Knowing how to be productive is an essential part of reaching your goals and getting tasks and projects done on time or even in less time than expected.
Being productive starts with two important things: developing a positive mindset and setting achievable goals. What is a positive mindset? How do you set achievable goals?
A positive mindset sees the good in any situation. It is not a denial of an existing problem, but a mindset that tells you there’s a way out of that problem. This kind of mindset also says that once you get out of a sticky situation, you will have learned something new that will make you a stronger and better person. You need this kind of mindset if you want to be productive, for real!
Focus on being productive instead of busy.
Tim Ferriss
The other side of the coin on how to be productive is by setting goals that you can achieve. You may have heard motivational speeches or read somewhere that you need to set your goals high. While that is not wrong, in general, if you want productivity, start by setting SMART goals. Let’s look at this more closely:
S for Specific
A specific goal means a clearly defined goal. An example would be, “My goal is to build my email list to 1,000 leads this month!” It is specific, no confusion or guesswork. This simple statement tells you how long you are supposed to work on the goal and how many leads you want to bring into your email list. If you want to be even more specific, you can include information about who will be doing the work and the step-by-step process that person will follow.
An unclear, unspecific goal will look something like this, “My goal is to have thousands of subscribers!” There’s too much guesswork in this type of goal. How many thousands? How long do you plan to work on it to reach your number?
M for Measurable
In the example above, your measure is 1,000 leads in one month. That’s your guide to knowing whether or not you are making progress towards your goal. You can also choose to break down that goal into weekly goals. If you’re getting leads into your email list but you’re not meeting your weekly target, then that tells you something has to change in your process or maybe your monthly target is too high. Knowing this information will help you decide whether to lower your monthly goal or increase the effort to meet the weekly target.
A for Achievable
For productivity to flourish, you must have an achievable goal. This means your goal must be realistic, not exaggerated by your desire to grasp bigger results. Setting smaller goals out of your bigger goals will make your work much easier and your efforts more focused.
R for Relevant
Going back to the example of building an email list of 1,000 leads, ask yourself why this goal is relevant. Some of the questions you may want to ask once you know what your goal is, include “Will it bring revenue to your business?” “Will it increase productivity?” “Will it improve customer service?” The bottom line is to never set a goal without a clear purpose. If a goal is not relevant to the bigger picture, then you’re wasting time, money, and energy.
T for Time-Bound
Each goal must have a deadline. The deadline can also be used as a measuring stick to see how much you’ve progressed. It also helps you accomplish a task or project at a given time so you can move on to the next.
Tools You Can Use
There are many great tools that can help boost your productivity. You can find simple task managers as well as advanced project management software. There is a tool out there for everyone. Here are a few suggestions you may want to try:
Pomodoro
Pomodoro is an online timer that allows you to time your task and breaks. The app is called “Pomofocus”. You simply go to the site, set the timer, click “Start” to start the countdown as you do your work or take your break.
Slack
Slack is kind of an all-in-one app that allows you to chat with your teammates, assign tasks, upload files, and even post updates onto your feed, just like social media.
Evernote
You may consider Evernote as your digital planner or journal. It is basically a note-taking app with added features that allow you to create tasks or schedules.
RescueTime
RescueTime is a time-tracking software. It tracks how much work you’ve put in. It offers automatic time-tracking and distraction blocking features.
Trello
Trello is a task management tool. Some businesses use it to manage tasks and projects alike. Others use it for smaller tasks.
Asana
If you’re looking for a project management tool, Asana is one of the best free tools available out there. You can view your projects and tasks in list view or calendar view. You can also create individual projects and add teammates to the projects.
Buffer
Buffer is a social media management tool that allows you to schedule your posts in advance. Scheduling posts in advance is more productive than manually posting them everyday.
There are plenty of other tools on the internet, and more coming. When looking to improve your productivity, these can help you automate some of your tasks and remind you of what needs to be done and what’s already done. Also remember not to fall into the trap of trying to master your tools more than becoming more productive. Test each tool and choose the one that does not require too much time learning it.
