There are certain things successful people do to be more productive each day – and happier with how they’re spending their time.
Adopting some of their best practices will help you get more done in less time – which opens up more time to enjoy the life you’re working so hard to achieve.
No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, continue reading to learn how successful people maximize their productivity – and as a result, live a healthier and happier life!
Schedule to-dos.
To-do lists are great, right? Maybe, but maybe not. Surprisingly, one of the things successful people do to be more productive is to schedule their to-dos.
The team management tool I Done This found that 41% of to-do list items were never completed. A study of billionaires found that they don’t keep to-do lists. Why? You tend to do the easy items, but leave the rest because you’re not sure where to fit them in.
Scheduling your to-dos into allotted blocks of time in your planner means you know when to do them and have time set aside for them.
Skip multi-tasking.
Every truly successful person will tell you one thing – you can only do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a myth. It doesn’t work. While it might feel like you’re doing more, you’re actually less productive.
Instead of multi-tasking, you’re just task switching, which reduces how quickly and accurately you can perform each task. Increase productivity by focusing solely on one task at a time and see just how much more you accomplish!
Set aside tech-free time.
Technology certainly has its pros, but also its cons. Think about how frequently you check your phone. How often do you get notifications and immediately feel like you have to look?
The most successful people know that this wastes time and drains energy – not to mention interrupts whatever they were otherwise doing.
Set aside time to go tech-free. For instance, set aside an hour to truly enjoy the morning, focus on your exercise class, or prep and eat dinner – without a phone, tablet, or computer in sight. You could even schedule a tech-free weekend each month to truly step away!
Prioritize sleep.
When it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, you might be tempted to work into the night to get more done. While it might seem like cutting out a few hours of sleep would make you more productive, the opposite is true. Your mind and body need rest. You’re not like a phone where you’re good to the last few percent of the battery. Instead, you get more sluggish (and less productive) as your energy dwindles.
Successful people like Jeff Bezos and Arianna Huffington make sleep a priority. Instead of bragging about just getting three or four hours, they focus on getting around eight hours. To be more productive, follow our tips to be more intentional about sleep.
Make time for favorite activities.
Finally, have you noticed every successful person has something that they absolutely love to do, besides succeed? They might play golf, go boating, play with their dog, or travel with family or friends.
Find something you truly enjoy that makes you feel excited and energetic. Carve out time every day or week to energize yourself with this activity. You get to reduce stress, have fun, and feel great – and this makes you a far more productive person!
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One major thing to take away is that successful people stay productive by scheduling everything. Our Day Designer planners are made specifically to help you keep your productive lifestyle perfectly organized.
What are your top tips for a productive day?