How to Be Your Most Productive at Any Given Moment

If you’re sitting at home, scrolling through your smartphone for interesting articles to read, chances are you have at least three other more productive things you could and should be doing in order to say that you had a productive day.

So, how do we deal with this? How do we go through each day and accomplish as much as possible without burning ourselves out? Here are a few tips that can help boost productivity and increase daily output:

Set a Morning Routine

True productivity is contingent upon routine. Set yourself up for success with a morning schedule that allows you to wake up, focus, and prepare yourself for all you need to accomplish that day. Stick with it for a few weeks and see how it affects your confidence and productivity at work. Your morning routine doesn’t necessarily need to consist of waking up at 4:30 a.m. to work out for two hours, but it should include things that allow your mind and body to focus on what’s ahead of you.

Things like yoga can notably improve daily cognition and personal strength, along with a light breakfast and some time to relax before jumping into your day of work.Think about what will allow you to confidently walk out the door each morning, and your work days will become that much more productive

Remove Distractions

It’s amazing how much removing distractions will aid in increasing your productivity and focus. I’m not referring to obvious distractions like busy meeting days, your phone constantly ringing with clients on the other end, or co-workers coming in and out of your office to ask questions all day. Sometimes these types of distractions are simply out of your control.

Instead, avoid smaller distractions that are completely within your power to change, like making sure your desk is organized before you start work in the morning, or that the temperature of your work environment is comfortable. If there’s anything that might unnecessarily pull your focus away from your job that you can easily change, change it! You’ll find that removing these minor disturbances isn’t just easy; it makes a huge difference in your ability to buckle down and focus on the task at hand

Make Lists

Your brain is like a sponge: it’s constantly soaking up new information. And that sponge fills up quickly. That’s why it’s important to clear your mind in order to make room for more information.

Take the first few minutes of every day to pour out everything that’s taking up space in your brain. Simply write down your thoughts, ideas, and to-dos to create space in your mind for other thoughts as well as visualize what needs to get done. This will free you up to actually focus on the items on your list with more clarity and distinct thoughts, which in turn will help you become more productive.

Adhere to the 5-Minute Rule

The “5-Minute Rule” is a simple trick to improve productivity. Quickly scan the list you just made of your goals and to-dos for the day and put a star next to the things that will take fewer than five minutes to complete. Then, do them immediately.

This way, in the first 30 minutes of your day, you’ll have multiple items already completed and crossed off your list! There’s so much to be said about not only writing things down and visualizing what needs to be done, but actually crossing things off. Being able to quickly cross items off my list is one of the most motivating things you can do to increase your productivity.

This article is courtesy of BusinessCollective, featuring thought leadership content by ambitious young entrepreneurs, executives & small business owners.