Start your Day at Night and your Week on the Weekend - Nothing helps productivity more than proper planning for any eventuality. So whether it's the week's meals planned over the previous weekend or your clothes and the kids' uniforms for tomorrow being laid out tonight a little done in advance goes a long way. The wise say start bright and early every morning but I say why stop there? Start your day the previous night! :)
One Habit every Fortnight - Awesome Aristotle said "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." The truth is many things we do everyday are done on autopilot so why not take a look at our daily routines, our short and long term goals and find a way to form a habit out of something we could well use help doing almost effortlessly. This serves our goals in the long run. It takes a bit longer than a fortnight for it to stick (21 days as per some claims out there) but once past the two week mark keeping this up is simple.
One Delegation every Night - Similarly find one thing every night to delegate to someone else in your life - it doesn't even have to be a big responsibility. We tend to take on too much and see ourselves as indispensable believing only we could complete certain tasks but the truth is we sometimes get busy being busy. So start tonight. Could your little one start helping out with making their own bed/arranging their own bag for tomorrow? Is there a pending errand that you deem simple enough for your spouse to handle without you? Asking for help and letting go can be the first step to a less hassled and more productive you!
Get a load off your mind (literally!) and FOCUS! - That means 'Write everything down!' This way your mind is less taxed. This doesn't have to be literally with pen and paper. A smartphone app or a virtual organiser or just a plain text notepad document could work just as well. Our minds are being overwhelmed with information and things we rush about trying to keep track of. So use a simple system (experiment till you find what works best for you). Ensure you have everything jotted down someplace so you don't worry about forgetting and can get it all done. Then, pick a task and FOCUS! Multitasking, as new research shows, is overrated. You're better off crossing out your list one focussed task at a time.
The Wonder of Weekends and Scheduling Me-Time - Perhaps the best boost to productivity is taking breaks and scheduling time for oneself in all the hustle and bustle. It might sound counterintuitive but just a five minute break for a walk and fresh air between work tasks or scheduling a little me-time to read, journal or just enjoy a bit of dessert at night after everyone else has gone to bed can be all that's needed to go from frazzled and frustrated to poised and productive again. Use weekends wisely too. Do those nagging bits that constantly pop up in your head as reminders/notes-to-self over the week and you'll see how much better the week ahead can then be.
These are just some of the helpful things we think one can do to get more productive. Are any of your favourites on this list? Or are there other hacks that you swear by? Share them with us in your comments below.