How To Be Productive And Get Stuff Done

Unearth the reasons for low productivity and acquire powerful, no-nonsense tactics to supercharge your productivity engine and really get stuff done!💖

I once battled productivity demons like the best of us, tangled in the snare of procrastination and the inability to say ‘no.’ Result? I felt burnout and unhappy.

My attempts were textbook—scribbling goals on random scraps, plastering reminders everywhere like a chaotic wallpaper, only to watch them fade into oblivion. New Year resolutions? More like forgotten relics buried under dust bunnies.

It was my accidental stumble into productivity articles and videos that became my ‘aha’ moment. Books became my guides, their strategies my secret weapons, and that’s when the tides turned and I upgraded my productivity engine!

Unraveling the causes for low productivity is the first step toward reclaiming your efficiency.

Picture this: you’re juggling tasks left, right, and center, with a to-do list that’s as long as a Monday morning meeting. Yet, you find yourself locked in a procrastination tango. The allure of giving up when results seem elusive is strong, triggering an internal monologue resembling an unending loop of “why bother?”

Sounds familiar? These common culprits—the commitments overload, procrastination, the struggle to kickstart tasks, and the demotivation trap—are often behind the productivity nosedive.

Understanding why we struggle to get stuff done lays the foundation for crafting a tailored strategy to tackle this challenge head-on and elevate your productivity game.

How To Be Productive: Get Things Done In 6 Steps

I have distilled the common key principles from various productivity resources and crafted my personal take on the essential strategies to supercharge your productivity in just 6 steps. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Precise Goal-Setting

Embarking on a journey towards elevated productivity begins with a critical step—precise goal-setting. You may be wondering, what do I mean by ‘precise’? It’s about crafting unambiguous and actionable goals.

Take this for example, a goal on exercise:

Example 1: ‘I want to exercise more.’

Example 2: ‘I will run for 30 minutes three times a week to improve my stamina and fitness.’

See how the second example outlines the routine—frequency, type, and duration—alongside a clear purpose? That’s precision.

To achieve this, use methods like SMART goals or the Eisenhower matrix, which supports the thoughtful crafting of goals using a set of guiding criteria. They structure the process and make goal-setting simpler. And don’t hesitate to mix and match different goal-setting methods to refine your approach!

Take time to brainstorm, visualize your aspirations, and assess their practicality and the resources required. Do not rush through this step! It’s okay to cross out and refine your list as you think through more carefully—start big, then fine-tune your list.

Most importantly, craft your goals with clarity, steering clear of ambiguity. This ensures that they are actionable and progress can be easily tracked.

Additionally, using action words when crafting your goals adds an extra oomph! It brings in clarity, specificity, and direction. Trust me, it boosts motivation, keeps you driven, accountable, and makes tracking and measuring progress much easier.

READ ALSO: For a deeper dive, explore this curated post featuring goal-setting principles tailored to help you craft goals that align with your unique purpose and dreams.

Once the goals are defined, we are ready for the next step!

Strategic Task Prioritization

Alright, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of mapping out tasks and their timelines for each goal, ensuring specificity.

Begin by applying the 80/20 rule to prioritize tasks. This rule identifies that 20% of your efforts yield 80% of the results. It helps in realistic planning, allowing you to concentrate on fewer but more impactful tasks.

Consider using frameworks like the Eisenhower matrix or Covey time management matrix, to categorize tasks by urgency and importance. This allows effective allocation of our limited resource, focused attention.

Also, adopt the Domino method, which sorts tasks by impact and priority. Start with small tasks to gain momentum towards larger goals.

Moreover, it is important to right-size the task and allocate adequate execution time. Remember, quality over quantity—steady wins the race!

Factor in “buffer” time – extra time to start and wrap up tasks, along with some unscheduled relaxation time between tasks. This sets up a structured approach for consistent progress without overwhelming yourself.

Take a holistic approach to organizing tasks related to your goals, ensuring they are reasonable and practical.

RELATED POSTS: Additionally, you may want to check out my posts on practical hacks to better manage your time and boost productivity.

Construct Routines

Now that we’ve set goals and organized tasks, it’s time to build routines and rituals by identifying activities that require repeated action.

Consistent and effective routines are the cornerstone of progress and productivity, providing structure and purpose to your actions.

According to the theory of marginal gains; small, consistent daily improvements can lead to significant long-term results.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Firstly, start by considering time in quarterly chunks – these 3-month blocks can help you align tasks with your overarching goals. Then, move to crafting your routines on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis, in that order. This approach not only offers a broader perspective but also allows flexibility for adjustments while ensuring progress tracking.

An important point often overlooked by those less tech-savvy is to embrace technology. Use calendar or planner apps to anchor your routines and track progress—these tools are crucial for maintaining consistency.

And lastly, here’s a handy tip: don’t underestimate the significance of a bedtime ritual to wind down, for better rest and a refreshed mind—it’s your key to self-care!

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Reduce & Remove Distractions

Your immediate surroundings greatly impact your focus when tackling tasks. Thus, minimizing distractions and creating conducive workspaces are crucial.

Remember, if you don’t respect your time, nobody will. We all want more time and to say yes to everything, but that’s impractical. Handing over control of your time, succumbing to urgent matters or tempting distractions, chips away at your precious hours.

In a day of mere 24 hours, dedicating time largely to fulfilling others’ wishes or indulging in distractions will inevitably leave you wondering where your day vanished. Your time is valuable. So, take charge of it!

The straightforward solution is to limit your choices so you know what to give attention to and focus on—less choice, more action. Streamlining options is key to supercharging productivity.

Start by intentionally reducing or even removing distractions and temptations around you. For instance, if text notifications divert your attention, or you are prone to frequently checking social media feeds, set your phone to silent mode or keep it away during focused work. Establishing these personal rules protects your time and enhances productivity.

Another likely scenario such as in a shared workspace, finding focus might be challenging. Get creative then! Use background music, seek quiet corners, or designate a ‘do not disturb’ space to minimize interruptions.

Are you afraid of saying no? It’s time to reset your priorities. Rejecting unimportant or last-minute requests is courageous—reclaim your time!

Here’s a simple litmus test to decide whether you should or should not be doing something: align tasks with your goals. If they don’t sync, deprioritize them until you have the time.

Taking charge of your environment and priorities turbocharges productivity.

Strengthen Mental Discipline

Maintaining mental discipline complements the strategy of minimizing distractions in your immediate surroundings, allowing these environmental changes to take effect. Regrettably, developing self-discipline isn’t an instant fix; it requires consistent effort and perseverance over time. Let’s look at the practical ways to cultivate this.

a. Employ Rules

Firstly, to manage procrastination, consider employing the 2-minute rule: for tasks that can be done quickly, don’t delay—just start! Although it’s named the 2-minute rule, it’s more about overcoming inertia by initiating action, rather than limiting tasks to a strict 2-minute timeframe. Apply this principle to daunting tasks too. For instance, if revising a lesson feels overwhelming, commit to just 2 minutes, which often kickstarts momentum and you will find that it gets easier over time.

Related to this rule is the 20-second rule, helpful for cultivating good habits and discarding bad ones. Adjusting the time taken to perform certain tasks by adding or reducing 20 seconds can make positive habits easier to adopt and undesirable behaviors more challenging to engage in. For example, to encourage yourself to read more, place a book on your bedside table, making it easily accessible. Conversely, to limit excessive social media use, store your phone in another room, making it less accessible.

b. Use Technology

Secondly, leverage productivity apps to structure work blocks for enhanced focus and efficiency. Use to-do lists to track tasks and enjoy the satisfaction of checking off completed items.

c. Embrace Discomfort

Thirdly, get used to discomfort by tackling challenging tasks early in the day, fostering emotional resilience. Challenge yourself with activities slightly outside your comfort zone, like starting the day with a quick cold shower or a morning jog—always within reasonable limits to avoid demotivation.

d. Embrace Setbacks

Finally, learn to fail forward—embrace setbacks as learning opportunities. Remind yourself of the ‘why,’ ‘how,’ and ‘when’ of your goals, as they fuel commitment and keep you connected to your purpose. Don’t hesitate to seek support from those you trust to sustain momentum and keep moving forward.

Review & Fine-Tune

The last step on our list to amp up productivity involves regular reviews of planned tasks, routines, and rituals to fine-tune and enhance your productivity system.

Schedule a review routine—whether weekly, monthly, or quarterly—to tweak your planned activities according to your changing circumstances.

Add a new task or routine or remove obsolete ones to ensure your system remains adaptive and in-sync with your unique needs and goals. This dynamic approach of constant evolution drives continuous productivity and personal growth.

Seek valuable feedback and insights from individuals with similar goals, incorporating beneficial strategies into your own plan. And, sharing your plan with others encourages collective learning and growth, but avoid unconstructive criticism, as it can dampen motivation and cause unnecessary stress and worry.

Lastly, let go of perfection; it simply doesn’t exist in the universe! Despite meticulous planning, unforeseen surprises or obstacles may arise, much like unexpected rain on a sunny day. But that being said, a well-thought-out plan prepares you mentally and minimizes potential risks.

In the words of former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower:

“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

This underscores the importance of the planning process in preparing for and adapting to unforeseen circumstances. So, plan ahead, anticipate the unexpected, and stay flexible. Prioritize progress over perfection!

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The Time Is NOW

Before we end off this post, I’ll leave you with a bonus tip: unleashing productivity is not about juggling many goals or mastering the art of multitasking. Rather, it’s about curating a select few goals that are not just manageable but meaningful.

Imagine, when you’re buried under a mountain of goals, the overwhelm sets in, hijacking your focus and sapping away your motivation to conquer them. That’s not a pretty picture! So, keep it lean, keep it mean—less is often more! 🌟

Incorporate these 6 steps, tailor the system to your needs, and refine it over time to experience heightened productivity rewards! 🔥

Additionally, are you keen on building an effective system to move strategically towards your dream life but are unsure how to begin? Check out my step-by-step blueprint designed to guide you toward realizing your aspirations!