Being more productive is not something that is achieved in a fleeting moment. It requires a commitment to continuously improve the way you do things. It requires that you regularly identify your important objectives. Once you do that, you can then assess how you are using your time; identify any inconsistencies and put processes in place to make the necessary adjustments. Each person is unique and if they wish to maximise their productivity, they must treat themselves as a unique case and identity the practices which work for them. Despite this, there are some common rules which will help any individual to become more productive.
8 Rules to be more productive
The following 8 rules can be applied by anyone to help them to become more productive. Keeping these rules at the forefront of your mind will help you to make quicker, better decisions which will boost your productivity.
1. Just get started
You will never be more productive unless you take action. You may find yourself pondering the best way to do something to such an extent that you never get started. It is more effective to brainstorm your options, pick the option which you think is best and just get started. Once you have begun to take action, you can review your performance and identify any adjustments which you may need to make.
2. Establish routines
If you are struggling to get tasks done, it may because you have no routine. For regular tasks, it is best to set a specific time for doing them. With a little discipline, they soon become part of your daily routine and you start to complete the task without even thinking about it. A few years back, I was struggling to go to the gym. I decided to set specific days for my gym work and chose to make it the first thing I did on each of those days. After a short while, as soon as I had my breakfast, I grabbed my gym gear and headed to the gym. It became an automatic behaviour.
Identify the regular actions which you can make part of a routine and you will quickly become more productive.
3. Know what you are saying ‘No’ to
It is easy to say ‘Yes’ when others make requests of us. This is usually done without putting any thought into the consequences. It is essential that you remember that you will never complete every task which you would like to get done. Therefore, you need to focus on the tasks which are most important and add most value to your life. When you say ‘Yes’ to one task, you are automatically saying ‘No’ to something else. You must understand this. In many instances, it will be fine as the task which you are rejecting is unimportant but you need to be sure. Before saying ‘Yes’ make it a habit to ask yourself ‘If I do this, what am I not going to be able to do?’
4. If it’s not important, it’s not important
Being more productive is about dedicating your time and energy to the tasks which are most important in your life. This must be your focus. Occasionally, you will be asked to do something in the future. At that point in time, it is easy to avoid assessing the importance of the task. Eventually, the time to perform the task creeps up on you and you suddenly realise that you have committed your time to something which has no importance and adds no value to your life. It does not matter how far into the future the activity lies; if it is not important, it is not the worth commitment. Learn to say ‘No’.
5. Break it down
It is easy to be overwhelmed by large tasks/projects. When you think of the enormity of what lies ahead, you may doubt your ability to get it done. The easiest way to be more productive, and get these tasks done, is to break them down to the next action. Rather than focus on the enormity, you now focus on the minutest action which you can take. Once you complete that action, focus on the next action you can take. Before long, you will have taken massive strides towards getting it done.
6. Stop trying to be perfect
It is desirable to do the best job which you can do but at some stage you will reach the point of diminishing returns i.e. you will have to put in a great deal more effort just to achieve a minimal improvement. When you reach this point, it is time to realise that you have done the best you can do in the circumstances and bring the task to an end. You could try to keep improving it but the truth is that you will never achieve perfection. You will always find something which you think you could improve. In reality, doing the best you can with the allotted resources (including time) is good enough and most people would fail to notice any improvements beyond that point. Be more productive by knowing when your work is good enough.
7. Set an end time
People are generally very good at scheduling the beginning of meetings and appointments. However, they are not so good when it comes to scheduling an end time. When you are scheduling a meeting, set strict start and finish times. Also, use an agenda with allotted time for each item. When you do this, people realise that they have to get to the point and work more effectively. You will get more done and you will save time for yourself and the people you meet with.
8. Plan and review
When you are working on larger projects, take the time in advance to do some proper planning. This will give you a framework to work to and save you time in the long-run. It also allows you to conduct regular reviews of your progress where you can identify any adjustments which need to be made, at the earliest opportunity. Planning and reviewing big projects is critical if you wish to be more productive.
Most people would like to be more productive. Unfortunately, they tend to make a few small changes and leave it at that. They may receive some short-term improvements but in the long-term they will fall back into their old habits. If you want to be more productive, it is a lifelong commitment. You need to establish rules and processes which will enable you to work to your best. To maximise your productivity, you need to realise that you are unique and find the approaches which work best for you. However, the 8 rules, listed above, will help anybody to be more productive. Apply these rules to your life and you will be noticeably more productive in a short space of time.
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