5 Tips to Boost Productivity
When you lack organization, there never seems to be enough hours in the day! It may be cliché, but it is truer today than ever. We lead busy lives between work, family, friends, and community activities. Because at one time or another, we all can use some help, I pulled together these 5 tips of productivity.
Organization Put You in Control
Even the “free spirits” among us can benefit by establishing a daily routine. I’m not talking about a rigid control of every minute of the day; I’m suggesting setting a regular pattern that will make frantically searching for your car keys or being late for appointments part of your past. I’m talking about a new you being the boss, in control and daring the day to “bring it”!
Tip #1: Prepare the Night Before
If I were to pick the most important of the tips of productivity, this is it. Everything you can do in the evening to prepare for the coming day helps you hit the ground running and in control. Here are some suggestions.
- Review calendar for appointments or meetings
- Lay out your wardrobe selection
- Make lunches
- Check the weather
- Put everything you need to take with you on your launch pad
Tip #2: Create a Launch Pad
It can be a console table, a couple of baskets, a bench or a shelf where you can put our keys, purse, outgoing and incoming mail, and everything you need to grab as you head out the door for the workday. You don’t want to waste precious morning time hunting for your keys or wondering where you dropped your purse or wallet last night.
Tip #3: Establish a Morning Routine
Decide what you want to accomplish in the morning and allow enough time to get it done. For some people, this can mean a carefully choreographed set of steps like showering, dressing, and out the door picking up coffee and breakfast on the way to the office. For others who love to get up when the birds begin chirping at 5 AM, the morning may consist of a workout, a shower, breakfast and checking emails to get a head start on the workday.
Tip #4: Get a Good Night’s Sleep
It’s challenging to feel your best or be your best when you are sleep deprived. I’m not preaching 8 hours here because I know some people are good with seven, six, or even less. I’m not judging. However, getting the amount you need and beginning the day on time will set the pace for the rest of the day. Remember you need to focus on your tips of productivity.
Tip #5: Get Up On Time
If you have a snooze button on your alarm clock, get rid of it. Seriously, buy a stripped down model that forces you to get up and out of bed. When you start the day late, it derails your morning routine. It increases the chance you will forget something and force you to bounce from one task to another. Getting up late can sabotage the rest of the day. Just don’t do it.