5 Tips to Becoming a More Productive Person
- Adam Grupp
- Jun 14, 2017
- 3 min read
Have you ever found yourself thinking that there's just not enough time in the day or wondering how people can accomplish so much in just 24 hours? How do you become a more productive person?
I, myself, have been working on becoming more productive in both my personal and professional life. I've been reading books like, "The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity" and listening to podcasts like "Freakonomics - How to Be More Productive" in efforts to becoming more productive. Below you will find 5 simple tips that I have found helpful in becoming more productive. Keep in mind, this is still a work in progress and I will continue to write more about this subject in future blogs which you can subscribe to receive via email.
1. Prior Planning. I put this as my first tip because planning ahead comes before everything else below and feel this has increased my productivity more than anything else. Turn off your TV, put your phone down and take 10 to 15 minutes to prioritize the following day, set aside your outfit and set up your coffee making on auto brew. I remember back when I was much younger, doing door to door sales, one of mentors use to say, "Remember your 6 Ps: Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance" and it comes up consistently in everything I read and listen to about being more productive. Prior Planning will make a world of difference in your productivity!
2. Fuel Your Brain to Win. The saying, "you are what you eat" couldn't be more true. Fueling your brain to win means understanding that what you put into your body is going to greatly effect what you go out in terms of focus, energy and well-being. If you your car is running on fumes, how does it run? Pretty poorly right? The same goes for you and me, if we don't fuel up or if we fuel up with junk, we run like junk. By consistently fueling your brain, you're going to be more productive.
3. Getting in the Zone. Because of Tip #1, Prior Planning, I'm able to have an hour of "Me" time in the mornings. This hour is dedicated to me preparing my mind, body and spirit for the day ahead. I use this hour to slurp my coffee as I read my book, write my goals for the day and take 10 minutes to meditate. This hour helps me visualize my accomplishments for the entire day. If you played sports, you might compare this to when you could visualize a play and then make it actually happen during the game. This is what I call, "Getting in the Zone".
4. Motion Creates Emotion. Exercise and fitness are the best productivity tools you can ever invest in. Exercise and fitness doesn't mean you have to go to the gym or hire a trainer. It can be as simple as stepping away from your desk and going for a walk or doing 10 push-ups or jumping jacks in your office (cubicle for me). Exercising releases endorphin which will get you supercharged and rid any morning or mid-afternoon blues you might be having.
5. Decide. Decide. Decide. You say you want to be more productive, then all you have to do is decide to do so. Becoming more productive for me, was as simple as making the decision to doing it. I turned off my TV cause that wasn't helping me be more productive. I asked myself if something was helping me be more productive when I was doing it and when I found that I was unproductive, I didn't beat myself up over it. I recognized where I was unproductive and made the decision to improve in that area. It's a simple as making a conscious effort, I would suggest that you start by turning off that TV.
These are just 5 tips that I've found to be useful in my efforts to becoming more productive and I will continue to blog more about this subject. We love hearing about our reader's experiences and what might be working for them. Please don't hesitate to share any of your thoughts, questions or experiences below.
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