Tips on Being Productive

If you're anything like me, the lazy disease and the distractions of daily life can come easily to me when doing daily tasks, especially while doing things that are less entertaining. Most of the problem is in my head, but there are other things that can be done to prevent falling into the trap of laziness and unproductiveness throughout any given day, no matter the task at hand!

Plan out your day. It is of great advantage to plan out what you want to accomplish during the day and set time limits and deadlines as to when you want them done. Similar to a "To Do List" or checklist, record what you want to do during the day. You can count your tasks down from most important to least important, or just list them in random order-whichever suits you best. Unlike a checklist, plan how you are going to go about doing your tasks: supplies you may need, appointments you might need to rearrange, an area or room you might need reserved, etc...

Manage your time wisely. Time management is essential to having a productive day, whether you are studying for a big test, planning to clean the garage, or spending time with your kids. Investing in a calendar that leaves plenty of room for writing notes and reminders down for each day will give you a visual idea of how you need to divide and distribute your time for the day.

Know your distractions. T.V. is a distraction that really keeps me from getting a lot accomplished, because I constantly want to see what's going on-hearing sometimes just isn't enough. When trying to complete a certain task, I have to keep this in mind so that I can either adjust what I'm doing (if possible) or get as far away from a T.V. set as possible!

Sometimes, the distraction might be another person in the house or, better yet, the kids! If this is the case, try getting the kids involved with what you're doing. Give them little things to do for you that can help you reach your daily goals and keep them out of your hair while you are working.

Set realistic goals. If you plan on writing 10 articles a day knowing you have only one hour of free time to do so, you are setting yourself up for failure and are further discouraging yourself from doing the things you need to do.

Making it easy for yourself and setting goals you know you can reach within your allotted time frame helps you to later go on to the next step of planning, which is to "up your ante," so to speak, and set slightly more challenging goals to reach.

Sit down (or get up) and do it. No matter how you're feeling at the moment, stick to your plan of action for the day and hop to it.

Finish what you start. Being productive in your day includes the satisfaction of being able to scratch one more task off the list and move on to something else. Life does continue to happen, however, and there are circumstances that must be immediately tended to, possibly inhibiting your flow of productivity. Otherwise, if you are able to devote enough time to your tasks in order to complete them or get to your goal stopping point, finish through to the bitter end.

Productivity is a joy in itself, because you feel a sense of pride and self-worth after reaching the goal you sought after. The key is to keep that goal in front of you while working and pushing through until you've produced some sort of result to your satisfaction!