Are you looking to be more productive and achieve bigger results in less time? In this article I’m going to share 6 habits of highly productive people which you can incorporate into your life to help you work smarter, not harder.
If you want to achieve a better work-life balance while still achieving your goals at work, it’s essential to be able to manage your time effectively and be more productive on your most important activities.
To make that balance work, between home life and business life, there are some proven strategies that highly productive people use to succeed at work, and still have time for what matters at home.
Highly productive people aren’t focused on doing more things, which is the opposite of productivity. They are focused on doing less.
These productivity tips used by highly productive people will help you be more productive and successful at work and still have a balanced life.
It’s tempting to look at highly productive people as an isolated group of people who can just get stuff done, whatever the circumstances.
But, there are productive habits you can develop if you want to be more effective. You can increase productivity and achieve bigger results by adopting these habits.
The traits of highly productive people
We often look at highly productive people as people who can somehow be productive no matter what’s happening around them. But, productivity is a capability that can be developed. Use these 6 habits of highly productive people to upgrade your own productivity and get more done in less time.
1. Take control of your time
Productive people take control of their time. Being productive is not about spending more time doing stuff, it is about focusing on achieving a result in the simplest, easiest and most productive way possible.
This focus on results, allows you to be flexible with how you invest your time to achieve the result you want.
Highly productive people plan their weeks ahead of time because they know the result they want and can apportion time accordingly.
This allows them to focus on high-priority tasks, reduce the time spent on other things, and build in tolerances for unexpected obstacles or challenges. This ability to manage time effectively reduces stress and overwhelm and amplifies their ability to get more done.
2. Have a long-term vision
Highly productive people have specific, measurable goals that they’re working to achieve in business and life. They have a long-term vision and set short-term goals to ensure they make progress each day and their motivation stays high.
This allows them to measure their progress in quarters, months and weeks, rather than days. If they don’t have a productive day, they don’t beat themselves up, because they know they have more time.
Productive people realise that not every day will be balanced, productive or successful. They look for the wins in the day and move onto the next one.
Being productive is all about how you think about things and the context you place around your time. You can choose to focus on the positives, or you can choose to focus on the negatives.
Highly productive people always focus on what’s good and what’s working and expand their time in those areas
3. Focus on what matters most
Highly productive people are clear on what’s most important to them. They make sure to be present in the moment have time to plan for the future. They do this by investing time in their most important relationships at work and at home.
There is always a balance between being productive at work and being present at home. Having more time off creates more productivity at work, and being more productive at work creates the time freedom to be with the people that matter most.
Productive people don’t sacrifice time with important people by working longer and harder at work.
4. Always look for achievements
Productive people are focused on what matters most and understand that work will just expand to fill their time if they let it.
As they’re clear up front on what they want to achieve each day, they know what success looks like. This allows them to stop working when they’ve achieved their goals for the day, rather than just working for the sake of it.
There will always be more items to add to your to-do list if you allow it. But this can cause you to overwork and risk fatigue and burnout.
Get clear on your daily goals, and celebrate those wins, and spend more time at home.
5. Harness your energy and focus
Building a successful business or career requires a lot of energy and focus. If you work too much you’ll end up being fatigued or feeling tired all the time, which isn’t productive.
Highly productive people understand that better sleep and exercise are key to be being productive and staying productive, so they make it a priority.
They also understand that they won’t always achieve a perfect night’s sleep or have time to exercise fully every day. Productive people understand that some form of exercise is better than nothing each day so they can maintain their energy and focus.
6. Be intentional in everything you do
Productive people are deliberate about what they do and choose where to invest their time. If you want to know how to be productive, start with being intentional. This intentionality will help you maintain focus on the areas of your business and life that you want to invest in and grow.
Proactively choosing can narrow your focus as you set better boundaries around your time.
This helps you avoid distractions and overwhelm and puts you in control, rather than wasting hours reacting.
Conclusion
Productive people are clear on their goals and understand the importance of their time. Developing productivity skills allow you to become less stressed and more focused and effective.
Use these traits of productive people to help you level up your productivity and help you feel happier, more satisfied and more productive every day.
This article originally appeared at Lucemi Consulting.
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