How to Boost Your Productivity – A Brief Guide

May 9, 2024
What does productivity mean to you? If you are like most people, you might believe that productivity is the art of focusing on a single task. Perhaps you can think of a full list of tasks that you have already crossed off. You might as well believe that productivity is the state of getting into a flow at work where time seems to pass you by, and you hustle through all of your projects and deadlines. Productivity – An Overview The thing is that whatever productivity means to you – it is something that you can achieve. This aspect indicates that productivity isn’t just a course of action but a state of mind. According to studies, productivity is linked with the trait known as conscientiousness. This is a personality trait that you cannot really change – but – there is also other research that opposes this aspect by pushing your boundaries if you work on it. You can actually change your brain, which explains why we see otherwise lazy people change when they shift their mindset. Shift Your Mindset If you want to optimize productivity, you will want to rewire your brain, which you can do by shifting your mindset. You can mimic some conscientiousness habits, and through these habits, you can start to rewire your brain to become more productive. So, if you can shift your mindset and retrain your brain to be more productive, you will start a list of different actions that weren’t there before, such as signing up for one of the best creative writing classes in Portland if you live in Portland, or writing a to-do list every day so that you can cross everything off as you complete one milestone after another. That said, once you shift your mindset, you really set yourself up for success. Kick-Start the Morning The natural light in the morning is an amazing way to tell the brain that it is time to get up and kick-start the morning. Ideally, you will want to set your alarm clock at sunrise – specifically – if you can get up a little bit earlier so that you can give yourself enough time to get things done earlier. You might have already experienced the morning when you wake up feeling refreshed when, the next day, you feel groggy and irritable. When you sleep, your body moves through different cycles and if you wake up during the wrong time in those cycles, you can feel lethargic and tired throughout the day. A simple way to combat this problem is by downloading a sleep cycle app and giving the app a range of times for when you like to get up and place the phone near your bed where it is easily accessible. The app will help you get up at the time when you should feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. Set up a Schedule To be more productive during the day, you will want to set up a segmented schedule. You will want to retrain the brain and think by the hours of the clock. For instance, from nine to ten o’clock, you will want to focus on project A. In the following hour, you will want to focus on the second project and then take a break before focusing on the next project. Ideally, you will want to set up your schedule ahead of time so that you can fit in all the tasks that you would like to get done for the day. Now, we hope that you aren’t one of those people who feel like they cannot work by a schedule as they might feel constrained by time. If you can relate to this, then the reason might be that you are setting your schedule wrong. When setting up a schedule, you will want to include the things that you want to do, too, so that you can reward yourself for completing all milestones for the day. So, you will want to treat yourself like an employee whom you have hired. If you don’t reward or pay that worker and you keep giving them a whole bunch of things to do, they won’t feel motivated enough to complete all tasks. As a matter of fact, the employee will hate the schedule. So, while treating yourself like an employee whom you have hired, you will want to inject joyous activities into the schedule as a way to feel motivated and keep going. Be Aware of Yourself Another way to make the most of your day is to tune in with yourself and become overly aware of your productivity. The thing is that if you don’t control your mind, it will be consumed by distracting thoughts. A lack of awareness of yourself and where your brain is wandering can be the ultimate killer of all productivity. However, you need to understand that you are in control and how easy it is to use this awareness to your advantage. The kind of awareness we are talking about refers to understanding where you are and what you are doing in the present moment. You might look at this aspect as a way of mindful meditation. Now, if you have never done this before, it might take you some time to become aware of your surroundings and get aware of what is happening right now. For instance, you can use your senses, such as touch and sight, to determine the surroundings of your room. You might want to assess which parts of your body are touching the chair and the desk. Where are your hands resting and what colors are your clothes? You might want to focus on what you are wearing and seeing. You will also want to focus on what you hear and what you smell. The point is to engage all your senses to become incredibly aware of your surroundings and the present moment. Have you been reading and understanding the words in front of you or have you been skimming the pages while being overly distracted by your thoughts? You will want to meditate if you get distracted easily.

What does productivity mean to you? If you are like most people, you might believe that productivity is the art of focusing on a single task. Perhaps you can think of a full list of tasks that you have already crossed off. You might as well believe that productivity is the state of getting into a flow at work where time seems to pass you by, and you hustle through all of your projects and deadlines.

Table of Contents hide
1) Productivity – An Overview
2) Shift Your Mindset
3) Kick-Start the Morning
4) Set up a Schedule
5) Be Aware of Yourself

Productivity – An Overview 

The thing is that whatever productivity means to you – it is something that you can achieve. This aspect indicates that productivity isn’t just a course of action but a state of mind. According to studies, productivity is linked with the trait known as conscientiousness. 

This is a personality trait that you cannot really change – but – there is also other research that opposes this aspect by pushing your boundaries if you work on it. You can actually change your brain, which explains why we see otherwise lazy people change when they shift their mindset.

Shift Your Mindset

If you want to optimize productivity, you will want to rewire your brain, which you can do by shifting your mindset. You can mimic some conscientiousness habits, and through these habits, you can start to rewire your brain to become more productive. 

So, if you can shift your mindset and retrain your brain to be more productive, you will start a list of different actions that weren’t there before, such as signing up for one of the best creative writing classes in Portland if you live in Portland, or writing a to-do list every day so that you can cross everything off as you complete one milestone after another. 

That said, once you shift your mindset, you really set yourself up for success. 

Kick-Start the Morning

The natural light in the morning is an amazing way to tell the brain that it is time to get up and kick-start the morning. Ideally, you will want to set your alarm clock at sunrise – specifically – if you can get up a little bit earlier so that you can give yourself enough time to get things done earlier.

You might have already experienced the morning when you wake up feeling refreshed when, the next day, you feel groggy and irritable. When you sleep, your body moves through different cycles and if you wake up during the wrong time in those cycles, you can feel lethargic and tired throughout the day.

A simple way to combat this problem is by downloading a sleep cycle app and giving the app a range of times for when you like to get up and place the phone near your bed where it is easily accessible. The app will help you get up at the time when you should feel refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Set up a Schedule

To be more productive during the day, you will want to set up a segmented schedule. You will want to retrain the brain and think by the hours of the clock. For instance, from nine to ten o’clock, you will want to focus on project A. 

In the following hour, you will want to focus on the second project and then take a break before focusing on the next project. Ideally, you will want to set up your schedule ahead of time so that you can fit in all the tasks that you would like to get done for the day. 

Now, we hope that you aren’t one of those people who feel like they cannot work by a schedule as they might feel constrained by time. If you can relate to this, then the reason might be that you are setting your schedule wrong.

When setting up a schedule, you will want to include the things that you want to do, too, so that you can reward yourself for completing all milestones for the day. So, you will want to treat yourself like an employee whom you have hired. If you don’t reward or pay that worker and you keep giving them a whole bunch of things to do, they won’t feel motivated enough to complete all tasks.

As a matter of fact, the employee will hate the schedule. So, while treating yourself like an employee whom you have hired, you will want to inject joyous activities into the schedule as a way to feel motivated and keep going.

Be Aware of Yourself

Another way to make the most of your day is to tune in with yourself and become overly aware of your productivity. The thing is that if you don’t control your mind, it will be consumed by distracting thoughts. A lack of awareness of yourself and where your brain is wandering can be the ultimate killer of all productivity.

However, you need to understand that you are in control and how easy it is to use this awareness to your advantage. The kind of awareness we are talking about refers to understanding where you are and what you are doing in the present moment. 

You might look at this aspect as a way of mindful meditation. Now, if you have never done this before, it might take you some time to become aware of your surroundings and get aware of what is happening right now. 

For instance, you can use your senses, such as touch and sight, to determine the surroundings of your room. You might want to assess which parts of your body are touching the chair and the desk. Where are your hands resting and what colors are your clothes? 

You might want to focus on what you are wearing and seeing. You will also want to focus on what you hear and what you smell. The point is to engage all your senses to become incredibly aware of your surroundings and the present moment. 

Have you been reading and understanding the words in front of you or have you been skimming the pages while being overly distracted by your thoughts? You will want to meditate if you get distracted easily.