My top 8 tips for productivity that I tell my clients

Most of us want to change something about our routines, with the goal to stick to the better version. Often, that is not easy. So here are my top “cheats” that I often bring up during my sessions with clients to help them with their personal goals.

1.Trick your brain

Something that many are not aware of, but might have noticed in the past, is that it often isn’t doing the task that is difficult. It is starting.
So here comes my trick: Rather than trying to remind yourself that you have to do the whole task and think about all of the details and additional tasks that might come after it, think of the very first step. And when I say the very first step, I mean the smallest first step you could conceive.

For example: Imagine you are at home after work. You’ve sat down on the couch, and remember that you decided to go to the gym. The prospect might be less than attractive at this point. However, what if rather than telling yourself “I must go to the gym, then do strenuous exercise for over an hour” you told yourself “I will stand up from the couch and grab my gym bag. That’s all.”.

You might think that this won’t be enough, but you might surprise yourself. Once you are up and holding the gym, it is already more likely that you might just leave the house and get to the damn place. It is starting that is difficult, not necessarily the task itself.

Congratulations, you have tricked your brain.

2.Be realistic about what you can do

Have you considered that the length of your to-do list is what is stopping you from completing it? Most likely you’ve had some days during which you’ve been working all day long, only to visibly deflate when looking at the remaining unchecked items of your (mental) to-do list. Of course that feels de-motivating.
Rather than falling into that trap again and again, how about we try something else?

Look at your list (I do recommend writing it down.). Then apply some scrutiny. 

For example: You could apply the “Eisenhower matrix” that sorts each item by “importance” and “urgency”. Look at each item and decide whether the item is important and or urgent.
Based on that you follow this hierarchy: First come items that are urgent and important. Secondly, important but not urgent. If an item is only urgent, but not important, see if you can get rid of it, or delegate it. If an item is neither important nor urgent, it goes.

3.Apply the 1-3-5 rule

Following a similar theme as my previous tip, I often suggest using to-do lists to organise your productivity and help yourself remember what you need to do. I’ve been a big fan of to-do lists for a long time now, so much so, I’ve written a blog post just about it!

One of the ways that many trip up with one of the easiest, most powerful organisation tools, is by putting too many things on the list.

Luckily, this is not a new problem, and smart people have thought about ways to prevent this issue from diminishing the positive impact your to-do list can have for you.
Let me therefore introduce you to the 1-3-5 rule for to-do lists. The rule states that we should aim to have no more than 9 items on our daily to-do list. You should have a maximum of 1 item that will take you several hours (think 2-3), a maximum of 3 medium length tasks of about 30 minutes each and a maximum of five tasks that will take between 5-15 minutes each. 

This will make it more likely that you’ll actually finish the tasks on your to-do list most days.

4.Take your fluctuating energy & stress levels into account

All of this is good and well, until you get the sniffles, or your beloved pet hamster sprains a paw. Stressful (physical or mental) events impact our ability to be productive. Don’t forget, you are not a robot. You will have days during which you are less productive and are incapable of keeping up your usual routine. 

That is normal.

Rather than fighting your need for additional rest, why not allow yourself to recover, before you continue in your usual ways? Sure, you might be able to keep juggling tasks for a bit, but my experience has taught me that this will only go on for so long and then you might need an even longer break. 

Self-compassion is a skill, not a weakness. 

Individuals who are able to allow themselves to rest more frequently and before they are completely exhausted, are able to continue on for much longer. So if you notice that you are running out of steam a little, take a break or adjust what you require of yourself that day to make your working practice more sustainable.

5.Have a plan B and C

Are your expectations flexible enough? It is much more likely that you’ll feel like a failure when having to deviate from your plans if there is only one way of doing it “correctly”. Instead, try to have alternative options that vary in your own expectations for yourself.

For example, rather than expecting to workout three days per week, for at least 90 minutes at a high intensity, why not have alternative options for moving your body.

If you are feeling less energetic, maybe going for a longer walk can be counted as a win, especially if the alternative is not moving your body at all and feeling like a failure. 

Maybe rather than expecting that all your housework needs to be done as quickly as humanly possible, expect of yourself that certain important parts (e.g. having clean plates and cutlery available) need to be prioritised, while others can wait (e.g.folding your fitted sheets).

6.Eat the frog

If you start your day doing the most daunting task, the rest won’t be so scary anymore. The idea to “eat the frog” was published in the book by Brian Tracy, a productivity expert. The goal is to determine (the day before, ideally) what the most important, daunting task on your to-do list is and start with it the next day. This way, the hardest part of your productive day is over first and what remains feels easier. 

This takes into account that our motivation is a limited resource. The later you start doing the difficult tasks during the day, the likelier it is, that you won’t have the energy left to do them. Therefore, it is good practice to start with the tasks that feel more difficult.

7.Focus on the environment to get the behaviour

Often it isn’t our intentions that stop us from doing what we want to do, but more the environment that hinders us unnecessarily. You might have noticed that some environments make it easier for you to do certain tasks. Like a clean desk, might make it easier to start writing a report, a well-stocked fridge will encourage you to cook more than one that only holds some random condiments and a scary tupperware container that has been sitting in the back of the fridge for several months.

So next time, when you notice that you are struggling to do something regularly, ask yourself what makes it difficult to do so. Listen to your inner monologue and think of the task step-by-step. What thoughts come up when you decide to do the task? What has to happen before you can really begin?

For example: If you want to work out regularly, but only have one outfit to workout in, it is less likely that you will do so frequently, especially if you prefer to work out in fresh clothes and don’t do laundry every day. Therefore, it would make sense to buy (a reasonable amount) more workout clothes to help yourself workout.

8.Know what motivates you – Accountability

Isn’t it funny that some tasks come easily to you, while others, that aren’t necessarily harder, feel much more difficult to accomplish? Motivation is a key driver (although you don’t need motivation to do tasks, but that’s for another day). Motivation is what makes it easier.

Some people are really good at doing things by themselves for a prolonged time without external pressure. Some. Most people however, need some pressure, for example in the form of accountability. You might notice that working on projects at work, that your supervisor is expecting of you, is easier than on the tasks that nobody but you really care about.

If that is the case for you, don’t worry. Most of us need some type of external accountability. So what do you do, if the thing you want to do doesn’t automatically come with external accountability? The answer is to create it!

For example, if you want to start writing regularly (a task that can be particularly solitary) you can create forms of external accountability. You could find an accountability partner, who is also trying to work on something and you can check in with each other regularly to keep each other accountable. Another option is to publicly announce your goal. I really liked the idea by productivity youtuber Thomas Frank in which he used some programming skills to force himself to get up early, or donate to a political cause he does not want to support. 

Did I miss something? Comment your favourite trick for productivity below!

Productivity is all good and well, but it won’t last very long if you’re not taking care of yourself. So download my free “Me-Time Menu”.
If you want to work with me or have a question, message me here.

Foto von Titouan COLOMB auf Unsplash