The struggle to stay productive is real, right? We always have this image in our heads that we will use every second of the day to do something productive. However, in real life, your procrastination tendencies win most of the time. If not that, unexpected events always show up on your doorstep and throw you off completely. It always happens to everyone, including me. Usually, I plan my day the night before, thinking I have everything laid out neatly, but I struggle to stick to the scheduled arrangements when the day comes.
That begs the question: as a twentysomething, how can we make sure we get the most of our days? Specifically, how can we make our days more productive? Of course, the answers differ from person to person, but there are some things that can be accomplished to boost daily productivity.
1. Complete as many tasks as you can in the morning.
I am sure you have seen plenty of infographics on Instagram that highlight what successful people do in the morning. By waking up before everyone else in your house does, you have plenty of distraction-free time in your day to fit things in. I disciplined myself to clock in at work before the start of the work shift, and I am not afraid to say that I am not an early riser. To get myself out of my comfy bed, I gradually changed my sleep schedule and planned my day the evening before. It makes a gigantic difference, and it is not a time-consuming process.
2. Reserve time for mindless things.
For instance, browsing your social media feeds while you are taking a break at work. Summon the discipline to make sure that you set specific times, say 5-minute time slots, for things as mindless as that. That way, you can be both relaxed and productive, without wasting too much time on the former. Allocating a set of specific times for social media browsing is not just good for your productivity’s sake; it is also good for your eyes–less time on people’s lives, more on yours.
3. Get your breakfast and lunch ready the day before.
I know this may sound like an unconventional way to make your day more productive, but it works, well, at least for me. If I do not do it the night before, when I wake up late, I end up grabbing a bar of Kit Kat from the refrigerator as I am rushing to work. This habit is unhealthy because I will eat at unusual times and eventually disrupt my circadian rhythm diet.
4. Establish tiny goals for the day.
It is a Friday, and you have a pile of dirty laundry sitting on your study chair that needs to be washed, dried and then folded. If you intend to get sort it out tomorrow, put it on record. Need to head to the bank to withdraw some cash? Write it down in your daily to-do list. Establishing tiny goals and keeping them on the record keeps your day and mind on track. This is especially helpful for twentysomethings who suffers from short-term memory.
. . .
You will feel good in the end.
By sharing with you these ways of making your day more productive, I have shared with you also a sneak peek of what I do daily, but that is not the point. The point I am emphasising here is that it is difficult for us twentysomethings to stay productive all day, every day. The world is full of noises that beg for your attention and deter you from doing productive tasks. However, once you have a productive day, I assure you that you will feel good about yourself, and before you know it, you want to keep this productive routine going.
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This post was previously published on Change Becomes You.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
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