There are many ways to increase your productivity in 2021. Some are smart, others are not. This article explores 6 simple ideas that can increase productivity without overworking. Here we go.
1. Prepare Before You Start
Many people struggle with “being productive” because they expect it just to happen. They think they can sit down and immediately go full blazing without any forethought.
However, Benjamin Franklin had famously said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” It’s not enough to just do the work, you need to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
The clearer you can get on these answers ahead of time, then the easier and faster you’ll work once you get started.
2. Eliminate Distractions
It shouldn’t take a genius to realize that with less sensory inputs, the better you’re going to work.
Remember, your smartphone and other devices exist for your convenience — not for the inconvenience of other people sporadically interrupting you throughout the day. Try and find a way to keep that balance.
3. Make Your Expectations Flexible
Your productivity takes a hit when you expect one thing but see another. So, don’t allow the initial results you see to stop you from pushing forward.
As Tony Robbins has said, “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” There are often many ways to get from point A to point B, keep what works and remove what doesn’t.
4. Measure
If you don’t measure what you’re doing, how can you possibly know what works, and what doesn’t? The answer is, you can’t.
Of course, a measurement doesn’t always have to do with something tangible like money or time. Instead, it can also be stylistic, mindset or physical.
Whatever the measurement, make it conscious so you can tweak as you go and become more efficient.
5. Take Breaks
In 2021, the last thing you want is to be confusing busyness with achievement. Don’t get caught up thinking that the more you work, the progress you’ll see.
Of course, a natural law like diminishing returns can not be denied. For a productive year, one of the most important things you should be managing is your energy. As Gary Keller has said,
“It’s important to manage your energy so you can do what you must do, achieve what you want to achieve, and live the life you want to live.”
6. Create a Routine
It’s often said that the top musicians, athletes, and artists, etc have a very strict routine which they follow each day.
There is absolutely a benefit to always practicing at the same time, beginning work at the same hour, or going to the gym at the same time every day as it trains your brain to know when to switch on and when to switch off.
As English author, Somerset Maugham has said, “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
Furthermore, the consistency of having a routine removes choices and makes your life easier. No longer do you have to question what you’re going to do. Instead, your habits have already decided for you. Wrote David Kadavy,
“When you build a habit, you don’t have to waste mental energy deciding what to do.”