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8 simple changes to make yourself more productive each day
From using your commute more wisely to tackling your most difficult tasks.
DO YOU OFTEN feel a tiny bit deflated leaving the office or college in the evening thinking that you wanted to get more done that day than you did?
Some of the world’s most successful people had pretty unusual approaches to their productivity – Steve Jobs swore by meditating and walking barefoot while Francis Bacon claimed he painted best while hungover.
Zen Buddhism and unhealthy drinking habits aside, here are a number of easy tweaks you can make to your daily routine that will allow you to reach peak productivity each day.
1. Use your commute to learn new things
As tempting as it can be to spend your trip to work scrolling through umpteen Instagram pictures of delicately styled avocados from your friends’ brunch expeditions, your commute is a time that can so easily be spent wisely.
Think about switching off and trying a guided meditation on the app Headspace, listening to an audiobook on productivity such as Richard Koch’s The 80/20 Principle or podcasts like TEDTalks or Stuff You Should Know to kick your brain into action.
2. Make an achievable to-do list each morning
This may seem like an obvious shout, but it’s one that not many of us adhere to each day. Achieving everything you need to starts being able to prioritise things into doable chunks.
Try dividing your tasks into before and after lunchtime. Note: This is automatically easier to achieve with swish stationery, so think about splashing out on a new notebook – try Irish companies My Shining Armour or Designist for size.
3. Do your worst task before lunch
Have a phone call you’re dreading making, or an ultra-boring assignment? The sooner you get it done, the better, or so the experts would believe.
According to New York Magazine, Behavioural scientist Dan Ariel claims the first two hours that we are awake are often our most productive of the day, so do the things that require brainpower then and leave the less important things for later.
4. Exercise at lunch
Rather than sitting in the canteen aimlessly swiping through your phone, use part of your lunchtime to get your blood flowing instead.
Think about signing up to a lunchtime class, going for a run in the nearest park or even hopping on a Dublin Bike for twenty minutes before you return to your desk.
According to Harvard Medical School, exercise boosts the part of your brain that controls verbal memory and learning, along with reducing stress and anxiety that work has caused.
5. Clear out your living and working areas
Too often, we live absentmindedly under a pile of clutter we always mean to, but never really get around to clearing.
According to Forbes, a messy desk can impair motivation and state of mind so try dedicating fifteen minutes to clearing everything you don’t need from your desk – sheets you don’t need anymore, used notebooks and pens that don’t work.
Repeat this with your bedside table, bag and wallet for a clearer mind outside work too.
6. Drink more water
Not only is not drinking enough water bad for our bodies overall, it can reduce short-term memory, long-term memory recall and even the ability to perform arithmetic, according to Psychology Today,
Not only does drinking constantly throughout the day help your brain on a cellular level, the few minutes spent away from your computer screen to go and fill up your glass serves as a mental break too.
If you can’t handle the tedium of litres of water, try mixing it up with caffeine-free herbal teas instead.
7. Try to stop multitasking
Keep finding yourself suddenly looking at about thirty open tabs over your working day? In an age where you’re expected to stay plugged in to any possible contact while completing tasks, you’re not alone.
However according to Forbes, the brain can only focus properly on one task at a time, and introducing multiple tasks increases the chances of mistakes and overall decreases productivity.
By shut down all the unnecessary windows and focusing on one thing at a time, we achieve higher quality work in less time.
8. Get up 15 minutes earlier.
Rumour has it that Anna Wintour (Editor of Vogue for almost thirty years) is on the tennis court by 6am each morning, joining countless CEOs who preach ‘mind over mattress’.
If that sounds like an absolutely unbearable way of life, try something a little more achievable – set your alarm for fifteen minutes earlier each morning.
In theory, you’ll be at your desk fifteen minutes earlier, which will give you a chance to glance through your e-mails, grab a coffee and properly plan your day before things get busy.
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