9 Habits of Successful Productivity

Have you been wondering what it takes to be a truly productive person? Well, that’s a great questions to ask if you want to begin taking your productivity to the next level. Here are 9 things that make the difference between a person with average output and a person with a very high level of productivity.

9 Habits of Successful Productivity

1. Know Your Values – Successful people know what they value and make a conscious choice to dedicate time for it. This could be volunteer work, family time, exercise, etc. If you don’t create your schedule around what you really value then your life will create your schedule for you, leaving you empty and unfulfilled.
2. Be ok with Saying No – Productive people realize that you absolutely cannot say yes to everything. In order to be committed to your priorities, you must be willing to say no to activities that diminish your ability to deliver on the main thing. It may sound harsh, but it’s absolutely essential.
3. Forget the To-do Lists – It is important to have a list of what you need to accomplish, but most items on that list won’t actually get done in one day. This can leave you feeling anxious and unproductive. Instead of continually referencing back to your to-do list, schedule your day in your calendar and focus on the most important things. In the end, you will accomplish what has the most impact overall.
4. Focus on One Thing – Attack the big rocks first. Evaluate what you most important task is and tackle it and it alone during the first part of your day. It will set you up for success for the rest of the day and maybe even the rest of the week. In order to do this though, you have to allow yourself to only think about one thing at a time. You’re not going to stay focused if you don’t intentionally block out time for each thing you need to accomplish.
5. Schedule Time to Process Your Email – You cannot be productive if you’re constantly being interrupted by notifications. If you have to, turn off your notifications and instead schedule time to check your email. That question from Tom across the hall can wait until next hour.
6. Think ahead to Overcome Procrastination – We often can’t trust ourselves to do exactly what we intended. If we could, we would all be eating the healthiest diet and have the perfect body. Successful people think ahead and set themselves up to succeed in the future to ensure that they follow through on their intended behavior.
7. Learn the Art of Delegation – One person can only get so much done in a day. Utilize the team around you and you’ll be able to increase productivity through multiplication. How do you know what to delegate out? If someone else can do a task 80% as well as you can do it, then it needs to be handed off. Work toward doing the things that only you can do.
8. Create Daily Themes in Your Work Schedule – We all have a lot to get done and sometimes it can be a roller coaster ride trying to jump back and forth from one area to another. Successful people create themes throughout their week to accomplish like tasks. Monday for meetings and direct report contacts, Tuesday for admin work and miscellaneous tasking, etc. You get the idea. This can significantly help you stay focused on certain areas of your work to stay more dialed in.
9. Develop a Morning Routine – Last but not least, is your morning routine. Your day will typically end as well at it starts. If you get a late start on your day and begin it with having to play catch up, then you’ll be in catch up mode all day. Be an early riser, exercise, clear your mind and allow yourself to have the kind of start that you need to feel great going into work.