Do you want to boost your productivity but don't have time to read dozens of articles? Here are the three area's you need to focus on:<ol><li>Know what times of the day you are at your most alert and productive. Schedule your most difficult tasks then. </li><li>Focus on the tasks that add the most value. Delegate or remove any others. </li><li>Create a working environment that increases your productivity. </li></ol>For more detailed support on managing your calendar for productivity read this <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-do-i-organize-my-calendar/">article </a>. If you are struggling to control your inbox then you need to read this <a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/">article. </a>

How Can I Be More Productive?

If you have searched how to be more productive you will have found hundreds, if not thousands, of ways you could be more productive. It is ironic that it can be very unproductive trying to understand how to be more productive. In this article I will cover the three things you need to know to be more productive.<div>"Focus on being productive instead of busy".</div><div>Tim Ferriss</div><h2>Know Your Own Mind And Body</h2>Stop trying to measure your productivity by other people’s schedules. Just because Bob gets all his paperwork done by 10am doesn’t mean you have to.<UL><LI>The first thing to accept is that nobody is productive 100% of the time so don’t even aim for that.</LI><LI>Secondly, your levels of productivity vary throughout the day.</LI><LI>Finally, just accept that at some points you will not be productive and that’s OK.</LI></UL>With that out of the way, here is what you need to consider;<h3>Are you a morning or an evening person?</h3>They do exist and it does impact you. It is exactly as you think, if you are a morning person you will naturally be more productive earlier in the day. An evening person is more productive in the evening. That doesn’t mean you only work in the morning or evening. It means you schedule your most difficult task during these times. You leave your easier tasks that require less concentration for the other times.<h3>Is there something that you do that gives you a boost of energy?</h3>For example, are you energised after exercise and can therefore blast through a difficult task while your endorphin levels remain high. Oppositely, many people feel sluggish after lunch and can struggle to focus.<h3>Don’t be afraid to rest.</h3> When you are tired, really tired, then rest. People think that resting is the opposite of being productive but it is essential that you give your mind and body rest when it needs it. Trying to ‘power through’ is a false economy as your work will be sub-standard and need re-doing because you are tired.<h3>Look after your mind and body. </h3>Eat healthy, keep alcohol to a minimum and get good sleep. These are obvious of course but often overlooked. Productivity and energy are linked and energy and a healthy lifestyle are linked.<h2>Know Where You Add Value.</h2>We often confuse being busy with being productive. One adds value in the shortest time possible, the other adds little value but takes up your time. You need to learn to spot value-add tasks and time-draining tasks and deal with them appropriately.The Eisenhower Matrix (shown below) is a great tool for helping you manage your productivity. It teaches you to divide tasks into four groups;<OL><LI>Important and urgent tasks which you should do yourself now.</LI><LI>Important but non urgent tasks you should do yourself but schedule.</LI><LI>Low importance but urgent tasks which you should look to delegate.</LI><LI>Low importance and low urgency tasks which should be binned.</LI></OL>The Eisenhower Matrix divides your tasks into four simple groups so you can quickly see where you should focus your time to be most productive.You focus your time and energy on the important tasks. This is where you are adding value and making a difference. You may well have the skills to also do the tasks in the other two boxes but they add much less value. If you spend your time on these lower value tasks you can’t complete the high value ones.Never be afraid to say no to a task! That is how you will learn to be more productive.<h2>Create A Productive Environment</h2>This sounds obvious but your work space is the space you set up for work. Set it up wrong and you are impacting your productivity. Follow these simple steps to maximise the benefits from a well thought out workspace;<h3>Remove distractions.</h3> It’s an obvious one but people still don’t do it. Don’t have your phone within view as it is the ultimate distraction. If you expect calls then put it behind you but with the ringer sound on. Turn off email notifications to stop them popping up and breaking your rhythm and instead set times in the day when you will check your emails. Finally, don’t sit facing a window. Yes, it is nice to see outside but if the view has lots of movement such as a road or a number of pedestrians/animals it can get distracting. To be more productive, face inside a room but take regular scheduled fresh air breaks to rest your eyes, re-energise and stretch your legs.<h3>Be comfortable.</h3>The <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/30769.pdf" dir="ltr">National Renewable Energy Laboratory</a> found that working in natural light can increase productivity by 15% compared to artificial light. Having a comfortable environment will help you to be more productive so make sure you have a supportive chair, desk at the right height (normally 28 – 30 inches) and your monitor so the top of it is at eye level. The more comfortable you are the longer you will be able to work and be more productive. Also ensure everything you need for your tasks is within reach. If you have to get up and go and find things mid task it will break your concentration and impact your productivity.<h3>Keep your workspace tidy.</h3>Minimalism is the key. The more things on your workspace that you don’t need, the more distracting it will be. Make sure you have what you need for your tasks and a drink.<h2>Recap</h2>Let’s quickly recap the top three tips to be more productive;<OL><LI>Know what times of the day you are at your most alert and productive. Schedule your most difficult tasks then.</LI><LI>Focus on the tasks that add the most value. Delegate or remove any others.</LI><LI>Create a working environment that increases your productivity.</LI></OL>For more detailed support on managing your calendar for productivity read this <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-do-i-organize-my-calendar/" dir="ltr">article</a>. If you are struggling to control your inbox then you need to read this <a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/" dir="ltr">article.</a><h3>Share this with others:</h3>

The three things you need to do to be more productive. Keep it simple and get these things right to see your productivity increase.

productivity

Productivity

If you have searched how to be more productive you will have found hundreds, if not thousands, of ways you could be more productive. It is ironic that it can be very unproductive trying to understand how to be more productive. In this article I will cover the three things you need to know to be more productive.

Stop trying to measure your productivity by other people’s schedules. Just because Bob gets all his paperwork done by 10am doesn’t mean you have to.

<ul><li>The first thing to accept is that nobody is productive 100% of the time so don’t even aim for that. </li><li>Secondly, your levels of productivity vary throughout the day. </li><li>Finally, just accept that at some points you will not be productive and that’s OK. </li> </ul>

With that out of the way, here is what you need to consider;

They do exist and it does impact you. It is exactly as you think, if you are a morning person you will naturally be more productive earlier in the day. An evening person is more productive in the evening. That doesn’t mean you only work in the morning or evening. It means you schedule your most difficult task during these times. You leave your easier tasks that require less concentration for the other times.

Is there something that you do that gives you a boost of energy?

For example, are you energised after exercise and can therefore blast through a difficult task while your endorphin levels remain high. Oppositely, many people feel sluggish after lunch and can struggle to focus.

When you are tired, really tired, then rest. People think that resting is the opposite of being productive but it is essential that you give your mind and body rest when it needs it. Trying to ‘power through’ is a false economy as your work will be sub-standard and need re-doing because you are tired.

Eat healthy, keep alcohol to a minimum and get good sleep. These are obvious of course but often overlooked. Productivity and energy are linked and energy and a healthy lifestyle are linked.

We often confuse being busy with being productive. One adds value in the shortest time possible, the other adds little value but takes up your time. You need to learn to spot value-add tasks and time-draining tasks and deal with them appropriately.

The Eisenhower Matrix (shown below) is a great tool for helping you manage your productivity. It teaches you to divide tasks into four groups;

<ol><li>Important and urgent tasks which you should do yourself now. </li><li>Important but non urgent tasks you should do yourself but schedule. </li><li>Low importance but urgent tasks which you should look to delegate. </li><li>Low importance and low urgency tasks which should be binned. </li> </ol>

The Eisenhower Matrix divides your tasks into four simple groups so you can quickly see where you should focus your time to be most productive.

You focus your time and energy on the important tasks. This is where you are adding value and making a difference. You may well have the skills to also do the tasks in the other two boxes but they add much less value. If you spend your time on these lower value tasks you can’t complete the high value ones.

Never be afraid to say no to a task! That is how you will learn to be more productive.

This sounds obvious but your work space is the space you set up for work. Set it up wrong and you are impacting your productivity. Follow these simple steps to maximise the benefits from a well thought out workspace;

It’s an obvious one but people still don’t do it. Don’t have your phone within view as it is the ultimate distraction. If you expect calls then put it behind you but with the ringer sound on. Turn off email notifications to stop them popping up and breaking your rhythm and instead set times in the day when you will check your emails. Finally, don’t sit facing a window. Yes, it is nice to see outside but if the view has lots of movement such as a road or a number of pedestrians/animals it can get distracting. To be more productive, face inside a room but take regular scheduled fresh air breaks to rest your eyes, re-energise and stretch your legs.

The <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/30769.pdf">National Renewable Energy Laboratory </a>found that working in natural light can increase productivity by 15% compared to artificial light. Having a comfortable environment will help you to be more productive so make sure you have a supportive chair, desk at the right height (normally 28 – 30 inches) and your monitor so the top of it is at eye level. The more comfortable you are the longer you will be able to work and be more productive. Also ensure everything you need for your tasks is within reach. If you have to get up and go and find things mid task it will break your concentration and impact your productivity.

Minimalism is the key. The more things on your workspace that you don’t need, the more distracting it will be. Make sure you have what you need for your tasks and a drink.

Let’s quickly recap the top three tips to be more productive;

<ol><li>Know what times of the day you are at your most alert and productive. Schedule your most difficult tasks then. </li><li>Focus on the tasks that add the most value. Delegate or remove any others. </li><li>Create a working environment that increases your productivity. </li> </ol>

For more detailed support on managing your calendar for productivity read this <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-do-i-organize-my-calendar/">article </a>. If you are struggling to control your inbox then you need to read this <a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/">article. </a>

How Can I Be More Productive? - Spur Planners

How Can I Be More Productive?

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