It’s so frustrating when you experience an unproductive day.
No matter what you do, or how hard you feel you’re working, nothing seems to get done. You look at your to-do list at the end of the day and it seems just as large (if not larger) than it was before.
The good news is that there are lots of ways to deal with unproductive days. But, first, here are a few reasons why you're unproductive.
We all get overwhelmed at times. Massive to-do lists and promises made that we ultimately can’t keep all contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed.
You’re not alone if that’s how you feel, but recognising it is the first step towards productivity recovery.
This is something which leads to the aforementioned feeling of being overwhelmed.
If you don’t plan properly (i.e. you have too many or the wrong kind of to-dos on your list), you’ll never focus on the most important things. More importantly, you won’t build your days around tasks you can actually complete.
We live in a world full of incredible productivity tools. Are you using them?
The best news? Most of them are free, easy to pick up and, if you pick and stick with those that work best for you, they will quickly become an invaluable part of your work day.
Whether you’re working from home or within a big office, you’ll encounter plenty of distractions.
From colleagues to background noise, email notifications and social media, there’s lots of stuff vying for your attention.
Minimising distractions and interruptions will be key to making you more productive.
We’re not referring to gas and electricity here - this is your energy management.
With life being as busy as it is, many of us forget to sleep enough and take regular breaks. The result is tiredness that completely gets in the way of being productive.
Rest and a night time routine are important if you want to be at the top of your game.
If you think multi-tasking is the smart way to get a lot of stuff done, think again.
Multi-tasking is a sure-fire way to load yourself with several challenges at once which, ultimately, you simply can't overcome.
You’re not superhuman - none of us are. Focusing on one task at a time is the best possible way to get everything on your to-do list, done.
There’s no silver bullet to fixing the issues above - it takes time, persistence and a real desire to change the way you live and work.
Start by making sure you have a great night time and morning routine, and, if you feel you need to, switch off for the day and start afresh when you’re ready to smash that to-do list.
Just remember the key takeaway today - you’re not superhuman. We all have the innate ability to be distracted and focus on the wrong stuff. The key to becoming more productive lies in recognising those instances and working to reduce their toll on your working day.
