Organization in life is everything: only if you can manage your time consciously and effectively will you be able to increase productivity and achieve the goals you set . Here are 9 strategies to help you do that.
Do you ever get to the end of the day dead tired, but feeling like you haven't accomplished anything? It sounds absurd, I know. Yet that is what happens when you waste precious time and energy because of the disorganization.
Until recently, this often happened to me as well.
I couldn't focus on one thing, I used to fill my schedule which then punctually I was struggling to respect. Each task took me longer than necessary and I had the constant feeling of being late on anything.
The result?
A growing frustration, nervousness running high and a lot of dissatisfaction that was reflected in all aspects of my life.
There, at some point I realized that I could not continue like that. I had to Find a way to better organize my day If I wanted to get results.
Building a new routine to improve productivity is no easy feat. One needs to set rules for oneself and, most importantly, be able to stick to them. It is not enough to have lots of good resolutions if you do not have the constancy to follow them and put them into practice.
Therefore, it is important to work hard on one's motivation before starting. Otherwise, at the first difficulty, everything will fall apart.
If you don't know where to start, I suggest you continue reading this article. In the next few paragraphs you will find several tips on how to better organize your day and achieve your goals.
How to become more productive: 9 strategies
#1 Wake up early
You will be surprised at the amount of things you can do by pointing the wake up at 5 a.m.. At that time the world is still sleeping. You, on the other hand, have a chance to devote a part of your day to yourself and the projects you never get to do.
During the early hours of the day distractions are virtually zero. The phone doesn't ring, e-mails are slow to arrive, and everyone is asleep but you. There's you, alone, with your projects and passions.
If you can overcome the trauma of the alarm clock, you will soon realize how productive these moments are. You will probably get most of your work done between 5 and 8 a.m.
During the day, things are different. Hundreds of WhatsApp messages, notifications from social networks, sudden phone calls and emails arrive, wasting a lot of our time. Ignoring them is really difficult and so the time is stretched out of proportion. In the early morning, however, it's a different story.
Try it to believe it!
#2 Prepare a to-do list to organize your day
This method is very effective if you know how to use it. A to-do list is not just a simple list of things to do-you can't compile it in a hurry, in 5 minutes, just before you start working. Or rather, of course you can, but don't expect it to bring you great results.
A well-made to-do list requires a good dose of calm, planning e organization. The ideal time to prepare it is in the evening, just before going to bed.
Take advantage of evening relaxation to set priorities for the following day. This simple stratagem will help you rest better and wake up with less anxiety because, in principle, you will already know what lies ahead.
But be careful not to overdo it! Make a short list, which contains 6 points maximum. The more points you enter, the greater the temptation to prioritize marginal (but easier) tasks in order to cross them off the list. The risk is to leave out the bigger tasks and then find yourself racing against time to complete them. And don't forget to Set a maximum time to devote to each task.
#3 Create working blocks without interruption
Another very effective strategy for organizing your day is to set on your agenda some moments to work without interruption. Blocks can be 30, 45 or 90 minutes in length, you decide according to your pace and needs.
No distractions of any kind are allowed during these sessions. The reason is very simple: if you keep interrupting what you are doing, you will end up getting nothing done (and feeling exhausted anyway). Don't let others dispose of your time; you decide how to use it.
#4 Plan ahead
Most people underestimate the power of proper planning. At first glance it seems like a very tedious task, which, moreover, takes a lot of time.
The truth is. planning one's commitmentsi is critical Not to succumb to the pressure. Having a clear idea of things to do before you start helps you not to panic, as long as you have been truthful and honest with yourself. What do I mean by that?
That it is necessary to plan the days according to the real rhythms of each, otherwise we will not be able to fulfill even a commitment made to ourselves. If it usually takes you 6 hours to write a post for your blog, there is no point in planning an editorial calendar of 60 articles per month.
No one is going to judge you for this, but it will serve you to realize where things stand and what you can do to change direction. In this case, you could perhaps try to shorten your writing time, or delegate the task to someone else.
#5 Group similar tasks.
Once you have filled your agenda with to-do lists, try grouping similar tasks into a single block of work. You may not know it, but our brains become faster and more productive when they perform the same task over an extended period of time.
This means, simply put, that after a while of working on a task, it will take you half the time to complete it. So write all the articles for your blog in one day, then devote another day to planning social campaigns, then set a day in your schedule to devote to the personal branding and so on.
#6 Leave room for the unexpected
Planning your day is essential, but that won't shield you from the unforeseen events that are always lurking. Make sure you leave enough room in your schedule to handle them so that you don't find yourself at the end of a deadline.
#7 Give yourself a break
Breaks have the same importance as an intensive work block. You cannot expect to work at a fast pace and with maximum concentration all day long. Such a day is not sustainable (or even realistic).
Try to avoid distractions while working, but don't forget to take a well-deserved break after a busy productive session. Go to the gym, run, meditate, in short, do whatever you like to recharge your batteries.
#8 Do one thing at a time
But do it the best way you can. Focusing on one thing allows you to concentrate better, stress less, and complete a task without getting distracted. We are not meant to be multitasking, because switching from one activity to another within a short time confuses our ideas and dissipates our energy.
Rather, define your priorities and work hard to organize your day as best you can, one step at a time.
#9 Stimulate your creativity
It can happen that you feel drained after a period of hard work. In such cases there is only one thing to do: unplug and devote yourself to yourself. You could take a day off and relax at a spa, or go to the movies to see that movie you've been waiting for.
But you can also listen to music, rehearse with your group, go to the gym or go swimming. All of these serve to relieve tension and Recovering one's view of the world, which is the real engine of human creativity.
Organizing the day: the most useful online tools
All right, you understand the importance of planning but you still don't know how to organize your schedule.
The good news is that there are a lot of online applications that can help you to monitor your schedule and the time you take to meet them. Once you delve into this aspect, you will also know how to organize your day.
Want some examples? Here they are:
- Toggl: is a time tracker, which is essential for understanding how you spend your time each day.
- Be focused: punctuates your work sessions according to time intervals inspired by the Pomodoro technique.
- Stay focusd: is a Chrome extension that blocks browsing on sites that take you too long.
- Trello o Asana: your online agenda, a digital calendar where you can collect your work projects and daily commitments.
- Todoist: the best way to organize your to-do lists.
Managing time effectively is not easy. However, if you don't learn how to do it, you will find yourself paying a rather high price. You'll be forced to give up your free time to run after deadlines you've put off one too many times.
After all, it's all about creating a work-life balance. This is the real key to personal success.