Sometimes the best way to improve your productivity is simply to do something pleasant. But sometimes it may be wiser first to do those unpleasant tasks that have been put off for so long! The inc.com website has shared some tips on how to achieve higher productivity.
1. Do the things you dislike
It is common that important tasks tend to fall to the very bottom of your to-do list for the sole reason that you dislike working on them. Sounds familiar? The solution is simple: write these tasks on a sticker, put it somewhere where you will see it and select one day in the week as your D-Day. On this day you simply must work through these unpleasant tasks. Esatablishing such a rule will make forcing yourself to do the tasks much easier.
2. Meditation
When you meditate, relaxation is not the only result. You also activate the right side of your brain, which means that the part of your brain responsible for creativity is being stimulated. Many famous and successful people consider meditation methods indispensable.
3. Do not be afraid to daydream
Because when you are daydreaming and visualising desirable situations and outcomes, you are affecting a certain zone in the brain. This zone acts like a filter: it sort of decides what you notice and what you do not. When you have daydreamed about something for at least one month, your focus adjusts this brain filter and you will see opportunities you would otherwise never notice.
4. Sign out from social media
Because social psychologist John Bargh claims that by completion of mundane tasks (e.g. checking notifications and newsfeed on Facebook) we can trick our own brain into releasing euphoria at work done, although, in reality, we have done nothing truly important - only performed a few clicks and read some mostly trivial news items. So log off and focus on activities that are really worth it.
5. Read fiction (at least occasionally)
No, it is not just a waste of time. Reading fiction can improve your imagination – which is a really useful asset in the world of business. There are more good reasons for reading fiction but this is the most striking one.
-jk-