Productivity Tips to Reduce Stress and Busyness
Wow. I can’t believe it has been 6 months since I last wrote a blog post. I have had a very busy workload over the last few months and, not only was I working all week, but I was also working the entire weekend.
I was beginning to feel quite tired, and I started to feel burnt out. I knew I had some inefficient work processes and so, in the little spare time I had, I decided to Google some productivity tips.
I needed to make some changes that would help me to manage my workload more efficiently.
See, here’s what I was doing. The moment I woke up, I turned on my computer. I had a to-do list a mile long, but I felt compelled to check my emails and my social media profiles “real quick.” That real quick turned into an hour and I wasn’t even showered, dressed, or had eaten breakfast yet, let alone completed any work.
When I eventually got started on my work, it was mid-morning.
For the rest of the day, it seemed like it was one thing after another with no breaks or free time. I never seemed to be able to catch up before dinner, and I ended up working until bedtime.
You Know What My Main Problem Was?
I kept my social media and email tabs open all.day.long.
I love social media so much, but it is not good for productivity when you are working on non-social media related tasks!
Sound familiar? Then, read on!
Just Google It!
I scoured the web to find the best productivity tips and began to implement some of them.
The best tips I implemented which saved me the most time were to close out all of my personal social media profiles along with only checking my email 3x during working hours.
I then started keeping track of everything I did in a Google Calendar so I could see where my time was going to determine what I could eliminate and how I could be faster at a task.
Working in blocks of time also helped me stay productive. I let my clients know when during the day I blocked off time on my calendar for their tasks so they would know when to expect delivery of their completed tasks.
Those 3 changes to my workday helped me to stay focused and be more productive.
Here’s the list of the 60 best tips I found on Google. Hopefully, some of them resonate with you and will help you to be more productive, as well. I will post these tips on Twitter every day, so if you’d like to see these tips on your Twitter feed, follow me here.
Productivity Reminders
1. Stay focused on one task at a time. Multitasking is inefficient.
2. Work in a comfortable environment that is conducive to productivity.
3. If you like checking things off a list, make a to-do list to stay motivated.
4. Make sure to exercise every day.
5. Communicate with your virtual team members in one place only, like Slack.
6. To avoid procrastination, stay focused on what you are doing.
7. Always get enough sleep that you feel is necessary for your body. Begin a bedtime ritual to signal to your body that it is time to sleep.
8. Take breaks as needed. You’ll be more productive when you feel refreshed.
9. Set a timer so you don’t break too long.
10. Only check email during specific times in the day and try not to check it more than 4 times.
11. Keep your clients and customers informed about changes in your business. They want to come along with you for your journey.
12. Be flexible with your day so you can move things around as needed.
13. Focus on the big picture. Are the things you’re doing growing your business and meeting your goals?
14. Review and plan for your next work day in the evening so you are ready to go in the morning.
15. Eat small snacks and meals throughout the day to avoid that afternoon slump.
16. Making positive changes to your lifestyle will improve the quality of your life and you’ll be more productive.
17. Recognize opportunities at the right time.
18. During meetings, stay focused on important items. Save the personal chatting for later.
19. Pursue your passions and personal projects. You’ll be happier and more productive.
20. Stay in the present moment. What can you do right now that will move your business forward?
21. Be persistent. Success is just around the corner.
22. Track your productivity. Write down what you do so you stay motivated.
23. Remember your WHY. Why did you start your business and why do you want to keep going?
24. Break huge projects down into smaller tasks to help you stay on track and reach your goal.
25. Consider outsourcing tasks you don’t personally have to complete.
26. Remember to make time for your friends and family. This will keep you from feeling frustrated that you are always working.
27. Schedule meetings back to back so you don’t have to switch back and forth between work mode and meeting mode.
28. Take a couple of hours on the weekend to complete smaller, mindless tasks to get a head start on a larger project.
29. Don’t spend all day on your personal social media accounts. Shut them down and turn off notifications when working.
30. Gather a great support team. Ensure you are supported by the best and most reliable people so you can be at your best.
31. Don’t spend more than 2 minutes responding to an email.
32. Try working in blocks of time by utilizing the Pomodoro technique.
33. Complete the big items on your to-do list during the time of the day when you have the most energy and the most focus.
34. Identify roadblocks and then take action so you can stop spinning your wheels.
35. Incorporate movement into your day for stress relief. Take a walk, stretch, even some yoga poses!
36. When focus and concentration are required, turn off all notifications for social media, email, and your cell phone.
37. Delegate tasks you dislike. This could include not only business tasks but also personal tasks, such as cleaning or shopping.
38. Find tools that will make some of your tasks easier to complete.
39. Decline invitations that you don’t have to do or you don’t want to do.
40. Schedule social media and web browsing breaks into your day so they don’t become a distraction.
41. Prioritize the items on your to-do list. Complete the items that are most urgent. Delete or delegate the rest.
42. Set a timer for lengthy tasks so you don’t get caught up in it and forget about the other items on your to-do list.
43. Reward yourself and your team for your accomplishments.
44. Schedule days where you have no meetings. This will help you stay on track with your tasks without getting distracted.
45. Identify which tasks can be automated so you don’t have to spend time doing those items manually.
46. Declutter your desk and office environment so you are not distracted by your messy surroundings.
47. Keep the thermostat at a comfortable temperature so you are not distracted by feeling too hot or too cold.
48. When you feel like you are in a rut, change your surroundings. Work at a coffee shop or library.
49. Use a separate email address when signing up for free offers so they don’t fill up your inbox and distract you from important emails.
50. Set realistic goals. Don’t spread yourself too thin.
51. Make sure your team knows where to find answers to their questions so they don’t have to go to you to access that information.
52. Use as many cloud-based apps as possible so you can be productive outside of the office.
53. Plan meetings for less than 30 minutes. Most issues can be addressed in that time.
54. Don’t delay decision-making. Taking action is necessary to grow your business.
55. Use project management tools like Trello or Asana to manage projects, share files, and communicate with your team.
56. Keep an IT expert on file in case of technical issues. Don’t try to figure it out yourself.
57. Review your business goals every day to stay focused on accomplishing them.
58. Use separate browsers for work and play. That way you won’t be distracted by non-work related websites.
59. Write those great ideas down immediately. Don’t wait or you could forget as you go about the activities of your day.
60. Do the easy tasks first. This helps you to build confidence and momentum.
So, what do you do to stay productive and complete a lot of work in a short amount of time?