10 ways to increase productivity
Hit a slump? Been there. It’s easy to do, especially when you feel overwhelmed and/or uninspired. Whether you’re struggling with getting housework done, school stuff, or you’ve hit a wall creatively-speaking, here’s a list of easy ways to shake that slump loose.
Physical check-in: have you had enough food, water, and sleep? Are those basic needs covered? Our bodies need fuel to keep going.
Don’t hit snooze. As tempting as it may be, try to get up as soon as your alarm goes off. That little decision will help get your day on the right track. You’ve been intentional by choosing to get up, even though you feel sleepy. That’s self-discipline and makes for a great start to your day.
Make your bed as soon as you get up. If it’s made, you won’t be tempted to get back in it and you’ll have that satisfying feeling of accomplishment. Plus, your room will look cleaner and more put together. It’s also another intentional choice that will increase your self-discipline.
Exercise ya body. Get some movement in. When you sit around for long periods of time, you get sluggish and tired. Get up and get that blood pumping. Your mind will be sharper and your body will feel better. Excessive sitting can cause muscle aches and pains, poor mental health, and is also considered the new smoking, in terms of danger to our bodies.
Make a list. Write out your to-dos. This gets all of those overwhelming tasks onto paper and out of your brain. Now it’s visual - you can see it and since it’s written in list form, it’s organized and separated into doable increments.
Slow it down, sister. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew - break each task into segments and get them done one at a time. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when thinking of huge mountains of tasks to be done. Start with one thing at a time, complete it, and move to the next task. Overwhelm can freeze us. (Ever had so much to do that you turned on Netflix out of sheer exhaustion, not having completed a thing? Simply the thought of all we have to do tuckers us smooth out!)
Dress for success. Even if you’re working at home, get dressed as though you’re going to the office. This gets you into work mode, and out of the pajama-induced chill mode.
Prepare. Plan your day. Know what you need to do, when you need to do it. Having a plan will cut down on decision fatigue. We make 35,000 decisions every day. If you can plan out your meals, your tasks, your outfit, etc., that will cut down on those decisions, freeing up your energy to put toward getting work done.
Have a designated work space. Have all your tools (whatever they may be - laptop, paintbrush, cooking utensils, whatever) in one place and let that be your work space. When you’re in that space, only do work. You’ll train your mind to get into work mode when you’re there. It’s a mental thing.
Figure out what drives you. What is the goal here? What do you want to accomplish? Write goals out so that you are reminded constantly of your why. When you feel unmotivated or uninspired, take a look at those goals. Envision yourself achieving those goals. Remind yourself that you have what it takes and then get back out there!