Easy ways to 10x your productivity
We should always strive to improve our lives in some capacity. Productivity is a tool that can be leveraged to get most out of your life. The hectic lifestyle most of us live makes it very hard to remember to do so. We all know how to improve our self but it takes dedication and work. Results are not instant and for some it is a lifelong life long pursuit.
But their is a silver lining. Your life can improve without much effort at all if you follow these simple strategies.
1-Hydration
I don’t know if it is the constant advertising for soda or the unawareness of its benefits, but it seems the world strives to be chronically dehydrated. Most people are lucky to get a glass of water a day. Some none at all and get it secondarily from sodas and coffee.
Your body needs water to run optimally. Every cell in your body will function better when it is hydrated. A rule I follow is to have a big glass of water in the morning, before my coffee, before anything. Our body has been dehydrated for hours while you sleep, give it the water it needs. When you run optimally, all your attention can be focused on productivity. It is a very easy game changer.
2-5000 steps a day
Our bodies evolved to walk miles a day to survive, hunting and gathering. In the last 70 years we have become chronically lazy. A study shows that the average American sits 7 to 10 hours a day. I know it has become normalised now but it ain’t, our bodies need to walk. It stimulates our lymph, bones, joints, cardiovascular system, just to name a few.
You are leaving gains on the table by not walking everyday. Enjoy music, audiobooks and podcasts?
Great now make it a rule never to listen to them without walking. Got nowhere to walk?
Nonsense, walk around the block 20 times if you have to.
3-Manners
They cost nothing to have but can improve your social life drastically. Simply saying please and thank you, will give the impression that you appreciate people. Holding a door for the next person will only take a second of your time. Picking up something for someone when it drops will not hurt your life. New positive interactions can lead to new opportunities, which in turn will lead to higher productivity.
Don’t get me wrong, you can go overboard with manners. It can to some people paint you as weak and capitulating but most of the time people will appreciate it. All the alpha crap about being rude is nonsense, be nice and people will be nice to you.
4-Journaling
Taking five minutes in the morning to journal can change your life. To do list, gratitude, observations, quotes, experiences, they all give you valuable insight into your life. Writing these things make you start to evaluate you life. 5 minutes in the morning to increase your productivity sounds like a good deal. Our brains are constantly bombarded with information, we cannot remember everything.
Writing down your thoughts can organise the chaos and put your life back in order. my days before journaling were lost. Most of the day was lost with no direction and I wasted most of the time consuming media. with journaling I have gratitude, habits, to do list, memories and insights, all in one place. this daily practice keeps my productivity flowing and motivated. Grab yourself a notebook and start writing.
5-Utilise work breaks
I know the last thing you want to do with your well earned work break is to do more work. But it wouldn’t hurt to utilise it a bit better. I work in my office at home, so when I have a hourly break, I use that small window of time to stretch. I’m still relaxing but instead of doing nothing I improve my health.
I know everyone’s situation is different. People working in offices cannot do things people working at home can do, and vice Versa. Take your break and try and work out something you can add to it that will give you some benefit
6-Smile
One of the easiest life hacks you can do. Smiling really is contagious and people will wanna be around you more. Bad day at work smile, bad vibes in a room smile, walking down the street-smile. It is a simple trick.
If it doesn’t change the people around you then at least you are happier for doing it.
7-Put down the phone
Put down your phone!! After you read this article of course. The modern addiction is screens, and none carrel our attention more then the phone. Our necks contorted and our minds dead. Most new phones have a feature that tells you how long you have been on throughout the day. If it is more then 4 hours, then it is time to put the phone down. Work out, interact, read, create-look at all these new possibilities now that you have put down that mind control device.
8-Sauna
This requires a gym membership, so unless you have that then it isn’t as easy as the others. Sauna improves circulation, detoxification, heat regulation, inflammation just to name a few. In fact a Harvard study linked regular use of sauna to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. If you have one in your gym don’t skip it, use it.
Productivity is more then results and it is not only limited to work. Improving all parts of your life is how to be truly productive.
9-Segment your day
Knowing what you do throughout the day is a great way of finding out where you waste time. Record what you do in 30 minute increments for two days. Whatever you done most in each 30 minutes is what you will write down. You will begin to see just what consists of your day. Now find a 30 minute slot that you wasted on both of them days. If you don’t have one then keep recording the days until you have one. Use that 30 minutes to do something productive. Once you have formed it into a habit, rinse and repeat.
Want some routines to upgrade your life click here
10-Read a page a day
The benefits of reading has on your mind are profound. All the highest performers in the world read to some extent, I repeat all of them. If this is something you already do then kudos. Reading just a page a day is easy and will still give you mental benefits. That page is a minimum requirement, feel free to boost it to whatever you can consistently do.
I suggest you read whatever you find interesting, as it will keep you consistent. Repeat it enough and it will become a habit. If self help books are your thing here are some insights from the greats.
Eat that frog by Brian Tracy
How to win friends friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
Bonus
Improve your diet. You don’t have to become a monk overnight. Just try and get some vegetables and fruit in your diet.
But you only like peas and apples. Then just eat them. Our modern diets are starved of fibre and antioxidants. Getting more fruit and veg improves our health, it’s cheap and it is easy to add to your diet.
