If that is the case, then it might be time to start utilizing some of these strategies to stay productive, focused, and efficient. Here are five tried and tested ways that will help you to get more stuff done and crush work.
Start With Exercise
To maintain optimal health, entrepreneurs and business owners should be making time for three to four gym sessions a week. This is especially true for days when you find yourself staring at a computer screen for hours on end. Our brains are not designed to function in this way, and you’ll no doubt start to fatigue as the time rolls on. This will, in turn, impact your productivity levels.
Regular exercise has positive effects on your brain, your energy levels, and your mood, which all contribute to great levels of focus and, ultimately, how much you can get done in a day. These positive effects happen through a number of different physical stimuli that occur when you’re exercising, including:
- Your heart rate increases and your blood vessels dilate, which helps get more blood to your brain.
- Your muscles engaging areas of your brain that relate to fine motor control, driving oxygen and blood to the areas where it’s needed most.
Get a Great Night’s Sleep
Did you know that more than 40% of Australians claim that they don’t feel rested when they wake up in the morning? In Australia, we sleep for an average of seven hours a night. Only 8% of us are lucky to get more than nine hours, while around 12% of us get less than five and a half hours.
Sleep is vitally important for maintaining optimal brain function throughout the day, as it regulates our levels of adenosine. This chemical is the neurotransmitter that produces ATP (the molecule that stores the energy the body needs to power the biochemical reactions inside our cells). Not enough adenosine has been shown to decrease alertness, make us feel tired, and limit our ability to focus.
Set Your Targets for the Day
Another key element for getting more stuff done throughout your workday is to set clear, measurable targets when it comes to what it is that you actually want or need to achieve. When you set goals, whether it’s a to-do list, a numerical target, or a specific project, focus your energy on maximizing your output.
Be clear with yourself at the beginning of every day in regards to what you need to achieve. You could create a daily, weekly, or monthly goal (or all three) and write your aims down in a place where you can constantly see them.
Even if your to-do list doesn’t exactly consist of tasks that send surges of pride and excitement shooting through you (hello, tax time), ticking off boxes and crossing tasks out is still a great feeling of accomplishment.
Make Sure You Have Access to the Right Tools
They say that ‘only losers blame their tools’; however, when it comes to productivity, having everything you need really is the only way to set yourself up to “win the day.”
From a good internet connection to apps that make sure you’re staying on track, having access to the right tools can play a huge role in your business performance. For a streamlined workflow, make use of some of these apps:
- Harvest for time tracking.
- Basecamp or Trello for online collaboration.
- Slack for communication with team members.
Manage Your Phone Usage
Between emails, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter (let alone texting and calling), it can be easy to let your phone usage get in the way of a truly productive day.
Set time usage limits on the apps that you find yourself using the most, and pay attention when you find yourself automatically reaching for your phone during a moment of contemplation.
Maybe start by telling yourself you’ll only look at your phone for five minutes once an hour, or perhaps just at lunchtime. This will ensure that time doesn’t get away from you in the palm of your hand.
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