Failing to plan the day and keep pushing until the last time are two of the best strategies to take your productivity to collapse. Maybe today is your lucky day to focus on work: you’ll learn how to produce in a more intelligent and competent way. It’s all about reading carefully the advices below and promise to yourself: I’m gonna try. Ready? Now we can start:
1. Eat well
Ham and cheese and some fruit. Cappuccino or tea with cookies. An omelet. Or a bowl of cereal? Which one? Just be aware that if you don’t eat well, your metabolism won’t let you focus on work. If you think it is uncomfortable eat in the morning, drink a glass of water, for more than whetting the appetite. Water cleanses the whole body.
2. Now plan your day
Imagine your workday: appointments, tasks to deliver and meetings. Write down everything before they happen. Write down what you need to do and what you want to accomplish. Then you will be able to compare what happened to what you expected to happen. It clears your life for the next days.
3. Where’s the problem?
Findind out the problem is the first step to try and fix it. Don’t waste time looking where it does not exist. It is so obvious, but we always forget this great tip. Humans easily mess up, and by the way, here’s the next tip:
4. Cleaning time
When you arrive at your desk, clean it up! You should have around only what matters: computer, water and a notebook (which doesn’t have access to Facebook or Twitter).
5. Work offline
Other foes of focus on work are e-mail, social networking and mobile. For tasks that don’t involve the Internet, try to use pen and paper – old fashioned way and perfect for brainstorming! Turn on the silent mode and check your email only once every hour. Deal?
6. Use extensions
No wonder that Google Chrome is the most used browser in the U.S.. Here are three extensions you should install, especially if you work on the Internet: Pocket to save the most amazing pages to read later. StayFocusd to limit your time to access those websites more tempting, e.g. social networks. Evernote to write down whatever: shopping lists to poems.
7. Take little breaks
Getting to work one hour earlier, working during lunch or leaving later, none necessarily means better performance. Blocks of intense work followed by little breaks (25min:5min) help prevent distraction and fatigue.
8. Wear earphones
Nobody is allowed to talk to anyone who’s using earphones. Here’s a good label to be established to show you’re working on something important and don’t have time to talk. Or, just listen to your favorite songs.
9. A cup of coffee?
Coffee, energy drinks and guarana powder are famous to increase your power of concentration. Avoid this strategy and drink a cup of coffee just after lunch or breakfast, ok?
10. Exercise
Two, by the way. The first exercise: start regularly that sport you dreamed of, invest it, and what happens is that you will end up teaching your body to achieve goals, and feel more energetic. The second exercise: go back to the beginning of this post (which is very short), ensuring that the promise stands from today and your first goal is to focus on the work as you see here.
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