5 Ways to Make Your Work Day More Productive

1 – Write Down Your Goals

Write down your goals daily, especially if you plan on focusing on those goals daily. The idea of a New Year’s resolution is excellent, but it often fizzles out and is seldom achieved. Take the time to write down your goals every day and remind yourself what you need to do to achieve the goals.

Set reminders to take actions that will accomplish the goal.

2 – Make a Task List For the Day

In my planner, I also write down the tasks that I need to accomplish that day. It could be something as simple as calling a customer or a reminder to get my car serviced that day.

There is mental power in accomplishing a task and then checking it off the list. Not every job will get done every day, but you will feel great about what you knock out, and it will also serve as a reminder of what you need to add to your list for tomorrow.

The task list needs to include the things that are important and urgent. Items that are not important should not make it to your task list.

3 – Schedule Every Hour of the Day

To be truly productive, you should be working on the essential tasks all day long. Schedule meetings, make phone calls, answer emails and work on meaningful projects that will produce results.

Once you get in the habit of filling out your planner and calendar, you will be able to see where you are potentially wasting time and not being productive.

No law says you have to take your entire lunch hour to eat. You can read, make calls, or schedule time with important clients.

Once you are productive, you will feel productive, which feels great. It is energizing and will motivate you to keep going in the pursuit of your goals.

4 – Focus on the Important / Urgent

There are urgent matters that you must attend to and complete. Focus has to be a priority, and the pressing issues that are truly important must get addressed.

The point of this is that urgent things come up that are not important. Someone else’s fire drill is not necessarily your fire drill.

Don’t get distracted by other people’s priorities if they take away from your priorities.

YOUR clients are essential, and family is important. Goals are important; you get the picture.

5 – Focus on the Important / Not Urgent

Focus is the magic sauce right here. Find the time to do the essential things that do not have urgency. There is reading, learning, planning, training, and something that will help you move toward your goals. These things are not urgent but are very important in the long run.

Once again, when you become productive, you will feel productive, which will motivate you to keep going. This created momentum will help you accomplish your goals.

When goals get accomplished, celebrate the success, create more plans and keep going.