Counselor's Corner: How to Be More Productive in Every Area of Your Life

I had a desire a while back to be more productive with my work and even with getting things accomplished at home, but I needed first to understand the basics of what it takes to becoming more productive. In the beginning, I did not seem to be getting much accomplished but I have learned productivity increases daily as you develop and implement the skills for increasing productivity and decease the barriers that hinder productivity.

There are some barriers to be aware of that may hinder productivity in your life. Being aware helps you to know what you may need to work on first in your life before reaching your goal of being more productive.

Barriers that should be dealt with first:

·        Health issues. If you’re not feeling well, you very likely won’t be up to being more productive. Take care of your health first.

·        Relationship problems/conflicts. If you are having significant issues with your relationships this can drag you down and decrease your productivity. Find a way to heal, release, forgive and move on.

·        Lack of confidence. If you don’t believe you can, then you will already defeat yourself.

·        Focusing on the wrong things. Your thoughts can way you down. If you are thinking about what is wrong or how you just can’t do or that, you will set yourself up for failure.

·        Staying up late and getting up late. “The early bird catches the worm.”

·        Drug and alcohol use. Using substances frequently such as drugs and alcohol will cause a lack of motivation which will lead to decrease in productivity.

·        Not staying focused on what should be doing. Turning your attention to every phone call, email, or distraction will cut into your productivity.

·        Lack of planning. Those that plan increase their chances of not only productivity but of success.

·        Misplaced priorities. Having goals, and an agenda for the day/week will keep you on track versus wandering throughout the day by whatever “falls on your lap.”

·        Being disorganized. Great organization breeds productivity, where as a lack causes you to easily get off-track.

After working on the barriers that decrease your productivity, you can begin applying these techniques to improve your productivity:

1.     Get a good night’s sleep, and go to bed early and get up early. Early risers get a head start on their day and can work past the typical distractions that come throughout the day such as phones ringing. As you get up early you can invest your time in spending with God first thing in the morning. Putting God first can cause you to have a smoother day as you lay down your cares and worries first before starting your day.

2.     Eat a balanced diet. Start your day with a healthy breakfast or smoothie. Eating unhealthily will cause you to feel tired and you will not want to be as productive after.

3.     Make a daily and weekly priority list. Stick to your list as much as possible so that you will not become distracted by other things. Make your list reasonable so that you’re not overwhelmed by it.

4.     Figure out your “peak hours.” Do your most difficult tasks when you’re the most alert and active.

5.     Reward yourself. Do something you enjoy at the end of the day or week as you accomplish your goal to increase your productivity.

6.     Declutter at home and at the office. Your physical space impacts your work as well as your level of peace.

7.     Take reasonable breaks throughout the day. Taking a walk can definitely increase your alertness helping you to be more productive.

8.     Get sunlight. Have your office near a window or go outside to work or to take a break. Sunlight affects the timing of the circadian clock that impacts your wakefulness and fatigue.

9.     Decrease you time with negative or draining people. Hanging around people that drain you can definitely lower your productivity.

10. Have a daily routine. Get up and go to bed at the same time, make your bed in the morning, spend time with God, exercise, etc.

11. Reframe from checking your calls, emails and texts when you get up. Wait before grabbing your phone to see who has called or texted you so you can get a head start on your day before dealing with anything that may slow you down.

12. Put a limit on your social media usage. 15 minutes a day should be sufficient for social media, anything more you are very likely wasting time.

13. Limit how much you talk on the phone. Spending an hour chatting on the phone can cut into your productivity time.

14. Turn off all notifications on your phone. Take control of when you read and respond to requests for your time.

15. Keep your phone away, on silent or check every other hour. Decreasing the frequency which you look at your phone eliminates potential distractions that can block you from being more productive.

16. Pick out your outfit for work or whatever you have planned the night before. This may sound trivial but how much time can we waste trying to pick out that “right outfit.”

Respond: What do you or can do to increase your productivity? I have found that waking up at 5:30am definitely helps me to be more productive as well as not checking my phone and emails constantly throughout the day.