Are you feeling under pressure? Understanding ways to become more efficient and productive goes a long way towards easing workload and time management challenges.
Here are 10 practical tips on how to be more effective in your daily routine.
1. Mess creates stress
Did you know that tennis superstar Andre Agassi never let anyone touch his tennis bag because he knew that if it got disorganised it would distract him from his match?
2. Set clear goals
Set a list of goals for each day and take 5 minutes every morning to go through them so you know what you need to do.
3. Find your best time
Are you a morning person? Do you think better at night? Maybe you can’t concentrate if you’re hungry, or are sluggish after lunch? Find out what your peak energy hours are and save those precious timeslots for your best work.
4. Negativity, be gone!
Don’t be afraid to remove negativity (and negative people) from your life. You don’t need them to steal your enthusiasm and waste your energy.
5. The importance of a routine
Set a routine and stick to it. Find out what works for you and do it every day.
6. Don’t be afraid to say no
Understand that productive people can’t say yes to everything, whether it’s social engagements or that extra work commitment you know you shouldn’t take on.
7. Stop multi-tasking
You might think your ability to multi-task makes you more efficient, but research has shown that all those distractions actually make you less effective, and is the same effect as if you drop your IQ by 5 points!
Focus on one thing at a time.
8. Take care of yourself
Exercise, a good diet, and rest are often the first few things to be sacrificed when you’re under stress, but these are all key to being a more effective person. Also, avoid sugar as much as you can because it simply isn’t good for an efficient brain, and you can’t be effective if your brain isn’t performing at its best.
9. Work in blocks
Working in blocks of 90 minutes at a time, with 10 minutes in between to recover and refuel, is a top productivity trick that more and more people are adopting. There’s a good reason for that – it works!
10. Watch less TV (or throw it out altogether!)
Watching TV does nothing for your productivity. There’s nothing wrong with taking an hour to unwind after a long day, but anything more than a couple of hours is probably too much.
The next course you excel in might be one undertaken at a Learn Local provider! If you would like to undertake further training or learning near where you live, the Learn Local network can help. Learn Local providers offer adult learning courses in local communities across Victoria. Visit the Learn Local website to discover a Learn Local provider near where you live: https://learnlocal1.wpengine.com/find-a-learn-local/
References:
http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/09/become-the-most-productive-person-you-know/
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/pro-tips/25-ways-make-your-brain-more-efficient