How To Be More Productive

We can compare productivity to a giant ball that's on almost flat ground. If we barely give it a push it will start rolling, if we stop it then it will stay in place again. If the ball hasn't picked up any speed yet then stopping it is easy. If we let it pick up speed then it becomes harder to stop. 

Sometimes getting the day started is slow. If we aren't productive in the morning, it can be hard to carry momentum throughout the day. Here are a few tips for being more productive in the am. 

Get up early enough that you have time to do a few simple tasks before starting work or school. 

Pick 2 tasks that are quick and easy to get your day started on a positive note. For example: make your bed and wash the dishes you used for breakfast. 

Let yourself know that anything you finish in the morning, is a task that you worked to complete. By the time you start your real daily activities, you'll already have the ball rolling at half speed. 

Oftentimes not doing anything productive in the morning, and knowing that we will have more messes to clean up when we get home later, makes us feel frustrated or stressed out. By starting the day knowing that we did something that will help us out later in the day, we get a sense of relief and start looking forward to completing more tasks later on. 

Another tip that can help with being more productive, is cutting down on mental complaining. Like that voice in your head that doesn't stop talking about how making your bed is pointless, you could have slept for 15 more minutes, you don't want to go to your job anyway. Trying to tune out this voice even if you have to think of random show tunes orTik Tok sounds, will be better for your productivity levels in the long run. 

If it's hard for you to get up in the morning, I have a few tips for that as well. 

Have something to look forward to in the morning. Before going to bed think of something you can do the next morning that you will be excited about. This could be something as simple as buying or pre-making your favorite breakfast food or trying a new morning routine. 

Get enough sleep at night. Sleep is vital, going to bed too late and getting up too early will drag down your productivity and mental health. 

Sit up when your alarm goes off. Hitting snooze and staying laid out in bed is one way to be even more tired during the day. Your body doesn't know exactly when it's supposed to get up because you're making it wake up only halfway and risk falling asleep again. 

The most important productivity tip I can give is to know yourself. We are all different. We like and dislike different things, have different dreams and aspirations, and our motivation changes based on unique factors in our lives. Getting to know yourself is a process in and of itself. Writing in a journal to track your mood and thoughts is one way you can get to know yourself better. Nobody else can know you as you do.

Last thoughts

Find a hobby so you always have something to look forward to. 

Try to get into a career that you enjoy. If you're already in one that you don't exactly love then try to find the positive side of everything in it. Are there good people there that you enjoy being around? Is the pay enough for you to support yourself and anyone else you take care of? 

Don't feel bad if you have an unproductive day. The mind needs time to think, time to rest, and time to heal. 

These are the things I've found have helped me to be more productive on a day-to-day basis. Let me know what you think.