How to Boost Productivity...Without Burning Out
It’s more than likely you’ve seen a few productivity quotes floating around social media.
You know, the kind that make you feel that if your entire day isn’t time-blocked to the last second, you must be doing something wrong. As we’ve shared in a previous post, time blocking is a great organizational tool to help ensure a work-life balance. But, like with anything else, it can be taken too far and can cause anxiety when you’re not able to get everything done in your time-blocked calendar.
The key to being productive is getting organized.
David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity, underlines the importance of setting priorities so that you can feel accomplished with what you get done in a day. There are three main factors that influence what should take priority on your daily to-do list:
Urgency: Are you working against a deadline? Is someone else’s work dependent on you completing this task? Urgent tasks and activities take precedence because they are time sensitive, and thus, get higher priority.
Impact: Which of your tasks will make the biggest impact on your day? If you have a day full of mind-numbing meetings, the tasks that will make the biggest impact are the ones that are simplest and quickest to accomplish, because they will not take extra toll on your brain power. If you have more flexibility in your day, tackle tasks that will get you ahead on your projects and goals throughout the week.
Balance: No matter how many tasks you get done in a day or how far ahead you are on your goals, if you don’t schedule in time to recharge and refuel you will burn out…and quickly! Schedule time in your day to eat lunch, journal, be active, and spend time with loved ones. Personal health and well-being is always a priority. If you let it slack you will be less focused and productive in work-related tasks.
Prioritizing and productivity doesn’t just happen out of thin air. Like anything else worth doing it takes a little practice before you figure out the system that works for you. It’s not always easy to balance work with recovery, but it is essential to get the balance right so that you avoid burning out. Here are 5 things you can do to increase your productivity today:
5 Actionable Tactics To Increase Productivity and Not Get Burnt Out
1.Know your milestones
How can you plan if you don’t know what you are working towards? It is essential to know your short-term and long-term goals, and plan towards them. Even after goal setting, review upcoming deadlines and major events in the coming month and week to help you determine deadlines and workflows.
2. Plan your day
If you don’t have a clear plan of action every morning when you wake up, you’ll float along through your day instead of getting started with a purpose. When you wake up with a plan you know exactly what needs to get done and you are able to maximize the results of your day.
3. Know your work and personal priorities
We already talked about the importance of recovery and well-being as ways to prevent burnout. These tasks are just as important (if not more so) than your work task. Know what is most important for you to accomplish today in both work and your personal life, and plan your day around getting those tasks done.
4. Set up boundaries
Its hard to stay focused and productive when it feels like work drags on throughout the whole day. That is why setting boundaries is so important, especially if you work from home. It can be so tempting to do a little laundry, or watch some TV, but then you’ll find yourself at 9pm without having accomplished any of your priority tasks. Set firm work hours and block out your day accordingly.
5. Be distraction-proof
According to researchers, it can take around 25 minutes to get refocused on a task once you have been distracted. So just 4 distractions a day means you are losing almost 2 hours of work! Makes you think a little differently about your Tik Tok breaks, eh? The solution is to schedule your breaks so your brain doesn’t feel overwhelmed throughout the day (see Tactic 2 above) and to prevent distractions the rest of the time by turning your phone on Airplane mode.
Conclusion
Following these simple steps will vastly improve your productivity and efficiency, without getting burnt out. As a result, you will accomplish more and work towards your goals, while encouraging more balance and happiness in your life.