“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
This may be a quote from an Orwellian classic, but have you ever wished that this particular line from “1984” could actually come true. You are a very rare person if you have never thought how much you would like to have just one extra hour in the day. The pace of life can seem frantic at times, and if you want to make the most of your time, you need to learn how to be as productive as possible.
Productivity is a word that is often associated with the workplace, but it applies just as much to all aspects of life. If you get it right, you can complete all of those important tasks, and still have time to relax with a take out and a glass of wine.
Sleeping is not a weakness
How many times do you hear people bragging about being able to manage on just a few hours sleep each night. It’s part of the fast paced society we live in that many people seem to think that sleeping for between seven and nine hours each night is some sort of weakness. The fact is that adults need this amount of sleep to enable them to live productively. If you do not get the right amount of sleep you can lose concentration, have depleted memory skills and even fall asleep at dangerous moments.
If you are having trouble sleeping, you may want to try the following:
Make sure the room is dark when you go to bed. Use blackout curtains if you need to.
Turn off devices that emit blue light.
Have a relaxing soak in the tub before you go to bed.
Choose the right mattress. For instance, thicker mattresses are better if you are overweight.
If you do not get the sleep that you need, you are never going to be as productive as you can be.
Planning is not only for capricorns
If you know anything about astrology, you will know that capricorns are renowned for planning everything they do. This does not mean that you have to be a capricorn to plan. If you want to have a productive day, then planning is pretty much a necessity. You can use different techniques, but you should know what you want to achieve and which part of the day you want to allocate to a specific task.
There is only so much multi-tasking you can do
There are some people who can get dressed, brush their teeth, read a paper and give advice to a friend over the phone, all without even getting stressed. There are others who struggle to tie their shoes while holding a conversation.
Whether you are one of these people, or something in-between, you need to recognise one vital fact; no-one can do everything at once. If you try to then there is a good chance that, instead of being productive, your day will turn into a collapsing house of cards.
When the force is not with you
Much as we would all like to be a Jedi Knight all of the time, there are times when we just do not have that type of control. Just about the only truly predictable thing about life is that it’s unpredictable. Trains do not always run on time, friends are not always as punctual as you and that grocery bag may just snap when you are walking home from the store.
Problems during the day do not have to ruin your productivity, as long as you deal with them in a positive manner. When you are planning your day, give yourself extra time to allow for travel problems and, if you do end up and your hands and knees, gathering apples from the street, take a few deep breaths and give yourself time to re-group. You are not going to make productive use of the rest of the day if you start to panic, and become stressed.
Unfortunately, days are not going to get any longer, so you need to make the most of the time you have. Acting on the tips we have given you should help you in your quest to make your days more productive.
Further reading on being more productive
