There are a lot of tips and hacks from productivity experts all over the web. These experts even try beating each other by making sure their tip list is longer. But in most cases, longer doesn’t mean better. Because the truth is, there is nothing productive in reading tons of productivity tip lists – it’s just another form of PROCRASTINATION.
So before you go ahead and click on another How To be More Productive at Work and Life article, take a step back and ask yourself why do you want to learn more about productivity – do you want to work more for x number of hours or do you want to do x amount of work in a lesser number of hours? Keep in mind:
Presence > Productivity
No matter how “productive” you might feel like, churning work like there’s no tomorrow doesn’t matter at all if your mind isn’t present at work. Focus your energy on producing the best version of your work and do it repeatedly, don’t scatter all your energy on so many different tasks that you produce half-assed pieces of work.
As for that One Productivity Tip? Here it is:
Do the most important thing first.
Productivity doesn’t mean getting so many things done in a work day that you either challenge yourself to do more the next day or experience burnout at the end of each day. Productivity has never been about the quantity of work produced, it’s always about the quality of work done.
How do you determine what the most important thing for the day is? Next time you find yourself thinking about your to-do list and wondering “I don’t have time for any of this,” change your mindset and say this about each task you feel you don’t have time for: “This is not a priority.”
It’s easy to put things to do on the backburner if we believe that we don’t have time for any of it. But saying that it’s not a priority gives it much more punch.
- Do you really not have time for your dentist appointment? Or your dental health is not a priority?
- Do you really not have time to check your emails? Or timely correspondence is not a priority?
- Do you really not have time to do that research? Or is accuracy not a priority?
- Do you really not have time for lunch? Or is taking care of your mind and body not a priority?
There is no one sure-fire way to success. Even the most productive people still fail, you know. What matters most is you give yourself time to focus, strategize, and re-energize. Do not let fear of failure, burnout, and stress get to you. Follow this one productivity tip and you’ll soon be cruising off to a happier, more mindful you.
