and physical energy and recommends setting ambitious deadlines to accelerate task completion. It also advises on the importance of eliminating distractions, such as social media, to foster deep, focused work. The author encourages readers to adopt these strategies to manage their responsibilities effectively and improve overall productivity.

Opinions

The author believes in the effectiveness of a handwritten to-do list over digital apps for organizing daily tasks.
They advocate for the significance of sleep in maintaining cognitive functions like critical thinking and creativity.
Regular physical activity, especially in nature, is suggested as a natural way to boost energy levels and alertness.
Setting earlier deadlines than necessary is recommended to allow time for review and adjustments.
The author cites the concept of "Deep Work" by Cal Newport, endorsing long periods of focused work without interruptions.
Instrumental music is proposed as a method to drown out office noise and enhance concentration.
The author is a participant in the 100-day writing challenge by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz from ILLUMINATION and invites readers to join their journey.
They also recommend an AI service, ZAI.chat, as a cost-effective alternative to ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4), highlighting its affordability and performance.

4 Ways To Have A More Productive Day

Illumination 100 Day Writing Challenge: Day 13

Everyone wants to get things done. Whether that be menial tasks, such as housework, or fun activities like going out for dinner. We live in a society where productivity seems to have become a greater part of our everyday lives. The pressures of work, school and other commitments stack up. This leaves us playing catch up to every responsibility. Sometimes we have to take a step back and assess our options. How can we do this to make ourselves more productive?

I’m by no means a guru on productivity. I find it hard at times to balance my responsibilities. I have, however, tried and tested various tips, tricks and hacks to see if they actually work (apart from getting up at 5am). If being an engineer has taught anything it's that life is a constant feedback loop. The process is refined to achieve the desired outcome.

A Productive Day Starts The Night Before

There are 2 parts to this one. Firstly, planning out the following day the night before has been key for me. It means when I wake up, I’m focused on what I’m going to do. I can go seemlessly from one task to the next without stopping to decide what’s next. It also allows for less thinking time in the mornings and more action being taken.

This usually means a simple to-do list in my journal. There’s numerous apps that can be used for to-do however I have no experience with them. The handwritten to-do wins for me.

Secondly, prioritise sleep. I wrote about that in yesterdays article which you can find here:

Why Is Sleep So Good?

Illumination 100 Day Writing Challenge: Day 11

medium.com

Waking up refreshed will leave you alert and ready to get stuff done. Sleep deprivation will reduce your cognitive ability. This includes things critical thinking and creativity. Have you tried writing when you’re tired? It’s not easy.

Be Active

Look after your body and mind simultaneously and get moving. Whether that be first thing in the morning, a walk at lunch or a gym session in the evening. You’ll naturally start to feel more energised when consistently doing so.

Going for walks in nature, where possible, on a sunny day will improve your alertness — especially in the morning. You might not even need that cup of coffee being sitting down at your desk!

Set Yourself Deadlines

Don’t be afraid to set a tough deadline for yourself. If, on Monday, you have a report due on Friday, aim to get it done for Wednesday. This leaves plenty of time to review the work and make any changes if possible.

Stop being patient and start asking yourself, how do I accomplish my 10-year plan in 6 months? — Elon Musk

The quote above is an extreme example of this however, the principle remains the same.

Another form of deadline is to have a cut-off point for work each day. A time where you stop no matter what you’re doing. If you stay late for one task or project, you’ll stay late for them all.

Get Rid Of Distractions

How often do you find yourself scrolling through social media when you’re meant to working? I’m fairly certain everyone has procrastinated at some point. Try removing your phone from within reach or turn on flight mode? Aim to cultivate what Cal Newport calls “Deep Work”. An undisturbed period of time in which you can concentrate solely on tasks at the top of your priority list.

Working in a noisy office can be diffilcult too. I like to listen to instrumental music and zone out from the surronding conversations. Being in a quiet place is the same if you prefer not to listen to music.

Ticking the box on the last item of a to-do list might sometimes feel like an impossible task. With strategies focusing on other aspects of your life this can be done. What systems do you have in place to help you be productive? Have you changed or tweaked them over time? Did you get the results you expected?

I’m following the 100-day writing challenge from Dr Mehmet Yildiz of ILLUMINATION. You can find the challenge details here. Please consider following me to see my daily upload and be part of my journey.

Have a great day!