The difference between people who live a full life and those who barely get by is the measure of their productivity. People who stay productive and work hard every day find that they lead a fuller life than those who settle for mediocrity. If you have found yourself struggling with the way your life is heading, take advantage of these great pointers and make the necessary changes in your life to kick-start your productivity and move forward.
1. Plan your time
Time is a precious commodity. Once it’s gone, we can never get it back. The best thing to do to make sure you take advantage of every minute of every day is to plan your daily activities. Those activities can be work, to-do lists, hobbies, and anything that you want to do during the day. Plan out your time so you don’t find yourself sitting on the couch for hours with your eyes glued to the TV. Make a plan and stick to it.
2. Schedule some fun
Some people find that unless they schedule fun things, they will never happen. I’m not only talking about trips to Disneyland or a seven-day cruise, I’m talking about the little things: a walk in the park, a picnic with your family, or a movie night. These are small things that can make a big difference in your life and in your relationships. They serve as a reminder of what’s important and where your priorities should be.
3. Exercise
Exercise is a vital part of increasing your daily productivity. My favorite line from a movie (Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde) sums it up well: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” Endorphins are chemicals in your brain that are released when you exercise. They act as sedatives and diminish your body’s perception of pain. This causes a euphoric feeling more commonly known as “runner’s high.” It helps to boost your self-esteem, decrease depression, have a more positive outlook on life and even improves sleep.
4. Don’t negative self-talk
Stay positive, especially with yourself. You want to push yourself, but don’t be too hard on yourself. Mistakes are made by everyone, even you. When you make a mistake, learn from it and move on. It might sound strange, but when you look at yourself in the mirror, say positive things. Point out your good attributes, physical or otherwise.
5. Control your internet time
We waste so much time on the internet. It’s so easy to get lost in Facebook, YouTube, and even news articles. People spend hours a day bouncing from article to article. All that time could have been spent working, learning something new, cleaning out car, anything! Don’t get caught up in this time sucker.
Is it bad to check your Facebook page? No. Is it bad to check your Facebook page and then stalk everyone you knew in high school? Probably. Don’t waste your time wondering what everyone else is doing. You should be using your time becoming the kind of person that people want to Facebook stalk.
6. Realize that your time is valuable
Don’t measure the worth of your time by how little you have. People do this all the time. They think that because they are constantly busy, the things they are doing must be important. This is far from the truth. Don’t be busy just to be busy. There is nothing wrong with looking at your day and finding that you don’t have anything that really needs to be done. Those kinds of breaks are refreshing and vital to your mental and physical well-being.
7. Prioritize
Choose what things are important and focus on those. If you find that you are being as productive as you can be and you still struggle to get everything done, you need to unload some of the burden off your shoulders. When you do this, you’ll find that you don’t have to do everything. When you spread yourself too thin, you do an alright job at several things. When you focus on a few important factors, you will find that you can excel in them. That should be your goal. Once you excel in those things, move on to something new. But don’t try to do everything at once.
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