4 Key Concepts to Becoming More Productive in Your Life
|What is productivity?
To be productive is a highly prioritized goal for many; whether you’re a student, an employee, or just a person who wants to get more done in the day, productivity is a key skill to learn. Becoming productive can help you in all aspects of your professional and personal life, and has many benefits, both obvious and not so obvious. However, to many, this type of productivity is hard to achieve as one question eludes them; how can one help foster it? Here are some foundational skills that can help you either take your first steps towards being more productive, or increase your productivity even more!
Goal Setting
Arguably the most important factor of increasing productivity, the idea of goal setting is powerful and useful to almost everyone who wants to become more productive.
So why is goal setting important? Goal setting can help you clarify your vision and your path in the future, and can help you stay focused on accomplishing these goals. For example, if you have a goal to start a side hustle to bring in more income, you may feel like it’s difficult if you aren’t specific enough with what you’re trying to accomplish. However, if you rephrase the idea to having your goal be to make $1,000 in your side hustle in a month, this provides more clarity, direction, and focus.
One common way to set these types of goals that foster more productivity is the famous S.M.A.R.T. goal acronym. In order, this acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevance, and Time-Bound. As long as your goal meets all of these criteria, this will help you focus and significantly increase your productivity.
Organizational Skills
One of the most common ways to increase productivity no matter the setting is to maintain organizational skills. Organizational skills are a necessity when dealing with productivity as having skills to organize your materials can cut down potential time scrambling to find something.
Alongside this, organizational skills provide a clear mental headspace, allowing for more productive work to be accomplished. As the adage goes, the state of your workplace reflects the state of your mind.
Other than organizing basic materials, to increase productivity, organizational skills can also help factor into your time management skills as well. It allows you to better manage your time and thus be more productive. Investing in organizational skills will greatly benefit the productivity of your work.
Eliminating Distractions
With the advent of technology, we are constantly bothered by distractions from our phones, computers, and even our refrigerators. However, these technologies are designed with one purpose in mind–to draw your attention to it, generating more clicks to suck up time on those devices.
To counter this and improve your productivity, it is recommended that you take the time to put away those distractions. Move those devices from places such as your pockets to places where it’s more difficult to reach, for example, the next room. Without these distractions, you will be less inclined to spend your time elsewhere and instead will have more time to be productive.
The Power of Habits
Lastly, one of the most important ways to be productive is by creating habits. The power of habit is incredible. It both helps you keep a routine while also causing the action to feel more normal.
Your good habits may include organizing your workspace or blocking out distractions. Your helpful habits will maintain productivity even when you are not thinking about it. Out of all of the ways to maintain productivity, this is the most important, as forming a habit will allow you to keep productivity even in the face of troubles.
Conclusion
Increasing productivity and staying on track with your goals isn’t easy. However, the tips and insight above will help you in that pursuit. With proper goal setting through the SMART goal acronym and developing organizational skills, you will be able to get more focused, organized, and stress-free. Additionally, eliminating distractions and using the power of habits can help you stay more consistent and disciplined in achieving your goals and becoming more productive. If you adopt all of these skills and tips into your life, you’re bound to see higher levels of productivity and stronger results!