Are you ready to start the new year with a bang and make some serious changes? Make 2019 a year to remember by boosting your productivity and streamlining your life! That might sound pretty complicated, but it’s actually not nearly as difficult as it sounds. I’m going to list five different steps you can take to be more productive in 2019, and I bet that they’re easier than you imagine. They’re also effective and will help make change an easy process to encounter.
1. Take a Walk
One of the first things to keep in mind is that productivity relies heavily upon your mental state. If your mind is jumbled up and you’re worried about a lot of different things, then chances are good that your productivity will not be great. After all, when you’re struggling to focus, what is stealing your attention away? For many of us, the answer is concern over something else (or the desire to ignore work and do something “fun” that is triggered by stress). The answer to improving productivity, then, is partially tied to calming your mind. Walking is a great way to do this.
Taking a walk – even a short one – is a great way to calm your mind and feel better about life in general. Many people find walks to be meditative in nature, probably because it’s one of the few times during the day when they have plenty of time to relax and work through their problems without worrying about another task they need to tackle. If you want to improve your productivity, try adding a short walk into your day. You might be surprised at how effective it is.
2. Stop Procrastinating
Easier said than done, but nixing procrastination can have a major impact on your productivity. To do this, you have to be honest with yourself about why you’re procrastinating. Oftentimes it isn’t a specific task that we don’t want to complete that leads to procrastination but rather a mix of multiple factors. Maybe something else is going on in your life so you take control in any way you can, including by pushing tasks, be they professional or personal in nature, to the side. Addressing the root of your procrastination is a great way to eliminate the problem and boost productivity.
3. Get More Sleep
A tired mind is not an efficient mind. Sleep is important to your health in a variety of different ways. Getting plenty of rest is tied to all sorts of physical and mental benefits – but the opposite is also true. If you fail to get adequate rest, your mind will quickly begin to drift. In fact, you will most likely find yourself at an increased risk for depression or anxiety issues. Over time, you’ll stop being able to think clearly and will be more prone to poor decision-making. All of these issues negatively impact your productivity and make it harder for you to focus and get work done.
If you aren’t sleeping well, it’s important to figure out the root cause. Do you need a new mattress? If you’re waking up with back pain, you very well might. If that’s not the issue, consider setting a bedtime and spending time beforehand getting ready for sleep. That includes turning off electronics, turning down the lights, and settling in to calm your mind and relax. Yoga before bed is a great option!
4. Eat Well
Eating food that increases your energy levels is a great way to boost productivity. The more energy you have, the more focused and motivated you will be. Both of those factors are vitally important to productivity and can help improve your efficiency quite a bit. If you can, add a healthy breakfast to your day. You can even make food the night before so that all you have to do is grab it out of the refrigerator and run if you know you won’t have a lot of time to make something in the morning. This is an easy change to your routine that won’t take much time and offers great results.
5. Try a Time Management Technique
If you find yourself struggling to focus, one issue might be the scope of the project in question. Don’t look at the entirety of the task. Instead, break it up into small, bite-sized accomplishments that are less overwhelming to consider. Once you have a set of milestones ready to go, you can further divide your time by working for half an hour and then taking a five-minute break. Knowing that you only have to focus for a short amount of time can make it easier to give a project your all. Overtime, these steps will become second nature and you’ll find your productivity soaring.
