Three Tips on How to Stay Productive

Productive: 1) having the quality or power of producing especially in abundance; 2) effective in bringing about.

During times of stress and uncertainty do you find yourself more or less productive? Our mind can play tricks on us if we let it. When overwhelmed with life issues, whether personal or work related, our mind can become so full we don’t know what to do next or even where to start. Below, I’m sharing tips on how you can stay productive and why it’s important.

Three Ways to Stay Productive and Why

1. Decide on Your Daily “Three”
2. Exercise
3. Perform a Brain Dump

Decide on Your Daily “Three”

For the past four years, each morning I write down three activities I’m going to complete during my day, both personal and professional. What I’ve discovered when I do this is:

1. I’m focused on tasks I know I need to complete in order to finish my list; and
2. I can look back on each day and at the end of the week and know I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.

By the end of the week, there’s 15 tasks I’ve completed, and I’m closer to my goals than I was at the beginning of the week. Whether I’ve focused on walking four miles each day or writing new content for our website or committing to three networking meetings, I can see there’s (at least) 15 tasks I’ve accomplished during the week!  

Exercise

Yes, exercise. Exercise increases productivity in all areas of our life. When we exercise we have increased energy which leads to increased productivity. Exercise also reduces stress. If we’re being honest with ourselves, most of us have had increased stress during the past several weeks and, personally, I can honestly say increasing my exercise during this time has really decreased my anxiety and stress. I grab my dog, plug in my earphones and listen to my favorite music, and walk at least four miles a day. Why? Because it clears my head from all the ramblings of what if and why is this happening…   

Perform a Brain Dump

I don’t know about you, but one thing I know for sure is when I’m feeling there’s a lot to do and my brain’s thoughts are rambling faster than I can speak, it’s time to put it on paper. 

I’ll take a piece of paper or use my notebook and start a list of items I know need to be completed at some point. My list could be ten items or 40+, but the reason I dump it onto paper is it’s off my mind and I can go to sleep or work on another project or enjoy family/free time. 

If you’ve been following us this year, you know we’ve included a holistic focus on the relationship between life and business – they intertwine. Do you find yourself struggling to add in the “exercise” component because you’re busy or stressed? Read my blog, “Are you in love with heart?” If you don’t love yourself enough, who will? 

If you’re looking to be more productive, join our book club, Making Your Book Your Business, and join us as we begin discussing, “The Productivity Project,” by Chris Bailey.