This post is all about how to be more productive in a day if you get easily distracted!
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If you check your phone every 5 minutes, you’re probably taking twice as long to complete every little task. And wasting a lot of mental energy. But, with all of the Instagram notifications, endless scrolling feeds, and emails popping up, you can’t be blamed.
In fact, I sometimes have to lock my phone using the Freedom app (more on that below) & hide myself in a cage to actually get some work done!
The thing is you can’t always rely on willpower. Thinking that you won’t pick up your phone when it’s beeping every 10 minutes is too much to ask for.
You need to work smartly, play to your strengths, focus on your priorities to learn how to be more productive in a day. So that you actually get things done when you sit down to work instead of half ass working all day.
how to be more productive in a day
1. You don’t need to do everything
You often spend a lot of time doing the busy work (i.e. random tasks that aren’t even important) and then wonder where your day went. That’s why it’s important to prioritize your tasks and focus on the important things first.
Remember, if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. Ask yourself, if you have to do only one thing today, what would that be? I prefer doing this weekly, so that I know at the start of the week what I need to do everyday to get closer to my goals and not get distracted.
You can use this weekly notepad to write down your top 3 priorities. I prefer keeping this on my desk so I always know what my week looks like.
2. Decide ahead of time
If you plan your daily tasks in the morning everyday; trust me you’ll never get anything done. Because our brain is so lazy, it leaves postpones the most difficult task.
That’s why making a plan ahead of time works! You’re less confused and more productive when you know what needs to be done everyday.
This way you don’t need to make decisions every single day or worry about how to be more productive in a day. All you need to do is follow the calendar.
Also, keep it flexible! A lot of times people create very strict schedule and then feel overwhelmed. I have a very specific planning system for you that’s so simple and amazing, inside the course Take your Weekends Back.
3. Have external deadline
I just tend to focus more and push myself when I have a deadline (especially an external one!). Ever wondered why the week before the trip is the most productive one?
It’s best to create that sense of urgency in your days as well. If you want to finish everything before 5, ask a friend to meet you at 6 p.m., or book a movie at 5:30 p.m. This way, you won’t have a choice but to finish your work on time.
You can also have office hours (even if you work from home), if it works for you. Don’t take your laptop to the bed..
4. most productive hours
Know what time of the day you’re the most productive or have the least distractions. For eg, in the morning you don’t have messages popping in and your family isn’t up, you can probably focus more. Work with your strengths, yk!
5. focus hours
You can also create focus hour blocks in your day. Basically have a one or two hour block in your days when you put your blinders on and just work.
You can’t expect yourself to be so focused throughout the day; that’s why having focus hours really works because you give yourself permission to not be “productive” all the time.
6. “I’ll do it later” never works!
Stop putting things off for later. Because later never comes. I’ve been wanting to create a list of blog post ideas for 3 weeks now. And it’s still not done.
Instead, tell yourself that you’ll try to do this task for 30 minutes and if by the end of it, you still don’t feel like doing it, you’ll schedule it for later. Most of the times you end up finishing the task, because you don’t want to break the momentum.
Also, ask yourself, what is making you procrastinate? You either think it’s too overwhelming or it’s not important right now, and then end up avoiding the task.
7. Turn off notifications
The main thing that distracts us is definitely our phone. How many times do you start scrolling through Instagram without even realizing?
So, keep your phone away when you’re doing a high focus task. Use this Freedom app to block all the notifications on your system and mobile. It’s been a life-changer for me!
8. also, stop multitasking
When you try to attend a call and write emails at the same time; you mostly a) end up taking more time b) produce half ass quality. So, it’s better to only focus on one thing at a time, especially if you get distracted way too easily.
9. high attention – low attention tasks
Everything on your to-do list doesn’t require a lot of focus. Use you time and energy wisely. Divide your to-dos into high attention and low attention task.
For eg, you can easily put on a Netflix show while cleaning the house, but need your full attention while filing taxes.
10. 80/20 rule
Basically, this rule says that 80% of your output is determined by 20% of your efforts. What are the 20% tasks that will help you get significantly closer to your goals?
A lot of times people get distracted with all the busy work and forget about the priorities. If you want to see more results in less time, you need to focus on your 20%
11. Write down everything that comes to your mind in the middle of a task
This hack literally changed my life! My brain comes up with 20 things that need my attention, every time I sit down to do my work. Eg : Reminding me to reply back to the email when I’m writing a blog post.
So, instead of leaving what you’re doing right now and starting something new, keep this notepad and write everything down that you need to do. This way when you don’t forget about it and tackle those tasks later.
12. If it takes 5 minutes, finish it now
Now, I’m not asking you to leave something you’re doing right now to go to something else. But, if you’re in the middle of something and you know it’ll only take you 5 mins to complete the task, do it now.
For eg : Washing the utensils right after you eat dinner hardly takes 10 minutes. Or cleaning your office space when you’re done for the day.
13. if it’s overwhelming – go on a walk
You need to take intentional breaks as well. Do something that helps you stay refreshed, instead of scrolling through your phone during your breaks.
If you’re feeling too overwhelmed with work, go for a walk. They usually help me destress and come back with a fresh perspective.
14, batch work
This is an old trick in the hat but it works! Batch similar tasks together. Like, checking emails only twice a day instead of replying to them every time you get a notification. It helps you stay in the momentum and answers how to be more productive in a day.
15. make less relevant decisions the night before
According to a study, we make the most accurate decisions from 8 am to 1 pm, so as the day proceeds we get more tired and are not really in the mood to think our decisions through.
That’s why you can make the menial decisions, like deciding your outfits, the night before, instead of wasting time in the morning.
This post is all about how to be more productive in a day if you get easily distracted!