Whether you’re at home or in the office, there are always things to do and not enough time to do them. It’s easy to fall victim to busywork, procrastination and other time-wasters—but here are some tips that can help you get more done in less time:
You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to get started.
Making a list of everything you want to do and prioritizing it based on its importance is one of the best ways to start. If you have something else on your mind that’s not on the list, try adding it. Next, take each item and make a plan for how you’d like to accomplish it.
For example, if you’ve decided that one of your tasks is going through your email inbox (which was probably my most stressful task), here are some things I would recommend:
- Make sure you have an unread count enabled in Gmail or Outlook
- Set aside time for yourself every day instead of trying to tackle everything in one sitting at once
- Try creating filters to preclude emails from specific people from appearing in your inbox (I have a filter set up to prevent emails from my boss from showing up). That way when I come back tomorrow I won’t feel as overwhelmed by seeing all these new messages waiting for me!
Busywork is the enemy of productivity.
The first step toward avoiding busywork is understanding what it is. When we don’t know what else to do or when we’re trying to get away from something uncomfortable or challenging, we engage in busywork. If you keep doing something repeatedly because you feel you have to, it’s usually ineffective and commonly redundant; chances are good that there’s a more efficient way to do it.
Unnecessary meetings, repetitive tasks like updating spreadsheets, excessive email checking, and worrying about things that haven’t happened yet instead of concentrating on the steps needed to get them done are just a few examples of busywork (a problem known as “analysis paralysis”). Even if these activities sound productive at first glance, take time out of your day to consider whether they’re actually contributing anything meaningful toward your goals—and if not, cut them out!
Planning ahead will help you avoid busywork by eliminating the need for it in the first place. When faced with an unavoidable situation where no amount of planning could help (such as attending a meeting), decide beforehand how much time or energy should be dedicated toward actually participating in said meeting versus simply being present as an observer (or even better: leave early).
Keeping your space clean and organized can help you work better.
Although it might seem like a good idea to keep your workspace as cluttered and disorganized as possible, this is not the case. Because you can see everything at once in a clean workspace, it can be easier to focus on your work. Besides that, it makes room for creativity—something that many people overlook when they’re stressed out and feeling overburdened by their workload.Besides that, it makes room for creativity—something that many people overlook when they’re stressed out and feeling overburdened by their workload.
Keeping things organized will give you more time in the day to do what matters most: working! And why not spend any leisure time you have after working on actual tasks cleaning up? You’ll save a lot more time by organizing your closet, and if you ever want to make some extra cash on the side then there are plenty of sites like Fiverr that let people sell tasks like these for as low as $5!
Some foods make you more alert, while others make you tired or unfocused.
Sugar and caffeine: Caffeine is a stimulant that can give you an energy boost. If you are sensitive to these effects, you should take precautions because it can also cause temporary increases in blood pressure and heart rate. Another stimulant that temporarily boosts energy but ultimately leads to fatigue is sugar (hence the term “sugar crash”).
Protein: Building muscle mass with protein helps the body burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates (sugar). Besides that, it controls blood sugar levels and prevents daydreaming about running errands in favor of keeping your mind on the task at hand.
Fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are great for mental health as they play an important role in cell development and regeneration in the brain—particularly during childhood years when neural pathways are being established! They reduce inflammation throughout your body by blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines at inflammatory sites such as swollen joints or inflamed arteries brought on by high cholesterol levels due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as smoking cigarettes or drinking beer every day after work before dinner time arrives—which usually happens sometime between 9pm – 10pm depending on how much milk has been drunk earlier during the day during lunchtime hours.
Use your calendar wisely to organize your time most effectively.
The most important thing to do is to manage your calendar wisely. You must plan time for meetings, appointments, and other significant events. Schedule time for rest and exercise, as well as for your family and yourself.
Setting aside specific times during the day to work on each project or task is a helpful way to achieve this. Moreover, you should schedule some time to relax at the end of the day so that you can unwind after a long day of work.
Become an expert at what you do so that it doesn’t take as much time.
If you want to become an expert at something, there are three different ways to go about it:
- Learn the basics and then practise. This is a good way to become an expert if you’re not already well-versed in what you want to learn. You’ll be able to understand how everything works and begin working on your project with confidence if you first learn all the basics.
- Learn from the successes and mistakes of others. Ask for advice from anyone who has gone before you and done what you’re trying to do, especially if they’ve made mistakes while doing so or had success at times along the way. They may not always have time or patience for this kind of thing but hopefully they’ll be willing enough at least once or twice so that they can help get some advice out there for others like yourself who might need it someday too someday soon down south somewhere near where my feet rest when I’m sleeping next door neighbors live close together but not quite close enough…?
Don’t forget to schedule down time for yourself!
Taking a break is an important part of keeping your mind focused and productive. However, it can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling guilty about taking time off from work. When you’re not working, it’s easy to feel like you should be doing something productive instead.
That’s why it’s important to schedule down time. To give your mind time to rest and recharge before diving back into another project or task on the following day, you must make sure that you have some type of non-work related activity scheduled for every single day.
This will allow you not only avoid burnout but also give yourself a chance at getting more done by making sure that no matter what happens in your career journey (and there will always be something), whether it be good news or bad news, stressful deadlines or relaxed ones—you always have something planned where all of this can happen without having any negative impact on how effective our minds are when we get back home after being away from home all day long!
There are a number of ways to maximize your effectiveness and efficiency at work or school
- Plan
- Calendar
- To-Do List
- Checklist
- To-Don’t List (if you’re a person who gets distracted easily)
- You can also use an alarm clock to remind yourself of important tasks. For instance, if your boss asked you to turn in the report by 5 o’clock, set your alarm for 4:55 o’clock and get to work. Just before the deadline, avoid wasting time by fiddling with your phone or checking Facebook. If a task will take longer than an hour to complete, divide it into smaller, more manageable pieces. Also, never multitask – it is completely useless!
We hope that these pointers have helped you to accomplish more in less time. Everyone is busy, that much is certain. However, the secret to staying productive and avoiding burnout is as easy as keeping your space tidy, managing your time wisely, becoming an expert at what you do to make it take less time, and remembering to schedule downtime for yourself.
RUCHI RATHOR Founder & CEO
Payomatix Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
FOUNDER AND INVESTOR | PAYMENTS PROCESSING EXPERT | MERCHANT ACCOUNT SOLUTIONS | WHITE LABELLED PAYMENT GATEWAY | Dreamer, Creator, Achiever, Constantly Evolving
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