How many times have you had a great idea that you were super excited about, but then when it comes time to actually get working on it there aren’t enough hours in the day? It’s one of the hardest lessons we learn as an adult, time management. So let’s get into how you can increase your productivity and time management to help you get stuff done!

Everyone everywhere seems to have different ideas that they SWEAR work for increasing your productivity, from getting up early to meditate, to using fidget items while they work. Everyone is unique and what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. With that said there are some tried and true methods, that, no matter who you are, work. Plain and simple.

De-compress

No matter if you’re Bill Gates or Ed who lives down your street you cannot work non-stop without having a decline in the quality of work that you do.

This isn’t me encouraging you to be lazy. It isn’t even me encouraging you to work less. Instead, I encourage you to work smart.

How, you ask? This is where the uniqueness comes in.

For me it is firefighting. In October of 2017 I became a volunteer firefighter in my hometown, and since then, despite having less time than ever, constantly worrying about money, and numerous other stresses I have never been more relaxed or focussed than when I go back to work after a call or practice.

As someone who works by myself most of the day, it’s also quite calming to have other people around me, sharing in my stories

For my brother, it is working on cars. He recently got himself a 1960’s era pickup that needs more than a lot of work to get it running, but sitting outside in his garage by himself tinkering on it is how he ends every day, and it de-stresses him.

So find something you love doing, and make sure to include it in your daily routine. Those who stress less, work better. So try to lower your stress as much as you can.

Don’t “Multi-task”

You’ll notice multi-task is in quotes here. That’s because there is multi-tasking, where you complete multiples things simultaneously, such as cooking and listening to a podcast.

Then there’s “Multi-tasking”.

“Multi-tasking” is those activities where you think you can do both activities at the same time, but in reality, it leads to you completing both activities substandard, if at all, drastically hurting your productivity.

I used to be really bad for this, I even occasionally slip back into the habit.

So to further explain this you first need to understand there are two types of tasks, passive, and active.

Passive Tasks

Passive tasks are simple tasks that are repetitive or don’t require much brain power to perform. Parts of these tasks may also be forgotten when completed.

For example, sweeping a floor. After you do it enough you will simply have a routine that you do it in without realizing and can focus on other things while still sweeping.

True multi-tasking occurs when these passive tasks are completed simultaneously. Say you’re cooking a regular dinner while cleaning the kitchen. These are two tasks most of us can do together without the quality of either being affected much.

Active Tasks

Active tasks are complex, or new tasks that require attention and brain power to complete. You’ll often remember much more of these events as your main focus is on them.

For example, your job. This may not apply to everyone, but for most people, when at work, your mind is completely focussed on the task at hand.

“Multi-tasking” occurs when you try to combine an active task with any other type of task. To continue the above example, imagine trying to clean your kitchen while also making a brand new recipe you had never made before. You would feel rushed in your cooking and probably not clean to the best of your abilities.

Both tasks would be hurt but you trying to do both at the same time. Trying to multi-task active tasks is a recipe (pun intended) for disaster.

Focus on YOUR Productivity

This means, when you need to be productive, be productive. Distractions are everywhere in today’s modern world. So when you have a task that is important to complete for you set aside time to get it done.

For example, when I decided I wanted to start this blog I had to find a time when I would able to sit down and work on it, consistently. This was the time that was set aside to only be for the blog. No work. No TV. Just blogging.

At first, it was hard to do. The roommate would come in and distract me. I’d get hungry so I would go grab a snack. I’d go down the rabbit hole looking something up. All these things that just took away from the time needed to get my most productive work done.

Eventually, I said enough is enough and locked my door, not allowing myself to leave for any reason until an entire post had been written, ready to be revised the next day.

This is sometimes what it takes to improve your productivity. Set a time and focus on it. Use it solely for the task you’re trying to complete.

So with these three key tips in your back pocket, I’m positive that you can begin to work on your productivity and complete whatever goals you may have properly and effectively.

I’ll be back for another blog post on Friday! If you’re curious where I am in my financial journey check out my latest financial update here, and look forward to the next post!