Have you ever found yourself wishing there were more hours in your day? Like 24 hours are just not enough for you to get through everything you need to do? Ever reached the end of the day and realized that you haven’t finished one single task even though you tried? You probably bounced back and forth between all the different errands and responsibilities you had that day, tried to juggle and finish them all at the same time, and ended up wasting your entire day without getting through any of them fully. Don’t panic! You’re not alone.
Time truly is the most valuable resource we have, and without knowing how to manage it, we will never reach our full potential of productivity. From experience, and a lot of trial and error, we’ve figured out that the most important trick you need to do to maximize your productivity, while still leaving time for fun and rest is…
1. Make an action plan, and stick to it.
Yes, I know, that is easier said than done. But there are many ways to make sure you’ve made an efficient plan, which is easy to follow, without feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Here are some steps to take to ensure your success and progress, on a daily, monthly and even yearly basis:
Use your calendar wisely
You can write 100 task lists a day, but if you’re not doing it right, you will never end up achieving what is on these lists.
The most successful people look at their calendars in terms of minutes, rather than hours. They block out specific amounts of time on their calendars that they know for sure will take to accomplish a certain task.
For example, if you’re job hunting, you know it might take you around 30 minutes to find the job you’re looking for, 35 minutes to customize your cover letter, 25 minutes to update your objective on your CV, and no more than two minutes to log into your Bayt account and apply. Now, instead of blocking two hours of your time to complete this task, split your day into 10-15 increments, rather than 1-hour increments, to eliminate the possibility of wasted time.
Schedule fun time and break time
One school of thought insists that the best way to tackle your daily calendar is by using the unschedule method. First, schedule the things that you wouldn’t normally schedule, such as food and coffee breaks, internet browsing, and nap time, leaving a few blocks open for items that pop-up unexpectedly throughout the day. After that, schedule in the tasks you want to do, versus the tasks you need to do. Finally, put in the tasks that need to be completely finished that day, or within a certain period of time.
Whether you do this approach or you go with the traditional scheduling method, make sure you ALWAYS schedule breaks. Studies show that the brain works in cycles or “bursts” of productivity, so you need to take regular breaks while working on projects or tasks.
Taking breaks doesn’t mean letting your brain wander off while you’re working, or checking social media “for just a second”. The most important thing to remember for this strategy to work is that, when you are working, you need to be putting in your 100%, full energy and full focus. Likewise, taking breaks means stepping away from your desk and task list and doing something for fun or non-work related.
Have a “completed” list
Nothing feels worse than reaching the end of the day and realizing that you still have a long list of to-dos that you weren’t able to complete. It’s easy to forget all the tasks you actually managed to accomplish, so always make sure to keep note of those. The satisfaction of seeing how productive you actually were throughout the day, will be more rewarding than you thought. It will motivate you to be just as efficient, if not more, the next day.
Stop Multitasking
Here is the truth about multitasking: it is very easy for it to become counter-productive. You are simply hurting yourself and your productivity by trying to do more than one task at once, and you’re being hard on yourself when you are disappointed that you didn’t finish every item on the list at once.
Multitasking – as in attempting to do multiple tasks at once – isn’t a realistic work strategy and is simply a waste of time.
Likewise, switching from one task to other too often can also hurt your productivity and can slow you down significantly. Trying to jump from one task to the other, when each task has a different thought process and needs a different mind-set, will only confuse and exhaust your brain, drain your energy, and overwhelm you even more.
Try this instead: list your tasks in order of importance and urgency, block out the time for each task, and focus on one item at a time. Not only will this improve your focus and the quality of your work, it will also cut down on the time it takes to finish each project.
