Not only is it detrimental to our mental and physical health, but its also counter-productive.
When the only thing on your mind is to get more done, you often miss efficiency and accuracy.
Even though youre putting in more hours, youre not getting as much work done.
Thats because youre not planning.
That is exactly why we often fail at our productivity goals.
What Is a Productivity Plan, and Why Is It Important to Have One?
Its not because all those articles and videos provide the wrong tips and strategies.
These internet articles and videos are generalized and dont address our unique set of problems and impediments to productivity.
Planning for productivity gives you a sense of control, making you less likely to feel overwhelmed or stressed.
How to Create a Productivity Plan
Productivity planning is not rocket science.
Set SMART Goals
Aimless walking will get you nowhere.
Having a record of your goals and tasks makes going from one task to the next easier.
How many productive hours are you managing per day?
What activities consume most of your time?
you’ve got the option to use TimeCamp to track your rig time automatically.
Once you know the problems, you’re able to start thinking about their solutions.
Ask yourself:
While noting down the challenges, you should stay true to yourself.
Try not to tell yourself excuses for your unproductive behaviors.
Using the insights from your analysis, create a schedule while considering your goals.
Theres no right or wrong; it all depends upon your goals and personal preferences.
Regardless of what your goals are, its important to keep a realistic schedule.
You dont want to schedule every last second of the day.
Your schedule should be flexible enough to accommodate sudden plans.
And dont forget to incorporate well-earned breaks.
The goal is not to stay busy but to increase productivity.
Find Your Ideal Productivity Strategy and Stick To It
Productivity doesnt come naturally to most of us.
However, using tried and tested methods can help make the process easier.
Make a list of 6 tasks you better complete each day.
Rank them in order of importance and start with the most important task.
The goal is to finish one task at a time.
If youre not able to complete all six tasks, simply move them to the next day.
Use the 80/20 rule to prioritize your tasks while focusing on the desired results.
Identify the key tasks thatll yield the most of those results and focus on completing those tasks first.
The Pomodoro method is perfect for completing large, daunting tasks.
Reanalyze Your Performance & Experiment
Planning for productivity isnt a one-time thing.
Your first productivity plan might not be as detailed or effective as you hope.
That is why its important to review your weekly and monthly progress.
See how well your productivity plan is working.
Identify any obstacles you might have missed and adjust your plan to address them.
If a particular strategy isnt giving results, try a different one and note the results.
Your plan should address all the hurdles that have been keeping you from reaching your maximum potential.
When creating the plan, check that to schedule your high-priority tasks to leverage your peak performance hours.
While a productivity plan is sure to help, it’s important that you follow it through.
That means creating a work environment free from distractions, including your phone.
But if having your smartphone close is important, you should follow good smartphone habits.
