Most often it is not about how much time we dedicate to some work, but more about how much work we get done in limited time. Being productive allows us to use time judiciously and get most of our work done in less time. This blog will talk about top 5 hacks to increase your productivity, so that you get the hold of your time and work.
- Take naps
Sounds contradicting? But it actually is not. You need to give rest to your full body in order to utilise yourself in the most efficient manner. Just as you charge your phone and laptop when the battery is low, you need to charge yourself by taking short naps of 15-20 mins.
- Afternoon is the best time to take naps as it recharges your body in about mid of the day. It can be done in your office, between 2 classes or whenever you get a break of 15-20 mins. But, make sure that you don’t sleep in the afternoon for longer period otherwise the work won’t even get done.
- Avoid taking naps on bed as it increases the probability of sleeping as you get comforted. You can take naps on your table, chair or sofa.
- Always set an alarm of 15-20 mins before taking naps.
- Make sure that you sleep well at night. If you don’t sleep even for 6-8 hours your productivity will automatically get down and taking naps won’t help much.
- 2. The Pomodoro technique
This is the most discussed and famous technique to increase productivity and get things done. The pomodoro technique is a time management technique which involves working in short shifts of time separated by breaks.
- Divide your working time into shifts of 25 mins. Each shift must be followed by a five-minute break. These shifts are called pomodoro.
- After about 4-5 pomodoros, take a longer break of 20-30 mins.
- Repeat the same process until the work gets done.
This technique saves you from burning out from work and also recharges your energy by constant usage of breaks. Long and continuous shifts of work will exhaust you and your productivity will decrease with time. By using the pomodoro technique you can break the continuous chain of decrease in productivity and maintain a constant productivity throughout the day.
- 3. Don’t overwhelm your brain
The more you will make things complex for your brain, the more it will contribute in decreasing your productivity. Do not overburden your brain with things to remember. instead of forcing your brain to remember certain tasks or events, write them down in a notebook or somewhere, where you can list all the work that needs to done or all the ideas or thoughts that come to your mind. Whenever you need to know your tasks, you simply need to check your notebook.
This helps your brain to retain only necessary information and also reduces the chance and tension of forgetting things. You just need to keep a regular check on your notebook and boom! Your mind is free now!
- 4. Use Google Calendar
Planning and scheduling your day beforehand would be the most effective way to increase your productivity throughout the day. This can be easily and efficiently done with google calendar as it has many features.
- You can add any event, task to be done or something else date wise and time wise.
- You can create different time slots and add your work there. Google calendar also has the feature to remind you about your scheduled tasks through notifications.
- The best part, you can also share your calendar with other people so that they can add the work themselves. For example, you can share your calendar with your parents, boss or friends, so that whenever they want you to get something done, they can simply check your calendar to know your free time slots and add the work themselves.
You may schedule your calendar for the day either at the previous night before sleeping, or early in the morning.
- 5. Set the right Environment
Environment plays a very vital role in deciding the quality of your work. Setting the right environment thus becomes very necessary, even if it doesn’t seem much important. While working, your environment must encourage you to work energetically instead of distracting you.
- If possible, remove all distracting gadgets like phone, laptop or headphones while working. If you need phone or laptop to work, make sure that you turn off the notifications and data for social media apps.
- Keep water bottle on your table itself so that you don’t need to get up every time you are thirsty.
- Consider other things that motivate you or set you in the mood to work. It may be a table lamp, a cup of coffee or tea or something else.
- Always keep your books, study material or things related to your work on your table. This may motivate you towards your work.
These hacks will come out to be very effective if followed correctly on a regular basis. You can refer to our previous blog to get tips to avoid distractions while studying.
