Productivity is on the order of the day. The more productive, the better employee, entrepreneur, and person (or that is what people believe). And to boost productivity, you need habits.
In this post we touch upon the meaning of productivity and a few habits to achieve a more productive life.
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What’s Productivity?
One day has 24h. We can’t change that fact, but we can certainly change what we do with those hours.
Productivity can be defined as the ratio of output over input. The more we increase the output with a similar input, the more productive we will be.
Productive people create more from less; and consequently grow more in the same amount of time.
Productivity is a measure of efficiency. How much is done per unit of time, and how wisely one can use their finite time.
The 5 Key Elements of Productivity
Productivity can be tackled from different perspectives. However, there are 5 indispensable key elements to master if you want to be productive:
The 5 Key Elements of Productivity
- Organization
- Discipline
- Environment
- Desire
- Determination
Mastering these aptitudes will bring productivity to your life. If you are organized, disciplined, determined, willing to reach your goals, and able to twitch your environment, you will be productive.
The Importance of Building Habits
A habit is any behavior or action you engage in regularly counts (1). Whereas a routine requires of conscious thinking, a habit is done unconsciously.
If you want to be productive, you need habits. Doing a little everyday is by far the best strategy to work on your productivity.
Habits are a key aspect of productivity. Making a habit can divide your goal in small and achievable small actions.
Now the goal won’t feel so overwhelming, and so you will be more productive in each of the working sessions.
How to Build Habits
On average, it takes 66 days to build a habit that becomes automatic (2). For more complex habits, it may take longer than 66 days.
Habits respond to external cues happening in the environment. In response to the cue, your brain craves, responds, and gets a reward after the action has been taken. This is called the Habit Loop (3)
Building habits is an easy task if you know how to do it. Follow this 5 steps list and bring joy, happiness, and productivity to your life.
How to Build Good Habits
- Start small
- Progress by small changes
- Break habits into chunks
- Build the rest of your life around
- Be patient
Habits for a More Productive Life
Habits bring productivity to your life… but not all habits have the same outcome. It is your task to carefully select those habits that enable you to boost your productivity.
This is a list of our habits for a more productive life!
Habits for a More Productive Life
- Follow a pattern (set the timer 45/15)
- Build a morning routine
- Write down your daily goals
- Eat the frog
- Create a system
- Deal with distractions
Follow a Pattern
Habits is a about repeated patterns over time. Follow the same principle at work and create a time pattern to schedule your worktime.
People tend to lose focus after 30-45’ of work (4). Building a pattern 45-15 (45’ work + 15’ break) can take the best out of your focus and let you enough time to rest and recover for the following session.
Tailor this pattern to you and follow the pattern every time you get to work
Build a Morning Routine
There’s something special about morning routines and the power they hide. The morning has the power to set your entire day.
A morning routine should consist on a series of actions that get you prepared to confront the day. In the book The 5AM Club, Robin Sharma proposes the 20/20/20 formula for a productive morning:
- 20 mins of exercise
- 20 mins of reflection
- 20 mins of personal/professional growth
Write Down your Daily Goals
The habit of writing down your goals on paper makes such goals more tangible and realistic.
The act of writing makes your brain think about the goal through two different systems: the motor system (writing), and the visual system (looking).
Everyday, sit down and take the time to set up daily goals. What is the activity will make you progress the most? What is the activity you need to do today?
Eat the Frog
In the book Eat That Frog!, Brian Tracy describes the concept of the Big Frog as the most nasty, but necessary task you need to do today.
If you start by eating the big frog from the very start of the day, everything else will be downhill. Eat the frog and enjoy the rest of the day.
Create Systems
Much of productivity is about creating systems to work, think, and act.
Systematic approaches are often more efficient in terms of time, for you don’t have to think about how to do things, you just do it.
Create systems for the different fields you are working on. Make step-by-step lists for the daily tasks at work, make checklists for cleaning the house,…. create systems
Deal With Distractions
We live in a world full of distractions. And when you are focus on your work, distractions are there more than ever.
A good habit to boost your productivity is to learn how to deal with distractions.
There’s always a get away for any kind of distraction…
- Is there a lot of noise around? Put some headphones.
- A lot of light? Close the curtains
- Your wife is asking you what time are you coming home? Put the phone in silent mode
Conclusion
Productivity is the ratio of output over input. The more we increase the output with a similar input, the more productive we will be.
To boost productivity, you need habits. These unconscious daily actions will tell you what to do without having to actively think about it. In this post, we’ve seen six habits to implement in your daily life and boost productivity.
