Happy Thursday readers, hope you’re all well! Todays blog gives out some tips on how to be productive, but not in the obvious way. I could tell you to plan your work, create a schedule or eat healthy to maximise concentration, but I wanted to give you some less obvious tips, things you might not have taken into account. Lets step away from the idea that working and reaching goals has to be hard and boring, make this journey the best and most proactive that you can! Whatever your goal, these tips will definitely be beneficial to you!
1). Absorb new information in different ways- Reading all day or staring at a computer screen can be draining and it makes it difficult to keep going. Absorb information in better ways, for example, listen to podcasts related to your goals. Go for a walk and put it in your earphones, this is a much more fun and proactive way of learning. Or you could watch some you tube videos related to your goals. Get a cup of tea, a pack of biscuits and enjoy this easier way of learning.
2). If you’re not loving it, then stop- We spend our whole school lives doing work we don’t enjoy. But this work is what sets us up for a life that we do enjoy. You will never find the motivation if you are uninterested, unhappy or bored, and no tips are going to make it easier unless you find something you really enjoy. Motivation comes from drive and passion, if you’re working, studying or aiming to reach specific goals, make sure that what you’re working for is something you enjoy and are passionate about.
3). Make your environment comfortable- As more of the world has moved to working at home, we have more flexibility on where to work. It’s important that you make your working environment comfortable. Whether you’re planning goals, writing an essay or about to endure a 2 hour zoom call, make sure you feel comfortable and at home. I wrote my dissertation on a comfy chair, with Friends on the TV, a cup of tea by my side and my pet rabbit by my feet. I looked forward to each day, because my environment felt stress free. If you know you’ve got a full afternoon of job searching, get in that rest day too. Put your feet up, snuggle in a blanket and enjoy the search, you will get much more done, trust me!!🤍
4). Have a plan, without the pressure- In order to succeed it’s important we create goals and maintain our progress towards them, however, it’s also important to ensure that your plan isn’t too strict. Being too strict only leads to failure, take off the pressure and do what you can. For example, in a week I plan to do 2 gym sessions and 3 runs. However, sometimes |I’ll feel like 3 gym sessions and 2 runs, sometimes I’ll feel like training 6 times, and other weeks I’ll incorporate extra rest days. Do what you feel best suits you at that time, by giving yourself a little bit of choice and room for adjustments, you have more chance of being productive. Reaching goals and being productive doesn’t always have to be boring and tiresome.
5). Take breaks– This is KEY to succeeding, in anything you do. Whether that’s physical breaks from training, time away from your laptop or a night off studying because you just need to get out with friends. Whatever it is, make sure you remember how important breaks are. When we take ourselves away for a period of time, we rest, compose ourselves and are ready to go again later on. Breaks are way more beneficial than you think and are definitely not unproductive. Sometimes being unproductive is the most productive thing you can do.
6). Have plans- It’s actually really important that whilst you are working really hard towards a goal, you have something to look forward to either in the evening or on one of your days off. This may not seem productive, but what’s important is that whilst you are working hard, you have something to look forward to, something that is going to make all of this work worthwhile. Maybe it’s a trip away that you’ve booked, maybe it’s just an evening with your friends, or it might even be a night in with a Netflix show and a glass of wine.
7). Seeing changes- One thing that always helps with motivation and moving forward is seeing the changes that you are making, whether that is physical changes in the gym, seeing the word count move up, or seeing your savings pile up in the bank. Whatever it is, the biggest motivator is to see these changes, so take photos in the gym, make note of your personal bests, tick off your to do list at the end of the day, and keep note of how many words you started with that day. This will be such a big motivator for you.
8).Taking away distractions- As much as it’s important to make your environment comfortable, It’s also important that there are minimal distractions around you. For example, if you are deep within work or revising, it may be useful to switch off the TV and make sure your phone is switched off too. Especially in today’s society, it’s so easy to get lost scrolling on Instagram, scrolling on Tik Tok or even WhatsApp messages. This always takes up vital minutes of your day. So make sure you save your phone or a TV programme for the break you have within the day. I know it can be hard, but taking away distractions will make it so much easier and you’ll definitely thank yourself later.
So there you have it. My 8 tips on how to be more proactive and reach those goals of yours. I know this weeks blog is a bit longer than usual, but there were so many things I wanted to include. I really hope you’ve enjoyed, and I really hope you have taken something away from this. Thanks so much for reading and I’ll see you again for another blog next Thursday.🙌🏻
Love your mind 