Productivity, for me, is more about how you use your time in a day than what you actually do with it. I get distracted easily, one minute I’m reading an email, the next I’m buried in a spreadsheet checking social media metrics, then I’m right back in my inbox the second a new email lands.
Staying focused through the workday is genuinely hard, so here are the 10 things that have made the biggest difference for me. Follow these and you’ll be surprised how much more you get done in a day, and how much stress it takes off your plate.
You can thank me later.
1. Create a good morning routine
I love my sleep as much as anyone, but setting an alarm with just enough time to inhale breakfast and bolt out the door isn’t the way to start your day. Hitting the gym is my favourite way to kick things off, it leaves me feeling far more energised and focused.
Try getting up 15 to 20 minutes earlier and actually sitting down to a proper breakfast. It sounds simple, but it genuinely sets the tone for the rest of your day and keeps you from starting out rushed.
2. Clean and organise your workspace
Clear the clutter off your desk. A tidy workspace means fewer things pulling your attention away from the task in front of you. I personally keep just my notepad, pen, and water bottle on my desk, nothing else.
3. Set 3-5 daily goals
When you’re setting targets for the day, pick 3 to 5 goals and list them with the most important first. If there’s one you’re really dreading, tackle that one first, it makes everything after it feel easier.
I personally use the “Productivity Planner” from Intelligent Change. It’s already structured out and helps me get more done during the day. It looks pricey upfront, but used daily, it works out to less than 20 cents a day.
4. Budget your time
When you set your 3 to 5 goals, estimate roughly how long each one should take. Give lengthier tasks some buffer time, in case they run longer than expected.
Keep an eye on how long each task actually takes. If you’re still working on it after your allotted time, decide whether to give it more time or move on and circle back later.
5. Remove distractions
This one’s huge for me. Before starting your first task, make sure you’re genuinely set up to avoid interruptions.
Start by putting your phone on flight mode and out of reach. Those Snapchat or Facebook notifications aren’t helping you get anything done. From there, close any unnecessary browser tabs and keep open only what you actually need for the task at hand.
If you like working with music on, have a playlist ready that you genuinely enjoy, and won’t be tempted to keep fiddling with mid-task.
6. Focus on one thing at a time (Don’t multitask!)
It might feel like juggling two tasks at once gets more done in less time, but that’s not actually true. Multitasking splits your focus, and the original task ends up taking longer and feeling harder as a result.
Research shows that when we multitask, our attention keeps switching between tasks, which drains our mental energy. That’s often why we feel exhausted at the end of a day where we barely moved physically at all.
7. Allow breaks and rewards
If staying focused is a struggle even without obvious distractions, break your goal into 15-minute chunks. After each interval, give yourself 5 minutes to stand up and stretch, just steer clear of your phone so you don’t lose momentum.
Once you finish a full goal, reward yourself with a longer break, check emails, return calls, grab a snack. Set a timer for these too, so they don’t run away from you.
8. Limit your time on social media
Social media is a constant distraction for me personally. Limiting your use genuinely protects your productivity. Most phones let you set time limits on specific apps, if you’re on iPhone, click this link for a walkthrough on setting app limits.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing app is another good option, helping you unwind and even greying out apps once you’ve hit your set time limit.
9. Use your commute time
This is time that goes to waste for a lot of people. Why not use it for audiobooks, podcasts, or educational content instead, turning dead time into genuine learning?
Even just an hour of commuting a day adds up to roughly 14 full 24-hour days over the course of a year, time that could otherwise be put to real use.
10. Prioritise Your Next Day Before
This one genuinely helps you start the next day strong. Before leaving work, jot down the tasks and goals you want to tackle tomorrow. That way, you can get straight into it the moment you walk back in the next day.
Try a few of these out over a full week and see how much your productivity shifts. Got something else that helps you stay productive? We’d love to hear about it, click here and get in touch.
