In our world we have so many distractions around us each and every day and so we’re all faced with the same dilemma: how do we block out all unwanted distractions and achieve our goals at the same time?
Well the fact of the matter is we can absolutely block out everything around us and achieve optimum focus to complete whatever task we may be working on.
It’s not that hard, and even if the concept of focus is an entirely foreign concept to you, it only takes a small amount of effor to actually make a start and beginning changing your life for the better!
There are so many different techniques out there, however after 1000’s of hours practice, reading and understanding what makes us tick, I have found the following to be the most important techniques to turn yourself into a highly productive person!
Let’s begin.
1. They Wake Up Early
One thing that all productive people certainly have in common is that they wake up nice and early each morning. Now I’m not talking 4am starts, although if you can handle that (& I’m sure you can), it certainly would not hurt. I’m talking about getting up at 7am or so every day of the week, even the weekends.
You see we often decide that the weekend should be our time to relax and chill out, and they only way we can do this is to sleep in or at least not get up as early as we usually do. This is certainly not the case! Now I’ll go into having structure in your day in more details in another point, but I’ll also make the point clear right now.
The level of your success depends entirely on the level of your commitment. If you decide to get up early every day, you not only will have more time to do the things you want to, but you will feel less sluggish because you didn’t sleep in and ruin your routine. Think of all the thing’s you could do with an extra few hours in your day?
2. They Exercise Regularly
Among all sports people this is clear. It’s their job to be fit and active and is expected of them. Take American Footballers for example. They are pumped full of motivation, determination and a desire to succeed. They are so many exercises that they must put their bodies through on a daily basis, and good workouts take up a lot of time.
Not only that but those same footballers also often cook a lot of their meals in bulk, go over plays till the cows come home and a whole host of other tasks that require them to be focused at all times. It’s hard work, but they still manage somehow?
I think I know how. I think that exercise clears their mind, allows them to alleviate stress and essentially causes them to achieve higher levels of focus than normal. I think they have found a life hack for us all. What do you think??
3. They Stick to a Schedule
Where would we be without a schedule? We would be lost. Whether we realise it or not, we all have a schedule. We carry that schedule with us everywhere we go, but this schedule is not tangible, it’s on our brain and it can weigh us down. I explore the concept in more detail in this post.
We all have plans which change from day to day and week to week. Some of us try to keep our plans only in our heads. Why tire yourself out? I recommend Google Calendar or some other calendar tool or app to keep everything you want to do organised. All data will be available at a moments reach. You’ll also find yourself with much more mental energy than before!
4. They Keep Their Day Job
What better way is there to stick to a schedule that keeping your 9–5 day job. Provided that you go to work around the same time and leave around the same time each day, you are already on route to achieving a useful schedule and creating a lot of structure in your day.
When we know that we’re going to get up at 7:30am each morning to have a shower, breakfast and be in to work at 9 so we can leave at 5, we can easily plan in advance that we will get up an extra hour and a half earlier to hit the gym. We could just as easily decide that every day after work we will read for one hour when we get home, or visit family on the way home. Day jobs promote schedules.
5. They Never Let People Get In Their Way
One thing I have seen over and over again, is that people you know can have a huge influence on how you act and what you do, whether we realise it or not. We should never let anybody dictate how we think. Ideally, we make a decision first, and then ignore anybody who has a problem with that!
Productive people do what’s most important at the moment it is most important to do it. Forget the norm, create the future you deserve.
6. They Take Short But Revitalising Breaks
No matter how strong willed you are, no matter how determined, focused and motivated you are to succeed, you still need to take break. However the length, effect, and kind of breaks all depend on your character, and ultimately reflect how much you really want to do well in life.
Instead of taking a two-week break in the Bahama’s, why not take a four day snowboarding trip? Instead of watching a movie while you eat dinner, why not read a book and being a better you? Or watch a documentary? Or plan your following day?
Conclusion
There are countless way we can be far more productive that we currently are. We are all capable of extreme levels of productivity, it’s only a matter of understanding what makes us tick.
We can all unlock our full potential & be more productive in the process, we just need to focus on what is most important in our lives right now. What allows us to move further along the path to success.
Bottom line: Productive people get up early, exercise during the day, perform well at work, follow their schedule and never let anyone dictate what they do with their time. They take short, but highly revitalising & useful breaks. They never waste time and they never give up focus, no matter what.
Here’s what to do next…
- Leave a comment below telling me which point surprised, inspired or taught you the most.
- For those of you who really liked the post and would like to read more on the topic, check out 6 Simple Tricks That Will Make You Way More Productive.