Increase your productivity throughout your day

Instead of just working harder, being productive means working smarter. Increasing personal productivity is something everyone can do, no matter how much you already have on your plate! Here are a few easy and attainable tips for making it happen:

Start your day with a plan

As you reach for that first cup of coffee or step into the shower first thing in the morning, spend a few minutes making a mental game plan for the day. What do you want to achieve and how are you going to do it? Add tasks to your calendar or to an app like Wunderlist. If you’re not a morning person, plan the next day before you go to bed each night so you are ready to hit the ground running whenever you shake off the cobwebs.

Don’t be a slacker

Distractions come in the form of chatty coworkers, social media, or the TV being on in the background. Limit these elements when possible so you can focus 100 percent of your mental energy on the task at hand.

Set boundaries and stick to them

Building on the “don’t be a slacker” mentality, being productive means that you can complete your work in an allocated amount of time so you do not have to spend your personal time on work-related tasks. Resist the urge to check work email in the evenings and instead read a book or do something else that you find relaxing. Shifting your mind away from work will allow you to be more focused when it is time to be productive.

Create a sense of urgency

Whether or not something is actually urgent, act like it is. Lighting a fire beneath you will ensure that you complete tasks on time, or even ahead of schedule. It will also motivate you to expand what you previously thought was possible. As the old saying goes, there’s no time like the present!