IF you enjoy buying productivity apps for your smart phone, with a mind to getting more done in less time, you should know that automated tools of this nature aren’t the only ways to boost efficiency. Usually, your mindset will be the key to whether you become more productive or continue to produce at your current rate! Since your attitude plays such an important role in how much you produce, you shouldn’t need to rely on apps or other automated tools at all, although these applications may be fun to use. Here are some tips for creating the right mindset for success!
1. Prioritize: We have so many things to do during our days. As you know, every day has 24 hours. Out of these 24 hours, we typically spend 6-8 hours sleeping, 2-3 hours eating, drinking coffee/tea, exercising, et cetera! This leaves us with 8 to 10 hours in which to work! So it is very important to take a look at your to-do list and then prioritize tasks. To get things done in an efficient manner, implement a system whereby you label tasks as critical, urgent, important and “need to do”.
Getting the most important tasks out of the way will reduce your stress levels and give you a boost of welcome confidence!
2. Keep Your Thoughts Positive: Our minds process seventy thousand thoughts per day! Thinking is great, but thinking about negative things will tend to bring more chaos into your life. For example, if you have bad thoughts about an old friend, ex-partner, or boss, learn to nip them in the bud, as they really do you no good. They are like poison in your system and they hold you back from happiness and progress. You are not harming enemies by thinking badly of them – you are only hurting yourself!
To cite another example, if you are worrying about how to pay a bill or you are worrying about a mortgage application which you filled out at the bank, any negative thoughts that you have are not going to have a positive impact on the situation’s end result. In this sense, they are wasted energy which hinders productivity. The best strategy is to think of every life issue that you are facing and then work actively towards a viable solution for each struggle. Instead of laying in the bed and worrying about things, get organized and deal with problems. If you can’t find a solution, talk to an expert or do some research online. You’ll probably find that there is a way out of the darkness – it’s all about facing problems head-on and believing that you have the power to solve them!
3. Take notes: Keeping short notes of everything which you need to get done will be a good way to stay organized. Keep your notes short and to the point. You may consider using on-line cloud-based services, so that you are able to check your notes via any electronic device. We all lead busy lives and we tend to forget many important things which are related to meeting times, project details, family, friends and appointments. Therefore, keeping concise records of important things will definitely make your life a lot easier. You’ll find that these notes reduce pressure on your mind, as it won’t need to remember so much. By transferring important thoughts to paper or an electronic notepad, you’ll de-stress and avoid forgetting what you really need to keep tabs on!
4. Unplug at Bedtime: When you go to sleep at night, create an electronics “blackout zone”. This means turning off your phone, computer, tablets, TVs, music systems (music should be ok, if you do manage to access deep sleep by listening to tunes!). If possible, disconnect your Wi-Fi and other invisible signals which are close to your bed. In today’s digital world, electronics devices play important roles in almost every aspect of our lives – however, they also create many health and wellness hazards, such as repetitive task syndrome, a pre-occupied mind and information overload – so, it is very important to unplug when you need rest. Unplugging is the best way to re-charge your batteries by accessing deep and healing sleep!
5. Conquer Social Media Addiction: We all love the Internet and social media. After all, it’s great to share your world with followers and friends, by posting photos, thoughts, collections and other important data. However, social media is highly addictive and it can really get in the way of productivity. If you are checking your Facebook app every 5 minutes on your smart phone, then you are a social media addict and you need to set limits in order to get more important work done during the day. To enhance productivity, create a social media schedule, by checking your profiles and feeds morning, noon, and evening. You’ll find that you miss very little and that you’re better able to focus on work.
As you can see, small lifestyle changes will add up to big productivity gains. A little bit of change in your life will promote a simpler, healthier and more productive mindset. It is great to learn about – and use – new innovations and technology. However, you should make sure that they improve your life, rather than making you inefficient.
