Tips to optimise productivity
Imagine closing each workday with a satisfied sigh, knowing that you had been so productive that you accomplished everything on your list. And knowing, too, that you were at the top of your creative game—getting your tasks done both efficiently and well. See yourself whistling as you walk away after studying? There are different ways you can boost your productivity in your studies and even in general Life. We have listed a few ways that would help you in achieving more than you usually would be.
Imagine you were paid for results only
Rather than focusing on how much time you are spending on a task, instead, look at the outcome. Keeping watch of time and ensuring you are managing it is crucial, and you should continue to support. You should preferably look at the results you are outputting and imagine you are getting paid for it. The better the product, the more you would get paid for it. This quality-driven approach is much better in the long term as it produces an outcome in which you are more likely to be satisfied. You are not a factory; therefore a mass production of tasks would not suit you, and you still wouldn’t be satisfied by the end of the day even when you have completed a lot of work. Part of productivity is having meaning with any of the tasks you accomplish. Rather than being a robot and churning out work after work of lower quality, it’s more significant that you produce fewer but a higher quality of work which gives you more meaning.
Differentiate between what is important and what is urgent
We have mentioned making sure you categorise your tasks into important or unimportant, urgent or not urgent from our previous blogs. This four-way grid, Eisenhower Matrix, gives you the right consent on which tasks to focus on and takes the most priority into being completed on the day. This mindset enables you to play your day and see how much time should be given to the number of tasks you have. Through this, you would not have to worry about having to move onto the next piece of work while your mid-task. You don’t have to strictly follow the Matrix or even label them as being important or urgent. The central concept in this is categorising all your tasks accordingly. You can even create your labels to suit your needs and make your work more personal to yourself.
Write down your To-Do Lists
Categorising and prioritising your tasks is terrific. Though you don’t have a record of the work or studies you need to complete it will all be pointless. Make sure you should write every single thing you have to do down into a system of records. This could be done by either using a digital app or a physical A5 notebook. It doesn’t matter which one you use, as long as it is easily accessible and you will be able to come back to it to review or tick off any of the ones you have completed. We even recommended this when making big ideas towards your goals. New tasks, objectives and work will keep coming your way as the day progresses, by making a system where you can easily record anything will come in the handle. This To-Do list will allow you to tackle all of your work at your own pace and easily make you use the Eisenhower Matrix along.
Ask for help when you need it
You are not alone; therefore, you shouldn’t work alone either. Yes, it would help if you have intentions for your sole interest while also being humanitarian. You should seek help from others when needed. You should not feel afraid to ask them for it. People are more willing to help you others than you may think. You would have to ask them to truly find out rather than assuming that they wouldn’t and being afraid of rejection. Even if you do get rejected, you should ask someone else you may think may help you. With all negativity, there are only so many people who may be busy or don’t have the time to help you.
“Life is a single-player game, in a multiplayer server”
Our quote above encapsulates the whole idea that you need to seek other people’s help to progress further. Solo play can only take you so far, helping others and helping them expedite the whole process. The most important thing is that it makes it more fun ha in others along the journey
Keep your workplace clean
Your workplace can be the dining table, your study desk in your room or even the desk at your local library. It will be a place where you will spend hours of your time, sweat and tears. You wouldn’t want to be continuously distracted at a place where you are supposed to be studying. Having a messy workspace can also lead to that. It creates many things for your eyes to look at whenever it gets the chance to look away from the work you should be focusing on. Having recognised the good wrappers or the pile of random paper on the side, it stays on your mind as well. A cluttered table results in a cluttered mind. Make sure always to clean your workplace as you go and to arrange the place before you start any task in a way that enables you to only focus on the tasks at hand and for you to transition easily into it. This could even be an open biology book when you are about to start your work in biology. You are more likely to quickly get into the mindset of working right after coming back from a break than compared to a closed book in your bag or shelf.