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Hectic schedules don’t necessarily mean productive ones. Becoming overloaded with tasks can easily lead to burnout, and overstimulation can verifiably cause you to shut down and accomplish nothing. Follow these productivity hacks to make the most out of your schedule.
Prioritize Tasks
Identify what your tasks are. Separating what needs to be completed from what can hold off for a bit can be challenging when your list is overwhelmingly full. Get everything in order so you can more efficiently assign them to yourself or others. Procrastinating can be detrimental to your success, so learn ways around it that you can apply to your daily life.
Prioritize your most important task and organize the rest of them accordingly. Put your most important job first so you can eat that morning frog — and the rest of your day should seem like smooth sailing. Getting the most daunting responsibility out of the way first lets you set your sights on more appealing duties.
Limit Distractions
Powering through distractions can be challenging. Dinging phones or your notifications popping up on your desktop’s screen can be so tempting. They’re incredibly compelling when you’re working on complex projects.
Consider using timers to stay on task until you’re done. You can set your timer to take quick breaks at specific intervals throughout the day or with time estimates for jobs. You can see what your phone buzz was all about when your work is finished.
You’re sure to be satisfied if you accomplish a task before the timer goes off.
Plan Ahead
Planning things like meals can be so helpful in managing your time. Proper time management can boost your productivity levels more than you know. You might be surprised how much better you perform on a project when you’re not exhausted from making dinner the night before.
Usually, by lunchtime, the hardest part of your day is over if you implement the eat-the-frog strategy. You could be done with one task and take a quick breather before moving on to an even bigger job. No matter how you slice it, lunch can be much more rejuvenating if it’s premade. Try making a simple sandwich the night before so you can pull it out of the fridge or lunchbox and dive right in.
This allows you more downtime to reset rather than rushing through eating. You won’t have to take time out of your break to throw it together quickly.
On a similar note, prepping your dinner meals throughout the week can also be extremely helpful in time management. Do you ever have those weeks that you go straight from clocking out to cooking dinner and then straight to bed, only to wake up the next morning to rinse and repeat? What a vicious cycle.
Adulting is difficult, but it can be better than you’re making it if you can use your time wisely. Being stretched for time doesn’t mean your health has to suffer. Utilize some meal prep options to set up some recipes ahead of time. This way, you’re not grabbing fast food that’s bad for you just because you don’t have time to cook anything.
Take Ownership
Hold yourself accountable for everything you need to get done. Take ownership of your lists or recruit someone else to do it for you. Allow yourself an appropriate amount of time to tackle your responsibilities. You’ll suffer the consequences you put in place if you fall short. The thought of announcing to your accountability partner that you missed your goal and hearing their disappointment could help keep you on track.
Remember to set rewards for your achievements, like when you crush that dreaded deadline early. Treating yourself to your favourite ice cream or going to the mall after work could be your special reward. Find what keeps you motivated and on task and set those parameters for yourself. You will reach the highest level of your potential every day if you make the most of your time.
Rest and Reset
Your day is done. You either made it through your list or you didn’t. Breathe and forgive yourself for what you may not have gotten to today. Give yourself some grace and remove the guilt you might be experiencing. Adequate rest and good time management will ensure you’re ready to tackle your assignments and make it a productive day.
About The Author:
Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded, where he writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors and more. Check out @TModded for regular updates!
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