Productivity Killing Mistakes to Stop Making

Productivity Killing Mistakes

If you feel unsatisfied at the end of each workday about having accomplished too little, you're hardly alone. Research shows that only one out of four people have completed the tasks that they planned to take care of. People often feel that they've been busy all day, but haven't done anything that matters.

Certainly. life isn't meant to be a productivity race, but people do feel better when they know that they've met goals and solved important problems. If you have trouble staying as productive as you would like, it's possible that you are making a few mistakes in the way you approach your work.

Thinking strategically, building skills, and taking on creative projects can all require the ability to devote large, unbroken chunks of time to them. While it can seem each morning like you have all day to devote to the work that you need to get done, phone calls, quick questions, emails, and meetings can get in the way.

Research done at the time tracking app Rescue Time has revealed that average workers get little more than one hour of uninterrupted time each day. If you can admit to yourself that you don't really have all day to devote to your most important priorities, you'll be able to weed out the distractions that drain your time and make more and more of it productive.

As tempting as it may be to focus on the little, time-sensitive tasks that require your attention every now and then, you need to tell yourself that when you have a sizable chunk of time available, you'll focus on the big-picture tasks alone. It's also important to not be too hard on yourself about not making good time with the major tasks that you want to get done; even creative tasks do often come with busywork, such as when you need to find references willing to be interviewed when you write a book.

It can help, however, to make a note of the busywork that you need to get done and accomplish these tasks when you have a few minutes between meetings, or in time that you believe you will have interruptions anyway. You overlook effective ways to be productive because they seem too simplistic If you've read self-help books on being more productive, you've probably come across useful tips such as the one to make each day to save yourself mental fatigue. Another productivity tip involves collecting all the materials to make sure that there are fewer interruptions.

Often, however, when people come by such productivity tips they dismiss them as simplistic and boring. It's important to understand that the lack of impressive appearance doesn't make these ideas ineffective. Often people overlook such productivity tips simply because they see themselves as special and unique. Simple ideas that work for others, they tell themselves, aren't likely to work for them.

The truth is however that high productivity isn't a very complex goal to achieve. All that's needed is the willingness to take up the boring, efficient ways to do things well and to actually do them. You think that changing your habits is an all-or-nothing endeavor There are probably certain changes of habit that, if you committed to them, would help make you more productive. The only problem is that you feel psychological resistance to making big changes.

For instance, you know that going to bed two hours earlier would help you wake up early and be more productive. But you don't want to give up two hours toward the end of your day to sleep. It can be a trap to think that you need to fully give up the two hours, or not give up anything at all. You could compromise instead, and begin by going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night.

Once you feel comfortable with the sacrifice you've made, you may be more willing overtime to make bigger allowances. You only need to make a start. You have an inefficient process for infrequent tasks - for instance making certain recipes or performing maintenance on your car or printer - may require you to painstakingly look up instructions every time.