Habits of Highly Effective People
It’s tempting to look at highly productive people as machines (or wizards). But by studying how they work efficiently and overcome the challenges we all experience, it’s possible to boost your productivity as well.
How do the most efficient people overcome challenges like:
- Procrastinating on tasks—both small, nagging ones and large, challenging ones
- Tedious work that needs just to get done
- Responding to email and other messages while working
- Staying motivated and energised throughout the entire workday
- Focusing and finishing the most important projects on their plates
We’ve read articles, checked out books, and asked questions of productive people, and have pulled together the best advice we could find on their productivity habits.
It can be tempting to want to take care of a few tasks at once, especially if they seem small or easy. But it simply doesn’t work. According to neuroscience professor Earl K. Miller, “multitasking is not humanly possible.”
We’re fooling ourselves when we say we can easily juggle phone calls, presentations, and eating lunch at the same time. Focus on one task at a time, and you’ll actually end up completing it faster.
Sometimes, looking at our goals can be overwhelming. Seeing a handful of big projects on our calendar can be stressful… but if you break it up into smaller tasks, you’ll feel more in control and will be much more productive. Rather than write down “finish project,” break that into all the tasks it will take. This will keep you on track in your day-to-day and make the bigger projects seem less daunting.
So with this in mind, what follows are 18 key habits of highly productive people. From ways to spend less time on emails to methods of staying focused, these productivity tips can help you maximise your efficiency — and get more done.
You can’t become more productive overnight. But if you make small changes and put some of these habits into place, you’ll be well on your way to becoming more efficient.
Try incorporating these tips to increase that productive flow and work smarter:
- Focus on the most important tasks first
- Cultivate deep work
- Keep a distraction list to stay focused
- Use the Eisenhower Matrix to identify long-term priorities
- Use the 80/20 rule
- Break tasks into smaller pieces
- Take breaks
- Make fewer decisions
- Eliminate inefficient communication
- Find repeatable shortcuts
- Learn from successes as well as mistakes
- Plan for when things go wrong
- Work before you get motivated or inspired
- Don’t multitask
- Fill the tank — recharge
- Sharpen the axe
- Manage your energy (not just time)
- Get better at saying “no”
Not every day will be perfectly productive; don’t beat yourself up over it.
Instead, refocus your energy and implement these tips. Once you find the sweet spot that works for you, you’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done both in and out of the office.
Source: https://www.activecampaign.com/