Seven 5-minute tips to be more productive this week!
All the offices I get into and every company I ever founded/share-owned, there was this employee which was always running late, spilling coffee on documents, completely disorganised and unhinged.
So, with the years I collected some tips that helped me into becoming more productive and getting things done better and faster:
Create a morning ritual For me this was a game-changer. I’ve always had a terrible time with waking up early and energising myself in the early hours of the day. Since the moment I discovered that a small series of everyday actions would help. For example: I know that for my body to wake fully energised, I need to wake at between two determined time slots so I tend to plan my schedule in accordance. Also, I take 10 minutes to make some push-ups, 20 minutes to read the news and more 10 minutes to run through emails. This has helped me creating a pattern of mind and leave the house prepared physically, mentally and professionally. First weeks are pretty rough, but after some time, the benefits in productivity are clear as water.
Create a mission for everything and stick to it For everyday I create a mission of my day, connected to a mission of the week, connected to a mission of the month and so on. It helps me having a clear image of what i am doing in the present and how it will affect the future. It allows me to make more precise judgement and knowing better what I want to deliver on the day and avoid frustration. This takes less than 5 minutes on the Sunday evening and improves the motivation and morale like no other. By doing this, I empowered myself and am able to empower other people by making the daily life work extraordinary.
Plan, plan and plan some more Plan everything! Even if you consider yourself chaotic, start from the premise that there is a pattern in any chaos. Plan the long term, middle term and then short term. Start from the goals and trickle down the actions that need to be taken to get to those goals. Then plan out every fear or obstacle that you might encounter and how to overcome it and all the knowledge that you need to acquire to get there. Go from a big plan breaking it down to the minimal tasks. The smaller, the easier to get them done. Plan out time for yourself, for working out, for answering emails and after the first weeks (of feeling like a weirdo) you will feel less frustrated and superman-like productive
Be grateful By understanding the greatness of the universe, one can easily feel grateful for borderline everything. Schedule some time to show appreciation and exercise the ability to see chances and opportunities and mistakes and effusively celebrate other people’s achievements. The indicator of happiness in companies led by people that effectively show appreciation are a clear sign that the effect of a less self-centred view of the world can perform miracles both in your work (since the appreciation effect will inadvertently come to you as well) and in the work of the others (which often affect your productivity.
Health is the most important thing This tip is not about organic, raw, macrobiotic or any new trend or upcoming hype in the health industry. But a constant care for your health, because it affects all sides of life, including productivity. Eat smart, exercise often enough and drink water. Certain food combinations will boost brainpower and a constant exercise routine will give your more fibre to go through the day and work load.
Communicate clearly Miscommunication is the worst. Speak clearly and in a nice tone. Train your voice and project like a leader. Use hands to give emotions, not words. Speak clear and keep writing communication straight to the point. Master on how to get your ideas across based on your language skills and personal style by checking reactions and engagement and improving on the go. Don’t explain yourself or care about people’s perception of your style. Let the words do the work and get the work done.
Get out of the office Even with all of that, sometimes the environment might be so distracting that your productivity goes to the floor. Switching locations create a new pattern of reactions in the brain and get the juices flowing. Take a walk to outside and back. No one is a hamster to have a fixed route everyday. Break the routine a bit - even if at home - and after a while you’ll see the wonders it makes to creative production.
