Have you ever found yourself in a slump? Putting things on the back burner, hoping for a day when you think you'll have the motivation to get it done?
Today is THE day!
The same feeling people get from leveling up in a video game, or getting packages ordered offline is what keeps them hooked, you can feel from getting some work done at your home or office. Putting something off with cleaning or maintenance will affect your emotions and lead to a cascading affect and soon you will find yourself drowning on an episode of Hoarders.
Fight through the first task, pull out your fridge and wipe down the wall and vacuum under it. BOOM! too easy and you'll feel better, then off to the next. The same cascading affect of putting off, you can have happen for completing tasks. My previous blog outlined frequency of certain tasks, if you haven't done them in a while schedule yourself a day and do them all at once and zero the clock.
Here are a few ways to help you get it done, and keep getting it done... Day in, day out.
1. Wake up an hour earlier
Even if you don’t identify as a “morning person,” you can still become one.
By setting your alarm an hour earlier than usual (and don’t hit the snooze button!), you’ll be able to get an extra hour of uninterrupted, peaceful work time.
Several studies correlate waking up early to productivity and success. Early risers have an advantage -- they have extra work time and are more optimistic in general.
2. Make a daily to-do list.
Create a daily list of realistic tasks to tackle everyday. Keep it simple, too. Your tasks don’t need to be massive jobs that will take hours to complete. If you need to fold your laundry, add that to the list. Need to call the doctor? Add it.
These micro-tasks will not only help you get more done on a day-to-day basis, but they’ll also help you reach your bigger goals too.
3. Do the hardest tasks first.
It’s best to get those dreaded tasks out of the way first. After getting that big chunk of difficulty out of the way, the rest of your day is freed to complete everything else. Not only will you feel better, you’ll be much more productive too.
4. Focus on one thing at a time.
Focus on getting one project finished before switching to the next.
People usually think that they’re getting more done by multitasking, but in reality, going back and forth from task to task isn’t beneficial. In fact, trying to perform two tasks simultaneously can actually take a toll on productivity, a study by the American Psychological Association reveals.
While most of us are guilty of talking on the phone while typing out an email -- it’s not the little tasks that deter productivity, but the larger ones. “The mind and brain were not designed for heavy-duty multitasking,” reports the study.
5. Get enough sleep.
This one’s a given, but you’d be surprised how few people actually do get enough sleep every night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Are you getting that much?
Maybe it’s time to go to bed earlier. Sleep can make or break your productivity and well-being.
6. Put your headphones in.
Whether you want to play some tunes or not is up to you. But people are far less likely to disrupt you if they see that you’re zoned out with your headphones in.
You gotta put it in, to get it out. Nothings free, make it happen.
