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Whether you are wondering how to be productive at home or how to improve efficiency at work, learning to be productive all day is an easy skill that anyone can learn with a little dedication!
How many times have you woken up a little sluggish and in return, had a slow and unproductive day? Or how many times have you been on a roll only to hit a wall when that 2:00 pm slump hits?
Being productive all day doesn’t just stem from making a list and checking those items off. If you want to ensure a productive day, you will need to start planning for your day the night before.
Have A Structured Night Routine
If you want to ensure you are productive all day, you’ll first want to make sure you start the day off on the right foot. This means being well-rested and prepared for the day to come!
Do you ever have those days when from the moment you wake up everything just seems to go wrong? First you sleep through your alarm (probably because you’re too tired), next you’re late for work, then you forget about a meeting, then you miss your bus on the way home etc.
Although days like this are unavoidable, they certain hamper our productivity! And in order to maximize daily productivity, you need to set yourself up for success in the morning.
To have a structured night routine try and
- go to bed at the same time every night
- get at least 7 hours of sleep
- pack healthy snacks for yourself for the next day
By getting together some healthy snacks for the next day, you are providing yourself with fuel for the day and also giving yourself one less thing to do the next morning.
If you decide you want to pack your snacks/lunch for yourself in the morning, you might feel tired and end up grabbing the quickest (and ultimately unhealthiest) option for yourself.
Keep A List
Remember when I said that being productive all day doesn’t stem from having a list? While a list on its own isn’t going to magically make your productivity increase, it will certainly help you remain productive all day.
In fact, just reading over your to-do list will increase your productivity!
You should jot down the tasks you need to complete the next day the night before and I’ll tell you why.
After a long day of work, important tasks to complete for the next day are still fresh in your mind. By writing down tomorrow’s to do list today, you are making sure that you don’t miss anything important.
Exercise In The Morning
I heard you groan but hear me out! I’m not asking you to go to the gym for an hour. I’m actually not asking you to go to the gym at all.
This 7-minute workout that you can do with a chair will wake you up and start you off on the right foot. Remember when I said that you have to be proactive with your productivity? By engaging your muscles and getting active first thing, you will feel energized and ready to be productive all day.
Eat Healthy Snacks
After you’ve had a healthy breakfast, make sure you don’t forget about eating those healthy snacks you packed for yourself. Having that extra fuel will keep you going until lunch or get you through that 2 p.m. slump.
Follow Your List From The Day Before
From the moment you sit down at your desk, you will have a clear outline of what your day looks like because you have already taken the time to write down your list!
This allows you to get started on your work right away instead of trying to come up with daily tasks for yourself, which can lead you to feel tired and exhausted before you even begin.
Has the thought of completing a task (before you actually do it) ever exhausted you to the point where you don’t even want to do it anymore?
Definitely. This happens to me all the time!
This is another reason why writing your list down the day before will help you be productive all day – you won’t have to sit and think about all that needs to be done because you will just start ticking items off your list from the minute you sit down.
Check Items Off Your List
I want you to actually CHECK or cross out items off your list. Checking items off your to-do list actually gives you a boost of dopamine (the chemical connected to feelings of pleasure and motivation). Doing so also helps you keep better track of what you’ve done, and what still needs to be completed.
Can’t manage to finish everything on your list? Take everything that hasn’t been completed and add it to tomorrow’s list.
Go For A Walk At Lunch
The 2:00 pm slump is the hardest part of the day to get through. For some reason, when 2:00 pm rolls around all you can think about it curling up in bed. You may find yourself bouncing back between Facebook and your actual work (which is definitely not a good way to be productive all day)!
If you’ve packed yourself healthy snacks and plan to eat a healthy lunch, you are already well on your way to avoiding that midday slump.
In order to really make sure you don’t feel sluggish, leave your office during lunch and head out for a 10-15 minute walk.
Being Productive All Day Requires Dedication
So you had a very unproductive day – now what?
Well first, it’s totally normal to feel unmotivated and unproductive at times so don’t be hard on yourself. Having a fully-productive day requires dedication before it starts to feel natural and of course, you will still have days when you’d rather be on the couch watching movies in your pj’s.
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Dana Nicole is an award-winning freelance writer for MarTech/SaaS who was rated one of the best SaaS writers by Software World. She specializes in writing engaging content that ranks high in search engines and has been featured in publications like Semrush, ConvertKit, and Hotjar.
Dana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has over 15 years of experience working alongside national brands in their marketing departments.
When Dana’s not working, you can find her dancing en pointe, cooking up new recipes, and exploring the great outdoors with her two big dogs.