7 Habits of Insanely Productive People
More coffee? Better To-Do lists? How do the most insanely productive people stay so productive?!
As we’ve moved into the digital age of ever growing distractions combined with an always-on modern work environment, we’re all searching for the right mix of productivity and sanity. We can tell you that more caffeine and longer to-do lists are not the answer.
Want to be more productive? Start with learning from research on what the most productive people do differently.
1. They Use Their Mornings Wisely
You can't be productive if you're starting your day on the wrong foot. That means starting with a focus on YOU instead of jumping into an email or getting the kid's lunches ready. The most productive people use their early mornings effectively to set themselves up for success in the upcoming day.
Whether that means waking up 15 minutes early to meditate and do some yoga or reviewing your wins and items to improve upon from the previous day, productive people make sure their body and mind are ready for the day ahead before it even starts.
2. They Don't Multitask
Productive people know that effective multitasking is a myth and the latest neuroscience studies back it up. Your brain can't handle multiple tasks at once. It just switches too quickly, leading to inefficiency, mistakes, and a lack of energy. All multitasking does is tax your brain to the point of being ineffective, not productive. Productive people know that in order to perform at their highest level they need to prioritize and focus.
Instead of multitasking, try setting aside one "multitasking" period per day where you can spend 45-60 minutes getting all those varied tasks done. That way you can move on from those little items and focus your day on your true priorities. Use a personal planner or planning app? A planner like the Panda Planner Classic, which separates out top Priorities and To-Do lists, is a great way to make sure that any multitasking period doesn't break your daily focus.
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3. Work While You're Fresh
We're most effective in the mornings, before lunch, when our brains and bodies are fresh from a night of rest. Schedule your most important tasks of the day for the morning when your brain is ready to be challenged and perform. Move meetings to the afternoon or hold off on easy tasks till later in the day.
Insanely productive people take on the hardest challenges first. They save the end of the day for responding to non-priority emails or scheduling standing meetings.
4. Take a Break or Three
Each day shouldn't be a marathon for your brain. To be focused and productive, you need to make sure that your brain and body get periodic breaks to refocus and refuel.
Productive people work hard and then refresh by taking a walk, meditating or refueling with a brain boosting snack like green tea, blueberries, or some dark chocolate.
5. Priority Lists. NOT To-Do Lists.
Productive people know if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. Why make a To-Do list of 35 things you need to get done during the day when it is physically impossible to accomplish them all?
First, it is demoralizing, even subconsciously, to approach each day knowing at the end you didn't tackle an unrealistic list. You're developing a losing habit. Second, you're wasting valuable time writing down and remembering 35 things when you could be tackling easy to do tasks and getting them done.
As we were researching the neuroscience behind "Today's Priorities" section of the Panda Planner, science continually showed that To-Do lists lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and inhibit celebrating even small wins, which lead to greater happiness each day.
6. Eliminate Inefficiency
There are only so many minutes in each day and often we mistake an excuse to take a break for a productive moment. We're talking about meetings!
How many meetings don't start on time, have no clear agenda, have no clear outcome, so on and so forth? Insanely productive people look at these moments throughout the day as intrusions into their effectiveness because are just that.
A 30-minute meeting that starts 10 minutes late, runs 5 minutes over and then has another 5 minutes of chatter in the hall just sucked 50 minutes out of your day. Once you finally get back in the flow of working you've just wasted an hour and you're stuck wondering "where the day went." If you need a break from work, take a 10-minute walk outside and refresh. Sitting in the standing 30-minute time vacuum of a meeting is a recipe for ineffectiveness that productive people know to avoid.
7. Take Decisive Action
No matter your goal, no matter your challenge, you can't be productive if you don't take decisive action. The most productive people identify their goals and challenges and then act to make the outcome they desire.
We often get wrapped up in the research or planning but at some point, we need to turn plans into action if we want to succeed and be productive. For example, we'd all be in better shape if we spent less time reading workout magazines and spent more time just getting in the gym, right?
The habit of taking action is the key habit potentially stopping you from being INSANELY productive. So get going on your goals right now!
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- Be more productive by focusing on priorities, not to-do's
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