These days, nearly everyone you’ll meet will say they’re busier than ever. No matter what it is that contributes to your packed day; each person has the same 24 hours in a day. What does matter is how you utilize those hours.
It’s a good idea to periodically reflect on how you spend your time and what you can do to work smarter and be more productive.
5 Daily Habits to Be More Productive
Here are a few ways you can be productive, feeling like you’re adding hours to your days.
Map Your Week Ahead
While you can’t know the future, you can plan for it. Each week, on Sunday night, map out your week. Consider your important goals for the week or month so you can be intentional and disciplined in your actions, making sure that what you do this week contributes to the success of your goals.
Block Out Time for Menial Tasks
While your week must include important actions that meet big-picture goals, it’s also necessary to block out and plan time for the small tasks. Every time you push these smaller things aside, they only build-up, eat up more time than necessary, and make it harder to make progress. Instead, if you set aside this time purposefully, you’ll stay productive.
Craft a Realistic To-Do List
Many people make a “wish list” instead of a to-do list. When people consistently cannot complete the tasks on their to-do list, it can be disheartening and can crush motivation. To be more productive, create your to-do list with a realistic time frame assigned to each task. This can help you understand just how much you can realistically get done in one day.
Make the Most of Edge Time
Edge time, or downtime, can actually be productive. This time, like your commute or standing in lines, doesn’t have to turn into time at the office for things like emails or phone calls (although that’s not a bad idea either). You can use this time to brush up on articles you want to read or audiobooks you want to listen to, since you’re cutting out all the browsing time from your day, right?
Protect and Enjoy Family Time
No matter how productive you want to be, protect the time with your family every night for a few hours. Spending time with your loved ones is not only essential to your quality of life, to building their lives, but this time will recharge you for when it is time to get back to your work.
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