How to be More Productive and Get Things Done!

I know, I know: you want to be more productive. You have goals, dreams and things you want to accomplish, but it seems like there are never enough hours in a day.

But what if I told told you that you could get more done in less time without compromising on the outcome?  Here’s the thing with productivity: you don’t need to work harder to be more productive and get stuff done. It’s about becoming more efficient and working smarter.

After all, there are only 24 hours in a day and you want to make the most of it. By being more productive you can cut down on time wasted on useless things and focus on what’s really important.

Here are 6 ways you can be more productive and get things done.

Related:

• 5 Things to Do Every Sunday for a Productive Week.

1. Remove all Distractions!

I’m going to state the obvious here: distractions are unnecessarily taking away your time, energy and focus from you and your goals. Distractions limit you from reaching your full potential.

That’s why the very first thing you want to do before you start doing anything, is removing all distractions. Turn off the tv, mute notifications on your laptop (especially emails that keep popping up…) and log off from social media. Get rid of all the distractions in your close proximity.

If you make it hard for yourself to be distracted, you’ll be a lot more productive. Thank me later!

2. Take Breaks Regularly

Are you that person who never takes breaks when working? And do you feel guilty when you do take one? You’re not alone!

I used to be awful at taking breaks. It has gotten better over the years, but it’s something I am actively working on. I would never allow myself to take a break, thinking that I was throwing away my time that I so desperately needed to get my stuff done. Sounds familiar?

While you may think taking a break means giving up some of your valuable time, it actually boosts your productivity.

Drink a cup of tea, read a book or go for a walk. Just take a few minutes to get away from your laptop and get your mind off your work. It’s a way to renew your energy and refresh your mind and get back to what you were doing with more focus. If you find it hard to take breaks regularly, try setting a timer every 1.5-2 hours so that you don’t forget to take a break.

3. Move it!

When you have a lot on your to-do list, you may find yourself behind your laptop for a long time with the hours flying by. You may be in a good productive flow, but then somehow you kind of get stuck. I’ve experienced that the easy way to avoid or solve that is to move your body.

Exercise boosts your productivity!

Moving around gets your blood flowing and you’ll feel more energized.
Don’t worry: you don’t have to schedule in an entire work-out in the middle of your working day (although that can be nice and refreshing too!).

You can also do something small such as stretching or a dance in your living room to your favorite music. Or go for a walk (and grab a coffee at that super cute coffee place around the corner). Make it fun for yourself!

4. Create a serene work environment

You may not realize it, but your work environment has such a big influence on your productivity. 

If your desk is full of papers, or your office is full of stuff, it’s a good idea to declutter and clear your space before you start working. Remove all unnecessary items from your desk or room. Clean desk in 3, 2,...

You also want to pay attention to background noise. Is there a clock ticking or an alarm going off? That can really distract you! I recently invested in noise cancelling headphones and I didn’t know how much I needed them until I had them. It’s such a game changer as it filters out all the annoying noises that were making me less productive before.

Try listening to binaural beats (11-14 Hz for best effects) to get into a flow state of concentration. Classical music is also a great option (Yes really, Mozart on repeat!).

5. Beat Procrastination

Procrastination is a productivity killer that can really hold you back.

It is a resistance that comes from within that makes you postpone or avoid a task you need to do. It’s frustrating and can seriously have you going crazy. But have you ever thought about why you’re procrastinating? What exactly are you avoiding? What is making you so uncomfortable?

Perhaps you’re trying do something that is completely new to you and different from anything you’ve done before. In that case your brain is sending you signals to avoid the uncomfortable and that makes you stay in your comfort zone and do nothing. Or you may be doing a lot of small, unimportant things that will keep you busy. They just won’t help you to get where you want to be.

Beat your procrastination by diving a little deeper. Figure out where it’s coming from and you’ll be more productive than you’ve ever been before.

6. Don’t Multitask

Another thing a lot of people are guilty off and you might be too: multitasking! I used to think I was pretty good at it.

But multitasking is actually not productive and efficient at all. It makes you less efficient because you are constantly switching from one task to another. Because of that switching you have to read back on where you left and that takes time and makes you less precise when working on your task.

While you think multi-tasking is the outcome to get everything done (and I agree it feels good to multitask), it’s better to focus on one thing at a time and finish that first before moving on to something else. It makes all the difference!

Just one more thing…

I hope these tips help you to boost your productivity in ways you never could have imagined. I’d love to know which of these productivity tips you’ll be implementing yourself.

And don’t forget: work smarter, not harder 🙂