Have you ever gone into the New Year with wonderful resolutions that you truly believe you can achieve? Yet, when July, August, September roll around, you realize you’ve been busy but haven’t even achieved one thing on your list? We’ve all been there, let’s be honest. The resolutions aren’t the problem though—those are good. What we need is to work on our habits to ensure productivity, so we become people who actually follow through!
So, I’m determined to make this year the year I follow through on every dream, every resolution that I make. In fact, that’s my first resolution—to follow through on productivity! So, who is with me? I’ve put together a list of ways to ensure you’re more productive this year and thus keep your resolutions.
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Make To-Do Lists
If you’re going on a journey, you don’t just drive around, right? You follow set routes to get to your destination. You have to think of to-do lists like a map that tells you where you’re going. Your resolutions shouldn’t be your only lists. Yes, that’s the grand plan but you need lists every step of the way. Make a list of what you need to achieve in January, then break it down to this week. Then, every day, make a list of the things you’d like to get done today!
This little manageable list for today is the only one you should care about today. Weekly lists can be reviewed on Saturday morning, monthly at the end of the month, but just get through your daily list each day. You’ll find that if you work on those little tasks for today, it’ll add up for the week, then the month, and of course the year. For example, one of my resolutions was to build resources for Nigerian women this year and I’ve ticked off an item on last week’s list by writing this post, and an item on today’s list by publishing it! Yay productivity!
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Don’t Procrastinate or Agonise
Do you find yourself doing things with only minutes to spare on the deadline? While it may get done, it’s still unhealthy coz you spend so much time worrying about what you need to do instead of just doing it. Yes, many of us agonise and let fear hold us back, but that needs to stop.
Don’t procrastinate; just do it. No matter how awful it turns out the first time (that’s your worst fear, right?), just do it. Now, you have enough time on the clock to tweak it and get it right. Don’t procrastinate that either; just do it. Tweak until it’s up to your standard. You’ll often find you still have time left on the clock. Instead of procrastinating then ending up with only the first version coz of time.
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Eliminate Distractions
Can you guess how many times I checked Whatsapp while writing this post? None! I feel like I should reward myself for that. Seriously, in today’s world, there are so many distractions and we often don’t even need to get up from our seats to encounter them.
To achieve productivity, you have to be disciplined but that only comes with practice. So, work on eliminating distractions. Turn off the internet if you don’t need it, and face your work. Even emails can wait. If you don’t focus on one task at a time, you won’t give any your best. Try it today, even if it’s for 30 minutes. Soon, you’ll go hours working or spending time with a loved one without once glancing at your phone.
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Get your Personal Life in Order
Ok, this last tip sounds dramatic but it’s vital. We’ve all had those days where we just walked around like a zombie because there was a personal matter nagging on our minds. If you’re constantly worrying about personal issues, it’ll affect your work. Is it something that needs to be done at home? Do it or delegate it and free your mind to work. Is it a tough conversation you need to have with a loved one? Remember Tip 2! Don’t agonise over it, just do it.
These habits are vital if you’re determined to do the work and achieve those dreams or resolutions you’ve made. Let this be the year it all turns around and you get the satisfaction of actually seeing yourself achieve set goals!
Have any other productivity tips? Share with us.